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The apostle, having in the foregoing chapter set forth the sin and punishment of the ancient Jews, proceeds in this, I. To declare that our privileges by Christ under the gospel exceed the privileges of the Jewish church under Moses, as a reason why we should make a right improvement of them, Heb 4:1-4. II. He assigns the cause why the ancient Hebrews did not profit by their religious privileges, Heb 4:2. Then, III. Confirms the privileges of those who believe, and the misery of those who continue in unbelief, Heb 4:3-10. IV. Concludes with proper and powerful arguments and motives to faith and obedience.

Analysis Of The Chapter

This chapter Hebrews 4 comprises two parts. In the first Hebrews 4:1-13, the apostle pursues and completes the exhortation which he had commenced in the previous chapter, drawn from the comparison of the Saviour with Moses (see the analysis of Hebrews 3); and in the second part Hebrews 4:14-16, he enters on the consideration of the character of Christ as a high priest, which is pursued to the end of the doctrinal part of the Epistle.

In the first part Hebrews 4:1-13, he describes more at length the character of the "rest" to which he had referred in the previous chapter Hebrews 3. He shows Hebrews 4:1, that the promise of a "rest" yet remains, and that there is still danger, as there was formerly, of coming short of it, or of losing it. He affirms that such was the nature of that promise, that it is applicable to us as well as to those to whom it was first made, and that the promise of rest as really pertains to Christians now as it did to the Hebrews of old; Hebrews 4:2. The reason, he adds, Hebrews 4:2, why "they" did not enter into that rest was, that they had not faith. This he had established in the previous chapter, yer. 18. In Hebrews 4:3-6, he proceeds to demonstrate more at length that there is a rest remaining for those who believe. The great object in this part of the chapter is to prove that a "rest" remains for believers now; a rest of a spiritual character, and much more desirable than that of the land of Canaan; a rest to which Christians may look forward, and which there may be danger of losing.

Addressing Hebrew Christians, he, of course, appeals to the Old Testament, and refers to several places where the word "rest" occurs, and argues that those expressions are of such a character as to show that there remains a "rest" for Christians yet. It would have been easy to have "affirmed" this as a part of the Christian revelation, but throughout the Epistle he is bringing his illustrations from the Old Testament, and showing to the Hebrew Christians to whom he wrote that there were abundant considerations "in the Old Testament itself" to constitute an argument why they should adhere inviolably to the Christian religion. He says, therefore, Hebrews 4:4, that God himself had spoken of his "own rest" from his works; that when he had finished the work of creation he had instituted a "rest" which was characterized by the peace, and beauty, and order of the first Sabbath after the work of creation, when all was new, and lovely, and pure.

That might be called the "rest of God" - a beautiful emblem of what dwells around his throne in heaven. The meaning of this verse Hebrews 4:4 is, that the Bible spoke early of a "rest" which appertained to God himself. In Hebrews 4:5, he goes on to say that the prospect of entering into "his" rest was spoken of as a possible thing; that some were excluded, but that there was a place deserved to be called "the rest of God" - "My rest" - to which all may come. Of course, that rest must be of a spiritual nature, and must be different from that of the promised land. That "rest" the apostle "implies" it was possible to attain. He does not argue this point at length, but he assumes that God would not create a place of rest in vain; that it was made to be enjoyed; and that since those to whom it was at first offered were excluded, it must follow that it remained still; and as they were excluded by the want of "faith," it would follow also that it was reserved for those who "had" faith. Of course, therefore, it is offered to Christians now; Hebrews 4:6.

This view he proceeds to confirm by another consideration; Hebrews 4:7-8. It is that David, who lived nearly five hundred years after the land of promise had been occupied by the Israelites, spoke "then" of the possibility of entering into such a "rest." He says Psalm 95:7, that, in his time, the people were called to hear the voice of God; that he warned them against the guilt and danger of hardening their hearts; that he reminded them that it was by that that the Israelites were excluded from the promised land, and that he said that the same thing would occur if those in his own time should harden their hearts. It followed, therefore, that even in the time of David there was a hope and promise of "rest;" and that there was something more intended for the true people of God than merely entering into the promised land. There must be something in advance of that; something that existed to the time of David - and it must be, therefore, a spiritual rest.

This, the apostle adds, Hebrews 4:8, is conclusive; for if Joshua had given them all the "rest" that was contemplated, then David would not have spoken as he did of the danger of being excluded from it in his time. He, therefore, Hebrews 4:9, comes to the conclusion that there must still remain a "rest" for the people of God, a "rest" to which they were invited, and which they were in danger of losing by unbelief. He adds Hebrews 4:10, that he who enters into that "rest" ceases from toil, as God did from his when he had finished the work of creation. Since, therefore, there is such a "rest," and since there is danger of coming short of it, the apostle urges them Hebrews 4:11, to make every effort to enter into it. He adds Hebrews 4:12-13, as a consideration to quicken them to earnest effort and to anxious care lest they should be deceived, and should fail of it, the fact that God cannot be deceived; that his word penetrates the heart, and that everything is naked and open before him. There should, therefore, be the most faithful investigation of the heart, lest they should fail of the grace of God, and lose the hoped-for rest.

In the second portion of the chapter Hebrews 4:14-16, he enters on the consideration of the character of Christ as High Priest, and says that since we have such an High Priest as he is, we should be encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace. We have encouragement to persevere from the fact that we have such a High Priest, and in all our conscious weakness and helplesness we may look to him for aid.

As the Christian rest is to be obtained by faith, we should beware of unbelief lest we lose it, as the Hebrews did theirs, Hebrews 4:1. The reason why they were not brought into the rest promised to them, Hebrews 4:2. The rest promised to the Hebrews was a type of that promised to Christians, Hebrews 4:3-10. Into this rest we should earnestly labor to enter, Hebrews 4:11. A description of the word of God, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 4:13. Jesus is our sympathetic High Priest, Hebrews 4:15. Through him we have confidence to come to God, Hebrews 4:16.

INTRODUCTION TO Hebrews 4

From the punishment inflicted on the unbelieving Hebrews, who died in the wilderness, and entered not into the land of rest made mention of in the preceding chapter, the apostle proceeds to caution the present Hebrews of his time, and who professed faith in Christ, lest seeing there was a rest, and a promise of entering into it, they should seem to come short of it, Hebrews 4:1, and the rather, since they that fell in the wilderness had the Gospel preached to them as well as they; and the reason why it did not profit was, because it was not received by faith, Hebrews 4:2 as also seeing it is by faith that believers now enter into rest, Hebrews 4:3 which rest is not the rest of the seventh day, on which God rested; nor, the rest of the land of Canaan, which Joshua led the Israelites into; for if he had entered them into the rest the apostle means, David, so many hundred years after him, would not have made mention of another rest, Hebrews 4:4 wherefore it follows that there is another rest for the people of God, which he that enters into ceases from his own works, as God did from his, Hebrews 4:9 and this is the rest that everyone that professes faith in Christ, should be solicitous and diligent to enter into, lest he should fall short of it through unbelief; as the unbelieving Israelites did of their rest, Hebrews 4:11 and the arguments engaging to such a concern are taken from the properties and perfections of Christ, the essential Word of God; particularly from his omnipotence and his omniscience, Hebrews 4:12. And seeing he is by nature the Son of God, and by office a great high priest that is entered into heaven for his people, the encouragement is great to hold fast the profession of faith in him they have made, Hebrews 4:14 and the rather since he is a sympathizing high priest, as he must needs be, since he has been tempted, afflicted, and has suffered every way as his people, and is in all respects like them, excepting that he has no sin, Hebrews 4:15 and this consideration should engage believers to come to the throne of grace with all boldness, and in expectation of having grace and mercy bestowed on them for the supply of their daily wants, Hebrews 4:16.

IV.

This chapter is manifestly a continuation of the last, and should not have been detached from it. As with the exhortation of Hebrews 3:12-13, are interwoven some of the early words of the quotation from Psalms 95, so here the later thoughts of the same passage are taken up and applied.

Ch. 4. Continued exhortation to embrace the yet open offer of God’s rest (1–14). Exhortation founded on the High Priesthood of Christ (14–16)

Between chapters 3 and 4 there is no break. The unbelief of the wilderness generation is held up as a warning, and its use in this respect is justified by the fact that the promise made to them is still made, and is a “living” word which reveals the inmost purposes of the heart and is inevitable in its judgment.

CHAPTER 4

Hebrews 4:2. Better attested, it is true, than the nominative singular συγκεκραμένος (συγκεκραμμένος), which the Recepta presents, is the accusative plural of this participle, inasmuch as A B C D* M, 23, al., Theodor. Mops, read συγκεκερασμένους (συνκεκερασμένους), and D*** E K L, 4, 6, 10, al. plur., Cyr. Alex. (semel) Macar. Chrys. Theodoret, Phot. al., συγκεκραμένους (συγκεκραμμένους), and also the majority of translations (Syr. poster. Copt. Aeth. Arm. Slav. al.) render in the accusative. Griesbach therefore commended the accusative to notice. συγκεκραμ(μ)ένους is adopted into the text by the edd. Complut. Antw. Plantin. Genev., by Matthaei and others; συγκεκερασμένους, by Lachm. Tisch. 1, and Alford. The accusative is, notwithstanding, to be rejected, as opposed to the context and unmeaning. This reading being accepted, we have as exposition either: “but the word listened to did not profit them, since they were not mixed in faith or joined together in one with Joshua and Caleb, who heard, i.e. were obedient to the word listened to” (so Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Hammond, Cramer, Matthaei, al.). But this interpretation is in conflict with Hebrews 3:15 ff., according to which the whole people of Israel brought out of Egypt by Moses is described as rebellious and unbelieving; between two classes thereof, on the other hand, a class of believers and another of unbelievers, no distinction whatever is made. Moreover, in connection with this interpretation, τοῖς ἀκούσασιν suffers transmutation into a notion which it cannot have, regarded in itself only, much less here, seeing its evident correspondence with the preceding ἀκοῆς. (Not less untenable is the modification of this construction with Alford, who, rejecting all reference to Joshua and Caleb, will have τοῖς ἀκούσασιν taken, not at all in the historic sense, but, like John 5:25, as an indication of the category: “ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς having been mentioned in the general sense of the word heard, οἱ ἀκούσαντες is also in the general sense of its hearers, and the assumption is made that the word heard has naturally recipients, of whom the normal characteristic is faith. And so these men received no benefit from the word of hearing, because they were not one in faith with its hearers; did not correspond, in their method of receiving it, with faithful hearers, whom it does profit;” as, accordingly, Alford himself frankly confesses that he does not feel satisfied with this explanation, and is only driven to adopt it on the ground of critical and grammatical difficulties,—difficulties of the latter kind, nevertheless, do not exist, and those urged by Alford are easily solved. Or else a passive notion is substituted for the active τοῖς ἀκούσασιν. So already Theodore of Mopsuestia, who thinks τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν[62] must be read (in Nov. Test. Commentariorum quae reperiri potuerunt Coll. O. Fr. Fritzsche, Turici 1847, p. 166: μηδὲ γάρ τις οἰέσθω ἀρκεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τῶν μελλόντων, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἐκείνοις· οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν κατὰ τὴν τίστιν τοῖς ἐπαγγελθεῖσι συνημμένοι· ὅθεν οὕτως ἀναγνωστέον· μὴ συγκεκερασμένους τῇ πίστει τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, ἵνα εἴπῃ ταῖς πρὸς αὐτοὺς γεγενημέναις ἐπαγγελίαις τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ Μωσέως); further, as it appears, Theodoret, since—although in our editions ΤΟῖς ἈΚΟΎΣΑΣΙΝ precedes—he makes use of the words: ΤΊ ΓᾺΡ ὬΝΗΣΕΝ Ἡ ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ ἘΠΑΓΓΕΛΊΑ ΤΟῪς ΤΑΎΤΗΝ ΔΕΞΑΜΈΝΟΥς, ΜῊ ΠΙΣΤῶς ΔΕΞΑΜΈΝΟΥς ΚΑῚ Τῇ ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΙ ΤΕΘΑῤῬΗΚΌΤΑς ΚΑῚ ΟἿΟΝ ΤΟῖς ΘΕΟῦ ΛΌΓΟΙς ἈΝΑΚΡΑΘΈΝΤΑς; and recently Bleek, who, led thereto by Noesselt’s remark on Theodoret’s exposition of Hebrews 4:2 (Theod. Opp. t. iii., Hal. 1771, p. 566, note 1), conjectures τοῖς ἀκούσμασιν. For such alteration of the text, however, there exists not the slightest diplomatic justification. We must therefore regard the accusative plural as having arisen from a transcriber’s error, to which the preceding ἘΚΕΊΝΟΥς gave occasion, and look upon the nominative singular of the Recepta συγκεκραμένος, which yields an excellent sense (see the exposition), as that which was originally written by the author. Rightly, therefore, is the Recepta defended by Mill, Bloomfield, Delitzsch, Reiche (p. 24 sqq.), and others, and also received again into the text by Tisch. 2 (συγκεκραμένος-g0-), 7 (ΣΥΝΚΕΚΡΑΜΈΝΟς-G0-), and 8 (ΣΥΝΚΕΚΕΡΑΣΜΈΝΟς-G0-). Nor is it by any means so badly attested that one could assert, with Bleek, that it could “claim not much more authority than as being a not improbable conjecture.” For it is supported by the testimony of the Peshito, which in antiquity surpasses any of our MSS., as well as by the Codex Sinaiticus, which has ΜῊ ΣΥΝΚΕΚΕΡΑΣΜΈΝΟς. It is found, besides, in the Vulg. It. Erp., as well as with Cyr. Alex, (sem.) [Theodoret (Hervet.)] Lucif. and in five cursives (17, 31, 37, 41, 114).

Hebrews 4:3. ΕἸΣΕΡΧΌΜΕΘΑ ΓΆΡ] A C: ΕἸΣΕΡΧΏΜΕΘΑ ΟὖΝ. But with an exhortation, the following ΟἹ ΤΙΣΤΕΎΣΑΝΤΕς is irreconcilable, instead of which ΠΙΣΤΕΎΟΝΤΕς or ΔΙᾺ ΠΊΣΤΕΩς must be placed.

Hebrews 4:7. Elz. Wetstein, Matthaei, Scholz, Bloomf.: ΕἼΡΗΤΑΙ. But in favour of ΠΡΟΕΊΡΗΤΑΙ, which is indirectly supported also by ΠΡΟΕΊΡΗΚΕΝ in B, 73, 80, the preponderating authority of A C D* E* א, 17, 23, 31, al., Syr. utr. Copt. Arm. Vulg. Cyr. Al. Chrys. Theodoret. Lucif. Bed. is decisive. Commended already by Grotius, Bengel, Griesbach. Rightly adopted into the text by Lachm. Tisch. and Alford. Approved also by Reiche.

Hebrews 4:10. ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ] D* E, Syr. poster. Cyr. Chrys. ms.: ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. Expansion from Hebrews 4:4.

Hebrews 4:12. Elz. Matthaei, Scholz, Bloomfield: ψυχῆς τε καὶ πνεύματος. But τε is wanting in A B C H L א (in which last originally only μερισμοῦ καὶ πνεύματος was written, which, however, was already supplemented, as it would appear by the first hand, by a ψυχῆς inserted before καί), 3, 73, al., with Origen (three times), Athan. Euseb. Chrys. Theodoret, Cyril Al. (eleven times), John Damasc. Theoph. and many others. Condemned already by Bengel and Griesbach. [Doubted by Owen.] Rightly rejected by Lachm. Tisch. and Alford. Addition for the sake of uniformity with the following clause: ἉΡΜῶΝ ΤΕ ΚΑῚ ΜΥΕΛῶΝ, in which ΤΕ is wanting with no witnesses.

Hebrews 4:15. Instead of the ΠΕΠΕΙΡΑΜΈΝΟΝ, commended by Griesbach and adopted by Matthaei, Tisch. 1, 2, 7, and Bloomfield, as earlier by Mill and Bengel (also preferred by Reiche), the ΠΕΠΕΙΡΑΣΜΈΜΟΝ of the Recepta, supported by A B D E א, Origen (four times), Chrys., al., is to be retained, with Wetstein, Scholz, Lachm. Alford, and Tisch. 8. For the context demands the notion of having been tempted, for which, in the Epistle to the Hebrews (cf. Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 11:17; Hebrews 11:37), only the verb πειράζεσθαι is used, while πεπειραμένον would yield the totally unsuitable sense: who had made attempts.

Hebrews 4:16. Elz.: ἜΛΕΟΝ. The form of the word, preferred by Tisch. Bloomf. and Alford, ἜΛΕΟς, is, however, required by A B C* D* K א, 17, 71, al. pl., Antioch.

[62] Also in one cursive ms. (Cod. 71) is found τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν.