Looking to Jesus as the Perfect Pattern
With the glorious history of the faithful in mind, our author turns now to his readers. The standard of faith has been set by the record of God’s faithful people in the past, who moved out into the unknown with confidence and who endured hardship without giving up their expectation of a future fulfillment of the promise. But the author now comes to the supreme example of this kind of faith in Jesus—the name that must be the climax of any list of paragons of faith. Jesus himself endured great suffering without losing sight of the glory that was to come. The readers, together with Christians of every era, are called to walk in the steps of faith that characterized the saints of the past and the one who has now been made Lord. Only such an attitude of faith can sustain them during the adversities they may be called to face.
12:1 The first, and therefore emphatic, word of the original text is a strong inferential particle, therefore. The exhortation now to be given is based on the reality expounded in chapter 11. The community of faith is such that it figuratively surrounds us like a great cloud of witnesses. Witnesses here does not mean observers of the present conduct of Christians but rather those who testify or give evidence of the victorious life of faith. They show that it is possible to live by faith. Motivated by the preceding catalogue of examples, the readers are themselves to live the life of faith. The exhortation is given in figurative language: Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. But if the race is to be run (cf. the same imagery in 2 Tim. 4:7), we must put away everything that hinders (lit., “every weight” or “impediment”). The author does not specify any impediments; it is understood that anything that hinders the life of faith as it has been portrayed in the preceding chapter is to be laid aside. One clear obstacle to the life of faith, however, is the sin that so easily entangles. The relation between sin and unbelief has already been the subject of our author’s attention (cf. 3:12, 18f.). The believers’ susceptibility to sin (cf. Rom. 7:21) must not be allowed to thwart them in their pursuit of the goal (cf. 11:25). Taking courage from past examples, the readers are exhorted to complete the course upon which they have embarked.
12:2 An even more significant example of the life of faith is to be found in Jesus, now described as the author (or “pioneer”) and perfecter of our faith. The word for “pioneer” is the same word used in 2:10 (“author,” or “originator,” of salvation; cf. Acts 3:15). Is there a sense in which Jesus can be described as the “originator” of faith? Like Paul (Gal. 3:23–26; cf. John 1:17), our author believes that the people of God could indeed have lived by faith in past generations, but that in a fundamental sense the possibility—or at least the validity—of faith in any era depended and depends upon the work of Christ. That is, because Christ is so central both to the promise and to the fulfillment, because he brings into existence the hoped-for telos (and is therefore the perfecter of faith), he is also the “originator” or “founder” of faith. As perfecter of faith, he brings it to its intended goal. Thus, whether one talks about faith as a possibility or as the experience of fulfillment, all depends upon Jesus. For this reason, Christians must keep looking away from this world to him. He is not only the basis, means, and fulfillment of faith, but in his life he also exemplifies the same principle of faith that we saw in the paragons of chapter 11. Thus, by faith he counted upon the reality of future joy and, assessing present circumstances in light of the glorious future, he endured the cross, scorning its shame. He died as a despised criminal (cf. Phil. 2:8). And that future joy is already his in a preliminary way, for he sat down at God’s right hand. This description of Christ in the language of Psalm 110:1 alludes throughout the book to the completeness of his work (cf. 10:11f.).
12:3 The readers are encouraged to consider Jesus as the one who suffered, who endured such opposition (lit., “hostility”) from sinful men. In this sense Jesus is a model of all the suffering of the righteous at the hands of the enemies of God. Consideration of what Jesus endured will prevent the readers from growing weary and losing heart. Following Jesus as their model, they can endure the most trying of circumstances.
Additional Notes
12:1 The initial word toigaroun may be translated “for that very reason” (see BAGD, p. 821) and may refer particularly to the immediately preceding statement (11:40) that “only together with us would they be made perfect.” The saints of God, both past and present, must arrive at the goal together, and therefore it is up to the readers to emulate the faith of their forebears. Only in this way can the people of God as a unity experience the eschatological consummation of God’s purposes. The word cloud (nephos) is used commonly in Greek literature to indicate a “host” or “company.” This is the only occurrence of the noun “witness” (martys) in Hebrews, except for the quotation of Deut. 17:6 in 10:28. The Greek word had not yet acquired the meaning of “martyr” as one who gives his life for what he believes, which it came to have by the second or third century. See H. Strathmann, TDNT, vol. 4, pp. 504–12. The word for “impediment” (onkos) occurs only here in the Greek Bible. See H. Seesemann, TDNT, vol. 5, p. 41. A textual variant to the Greek word underlying NIV’s that so easily entangles (euperistatos) is found in the early and important P46, which has euperispastos, “easily distracting.” The latter reading may have occurred, however, because of some uncertainty about the meaning of the former word (which is not found elsewhere in the NT, the LXX, or Greek writers prior to the NT). F. F. Bruce (Hebrews, p. 350) quotes E. K. Simpson, who defines the word as meaning “so prone to hamper or trammel.” This has an appropriate significance in the present context. See Metzger, TCGNT, p. 675. Athletic imagery is used frequently in the NT to describe the kind of discipline and dedication needed to live the Christian life (see especially 1 Cor. 9:24–27). This same imagery of the athletic contest is used in describing the sufferings and martyrdoms of the Maccabean age in 4 Macc. 17:9ff. On the metaphorical language of “running a race,” see also Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16. Perseverance or “endurance” (hypomonē) is an important need of the readers (cf. 10:36). If there is a demanding course marked out for (prokeimai, lit., “lying before”) us, there is also a great hope that is also said to lie before us (6:18, using the same verb; cf. the same verb in describing the joy set before Jesus in v. 2).
12:2 The exhortation let us fix our eyes on Jesus continues the metaphor of a race, where the runner must avoid distraction of every kind (cf. “looking unto God,” 4 Macc. 17:10; cf. Acts 7:55). In this case, however, Jesus is appealed to not merely as another example, but as one whose whole existence revolves around faith. NIV’s our faith is better taken literally as “the faith” or “faith” in a more general sense. He is the pioneer and perfecter not simply of the faith of Christians, but of the faith of every era. For “pioneer” (archēgos), see note on 2:10. The word for perfecter (teleiotēs) is found only here in the Greek Bible and does not occur in Greek literature prior to the NT. Our author, however, uses several cognate words (see notes on 2:10; 6:1; 7:11). See G. Delling, TDNT, vol. 8, pp. 86–87. Jesus is referred to in Rev. 1:5 (cf. Rev. 3:14) as “the faithful witness” (ho martys ho pistos). On “faith,” see note to 11:1. For structural analysis see D. A. Black, “A Note on the Structure of Hebrews 12, 1–2,” Biblica 68 (1987), pp. 543–51.
Some have thought that to say that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him is to base Jesus’ obedient death upon an unworthy motive. They accordingly prefer to interpret the preposition anti to mean, as it can, “instead of” rather than before (cf. NEB margin: “in place of the joy that was open to him”). This objection, however, fails to understand that the stress on the future hope of the Christian is exactly the point that the author has made to his readers throughout the preceding chapter, and that he wishes to underline here. Furthermore, to say that Jesus was motivated by the joy that was to be his afterwards in no way need exclude the motives of obedience to the Father and the procurement of salvation for the world. Indeed, the joy that Jesus was to experience is inseparable from the accomplishment of God’s saving purposes, and thus in a fundamental sense it is a shared joy (cf. John 17:13). Our author has already pointed out that the purpose of the incarnation was the death of God’s Son and hence the deliverance of the world from sin and death (cf. 2:10, 14f., 17).
Crucifixion was one of the most despicable forms of death in the Roman world. Roman citizens were automatically protected against this form of capital punishment, which was thought suitable only for barbarians. Jesus disregarded totally the shame attached to it. See E. Brandenburger, NIDNTT, vol. 1, pp. 391–403. Among the several allusions to Ps. 110:1, this is the only time the verb for sat down occurs in the perfect tense (the other occurrences are aorists). The emphasis is on the present reign of Christ as the corresponding fulfillment of the joy set before him. On the importance of Ps. 110 for our epistle, see note on 1:3.
12:3 The particular word used here for consider (analogizomai) occurs only here in the NT. The object of the verb, as in v. 2, is the one who suffered rather than the sufferings. The perfect tense of the Greek participle underlying endured (hypomenō) suggests the completed results from Jesus’ endurance of the cross. The word “hostility” (antilogia) in connection with the cross may allude to the derision of Jesus’ enemies (e.g., Matt. 27:39; cf. Ps. 22:7f.). A textual variant supplies a plural instead of a singular reflexive pronoun, resulting in the hostility of sinners being directed “against themselves.” This, however, makes little sense and thus is probably to be rejected despite its superior textual attestation. See Metzger, TCGNT, p. 675. The language of this verse bears some resemblance to the LXX of Num. 17:2f. (16:38 in English translations of the OT). The thought of what Jesus endured should help the readers not to grow weary (kamnō) and lose heart (lit., “fainting in your souls,” ASV). And we know from earlier passages in the epistle that our author is apprehensive for the readers in this regard (cf. 3:12; 4:1; 6:4ff.; 10:26ff., 35).
The Purpose of Chastening
As we have seen, a main purpose of the author throughout the book is to call his readers to faithfulness in the midst of adverse circumstances. Near the end of his epistle he exhorts them to “go forth to him [Jesus] outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured” (13:13, RSV). Although no members of the community have yet suffered martyrdom, the future may involve just that. Any perspective like this, which affirms suffering as the duty of the faithful, must develop a theology of suffering wherein suffering can be understood in a positive light. That is the purpose of the present section. Suffering, far from being a contradiction of the Christian’s status, as the world is inclined to think, is actually a mark of his or her true status. Suffering is necessarily involved in being a child of God and is not a contradiction of God’s love.
12:4 Struggle against sin here signifies, as the context indicates, not the battle of the Christian to keep from sinning (cf. v. 1), but the struggle to avoid apostatizing. It may refer as much to the sin of the enemies of God who persecute his people as to the potential sin of apostasy in the readers themselves. It is this that they are to resist. There have indeed been difficult times in the past (cf. 10:32–34), and perhaps also in the present, but resistance for the readers has not yet come to the point of shedding your blood (i.e., being killed). In that regard they have not equalled the suffering of the supreme paradigm of faith who, as the preceding verses emphasize, went to the cross and paid the ultimate price.
12:5–6 It is possible to understand the opening sentence either as a statement, as in NIV’s you have forgotten, or as a question (cf. RSV, GNB, JB). That the readers are somewhat discouraged is clear. The difficulties they face are such that the author wants to remind them of the place of suffering in the life of faith. They need to remember again that word of encouragement (lit., “encouragement” or “exhortation”) in Scripture which speaks of the advantage of those who are sons. The quotation is from Proverbs 3:11f. What is in view in the present context is a positive kind of discipline that trains a person in obedience. This is the way they are to perceive the adversity they are experiencing: it is a mark of the Lord’s love (cf. Rev. 3:19), on the one hand, and of their sonship, on the other. They are therefore not to lose heart (cf. v. 3).
12:7–8 Having presented the OT quotation, the author now provides another midrashic commentary in which he utilizes the actual words of the quotation to present his argument (for earlier examples of this procedure, see 2:6–9; 3:7–4:10; 10:5–11). This can be seen in the threefold use of the words “discipline” and “sons” (or “son”) in these verses. The root of the word “discipline” (paid-) also occurs once in each of the next three verses. The readers are first exhorted to endure their suffering as discipline and the sign that God is dealing with them as sons. The author continues with a rhetorical question that points to the universality of the disciplining of sons by their fathers (or children by their parents). Indeed, he adds, without the experience of this kind of discipline (and everyone undergoes discipline), one must count oneself as an illegitimate rather than an authentic son or daughter. In short, it is a part of authentic sonship (and not the contradiction of it) to experience the discipline of God as Father. We may recall what is said of Christ in 5:8: “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.”
12:9–10 In these verses our author draws his analogy further, using an a fortiori form of argument (from the lesser to the greater). As far as our human fathers (lit., “fathers of our flesh”) are concerned, they disciplined us and yet we respected them for it. What seems to be meant by this is that we accepted the discipline without questioning either the authority of our literal parent or our status as legitimate children. All the more then should we be submissive to the Father of our spirits (lit., “the Father of spirits”) and thus live (lit., “we will live”). “The Father of spirits” is our creator, to whom we owe our existence in an ultimate sense. As we are submissive to his discipline we will begin to live the life of the eschaton (cf. 1 Cor. 11:32). The contrast contained in v. 10 makes a similar point. We should be even more receptive to God’s disciplining than we were to our human fathers’. They disciplined us for a little while (lit., “a few days”), that is, during our childhood, and used as their standard only what subjectively they thought best. The implication is that God disciplines us throughout our life and in accordance with his own knowledge of our good, with the final goal that we may share in his holiness. In actuality our character is being formed by the experience of suffering. We are being purified and made to share the holiness of God, especially as revealed in his Son (cf. Rom. 8:29). By connecting suffering with holiness our author sanctifies suffering as something that has a very special purpose in the life of the Christian.
12:11 The author readily admits that, while it is being experienced, the discipline of suffering seems to produce sorrow rather than joy. Yet with the perspective of time the true purpose of such suffering will make itself plain, for those who have suffered will receive a harvest of righteousness and peace (lit., “the peaceful fruit of righteousness,” RSV, NASB). Righteousness, then, is the portion of those who accept the discipline of suffering from their Father’s hand. The point of this verse is the same as that of 2 Corinthians 4:17, where Paul writes: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (cf. the closely related emphasis of 1 Pet. 1:6f.; 4:12–14).
Additional Notes
12:4 “Resistance to the point of death” is a common motif in Jewish literature, describing absolute commitment and endurance in a struggle against opponents. Our author is exceptional in using the word “blood” rather than “death,” but it is fairly certain that he means martyrdom rather than merely the sustaining of wounds. The particular word for struggle used here (antikathistēmi) occurs only here in the NT. The same is true of the word translated resisted by NIV (antagonizomai). On the use of sin (hamartia) as referring to apostasy, see especially 10:26f. See W. Günther, NIDNTT, vol. 3, pp. 577–83.
12:5–6 The quotation again follows the LXX of Prov. 3:11f. nearly verbatim (the author adds my after the initial son). The LXX follows the Hebrew quite closely except for some slight deviation in the last line. There the LXX has added a verb (NIV’s punishes) and translates the Hebrew verb “delights” with the Greek word “receives” (NIV’s accepts). The added verb strengthens the obvious parallelism with the first line of Prov. 3:12 (Heb. 12:6). It is interesting to note that Philo quotes this same passage in an argument very similar to our author’s, in which suffering is shown to benefit the recipient and is to be regarded as a blessing (On the Preliminary Studies, 175).
12:7–8 The words for discipline are drawn from the same root (verb: paideuō; noun: paideia and paideutēs). Words derived from this root occur twice in the original quotation and no less than six times in the author’s midrashic exposition of the passage (three times in vv. 7–8). On the positive significance of paideia here, as “education for eternity,” see G. Bertram, TDNT, vol. 5, pp. 621–24. The imperative endure (hypomenō) is the same verb used in vv. 2 and 3 in describing Jesus’ endurance of the cross. The readers are thus called to endure as he endured (cf. 10:36). In v. 8 the word everyone (pantes) was probably also suggested to the author by its occurrence in the original quotation (v. 6). The point is not merely that all God’s sons are disciplined, but that all sons universally are disciplined by their fathers. True sons were disciplined by their fathers in order to become worthy heirs; illegitimate children (nothos, which occurs only here in the NT) were not able to inherit and thus were not worth the trouble of such training. Thus those who suffer discipline have established not only their true sonship but also their status as heirs.
12:9–10 The a fortiori form of argument is used often in Hebrews (cf. 2:2ff.; 9:14; 10:29; 12:25). The analogy between human fathers and the “heavenly father” is found several times in the teaching of Jesus (e.g., Matt. 7:9–11; 21:28–31; Luke 15:11–32). The expression “fathers of our flesh” stands in contrast to “the Father of spirits.” The former refers clearly to literal, human fathers; the latter to the creator in an absolute sense, and for the Christian in the more specific sense as the Father to whom they have become sons through the new covenant. The phrase “the Father of spirits” (patēr tōn pneumatōn) is similar to “the God of the spirits of all mankind” in Num. 16:22 and 27:16 (cf. “the Lord of spirits” in the Similitudes of Enoch, 1 Enoch 37ff.; cf. 2 Macc. 3:24). No anthropological dualism (wherein God is the creator only of our spirits) is intended by our author. See E. Schweizer, TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 141f. In v. 9 human fathers are described as “correctors” (paideutēs), a word that occurs elsewhere in the NT only in Rom. 2:20. The future tense of the verb live orients the reader to an eschatological expectation, as does the full realization of the sharing of his holiness (v. 10) and the reaping of a harvest of righteousness and peace (v. 11). This is akin to the statement in Acts 14:22 that “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” The statement that human fathers disciplined only for a little while suggests the lesser importance of the discipline of human fathers compared to that of God our Father. The advantage of the Father’s disciplining is our participation in his holiness (hagiotēs), an unusual Greek word that is found elsewhere in the NT only in 2 Cor. 1:12.
12:11 The ultimately beneficial character of suffering, despite its present pains, is a familiar motif in the Bible (cf. Ps. 119:67, 71, for benefits in the present life; 2 Thess. 1:5–8 and Matt. 5:10–12, for benefits in the life of the future). With the word trained (gymnazō), the author returns to the athletic games for his imagery, thus ending the passage with language from the same font as that used in verse 1. The fruit of righteousness is called peaceful (eirēnikos) because it is the resolution of the “struggle” (v. 4) brought about by the sufferings of the present time. The latter must always find their truest answer in the final consummation of all things, but this cannot be allowed to weaken the author’s emphasis on the experience of realized eschatology, to which he will turn in 12:18ff.
A Challenge to Holiness and Faithfulness
In the light of the positive view of suffering set forth in the preceding section, the author now again gives a pastoral exhortation to his readers. They are to get on with the business of living the Christian life and to resist the temptation to return to their former ways, though such a retreat may appear to be less troublesome. A negative example, Esau, is provided as a further warning to the readers. This exhortation has much in common with preceding ones (e.g., 2:1–3; 4:1–2; 6:1–6; 10:32–36), but if anything, it carries even more persuasive power because of the material surveyed in chapter 11 and the argument of 12:1–11.
12:12–13 / The unusual imagery of the language of verse 12 is drawn from the LXX of Isaiah 35:3, where the context speaks of eschatological fulfillment, and the following sentence reads: “Tell everyone who is discouraged, ‘Be strong and don’t be afraid.’ ” The exhortation of this verse, as the context in Isaiah indicates, is thus very pertinent to the condition of the readers. The thrust of the exhortation to strengthen your feeble (or “drooping,” so RSV, NEB) arms (lit., “hands”) and weak knees is that the readers should take heart and thereby receive strength to face their difficult circumstances. The opening words of verse 13 are drawn from the LXX of Proverbs 4:26: Make level paths for your feet, where the parallel line is “order your ways aright.” The reference to the lame probably came to the author by the prompting of the words of Isaiah 35:3 in verse 12. Where there are weakness and drooping limbs there may also be lameness (see also Isa. 35:6). And if we associate avoidance of lameness with level paths, feet (as in NIV) may, in keeping with Proverbs 4:26, be thought of to go along with arms (“hands”) and knees. Disabled is literally “turned aside,” probably in the sense of “dislocated” (cf. RSV: “put out of joint”). Thus, if the readers make their paths straight, living in a way that is pleasing to God, what is lame and painful will be healed, rather than aggravated. The metaphorical language of these verses, from what we know elsewhere in Hebrews, may be assumed to constitute a graphic portrayal of the condition of the readers.
12:14 The exhortation of this verse appears to be more general, much like that found in other NT epistles. The readers are told to “pursue” (which NIV translates make every effort to live in) peace with all men and to be holy (“holiness”). The language “pursue peace” stems from Psalm 34:14 and is found also in Romans 14:19 and 1 Peter 3:11 (cf. Heb. 12:18; 2 Cor. 13:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Thess. 5:13). The exhortation to holiness, of course, is common in the NT. Holiness has already been set forth as the goal of the Christian in verse 10. If we remember that suffering and holiness are connected, the one producing the other, we may see the present exhortation as specifically pertinent to the readers. To see the Lord refers to the end of the age. “But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). It is worth noting that in two successive beatitudes Jesus refers to “the pure in heart” who will “see God” and the peacemakers who will be called “sons of God” (Matt. 5:8–9).
12:15 The exhortation in this verse is directed to what is apparently the main concern of the author. Again and again we have seen this concern emerge (e.g., 2:1ff.; 3:12ff.; 4:1ff.; 6:4ff.; 10:23, 26ff., 35). Here he appeals to the responsibility of the community for each of its members. Thus they are to see to it that no one misses the grace of God. The members of the community are to be accountable for one another (which may also be the point made in 10:25). The exhortation is restated in the language of Deuteronomy 29:18 about a bitter root that can grow and defile others around it. The appropriateness of the allusion is plain from Deuteronomy 29:19: “When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, ‘I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” (Cf. GNB: “That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.”) The lapse of one member (or more) of the community will have its inevitable effect on others and is therefore to be prevented insofar as it is possible.
12:16–17 The reference in the preceding exhortation to the danger of “missing the grace of God” is now reinforced by the example of the unfortunate Esau. The community is to attempt to prevent anyone from becoming like him. Esau is described as godless (lit., “irreligious”) because he traded his inheritance rights (lit., “birthright”) as the oldest son for a meal of bread and pottage (Gen. 25:33f.). In this regard Esau is the antithesis of the paragons of faith in chapter 11. He trades off what is unseen and what lies in the future for immediate gratification in the present (cf. 11:25f.). He thus forfeited the inheritance that was his right as the first-born. Later Esau bitterly regretted his decision because when he wanted to inherit this (lit., “the”) blessing, he was rejected. For there was no going back on his decision; he could bring about no change of mind (lit., “he found no way of repentance”). Repentance was not a possibility although he sought it with tears (Gen. 27:30–40). This warning concerning Esau’s sad plight is reminiscent of the author’s warning to the readers in 6:4ff. (cf. 10:26f.) about the impossibility of repentance for those who abandon the faith. Esau found no way back from his decision; the readers must learn from this how serious apostasy is, and not count upon an easy return to Christianity in more convenient times.
Additional Notes
12:12–13 / The imagery of Isa. 35:3 appears to have exercised influence on other writers besides the author of Hebrews, Thus Sirach also refers to “drooping hands and weak knees” (25:23; cf. 2:12; Zeph. 3:16). The word that describes knees as “tired” (paralyō) is used to describe the paralyzed man healed by Jesus in Luke 5:18–26. The word translated strengthen (anorthoō) occurs elsewhere in the NT only in Luke 13:13 and Acts 15:16. The rare word for paths (trochia), drawn from Prov. 4:26, occurs only here in the NT. Lame (chōlos) is the commonly used word in the NT, occurring only here in Hebrews. “Turned aside” (ektrepō) occurs elsewhere in the NT only in the Pastorals where it regularly means “to go astray.” Perhaps in light of v. 15 an echo of this meaning may be seen here (note, too, level [lit., “straight”] paths). The common verb healed (iaomai) occurs only here in Hebrews.
12:14 In the great benediction of 13:20f. God is referred to as “the God of peace.” The word for holiness in this verse (hagiasmos) is usually translated “sanctification” in the NT (e.g., the RSV of Rom 6:19, 22; 1 Cor. 1:30; 1 Thess. 4:3). This word occurs only here in Hebrews. Its meaning, however, is not different from the related word used in v. 10. Sanctification is a state of holiness, and it is this that the readers are to pursue. Holiness is set forth as an essential requirement of the Christian particularly in 1 Pet. 1:15: “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,” words that are followed by a quotation from Leviticus (11:44f.; 19:2). See also Matt. 5:48. On the eschatological vision of God, see Rev. 22:4.
12:15 Underlying NIV’s see to it is the Greek word episkopeō, which has the sense of “overseeing” or “caring for.” This word (and its cognate noun), which here apparently refers to the responsibility of the entire community, soon becomes applied specifically to the official church leadership. The only other occurrence of the verb in the NT is in 1 Pet. 5:2. Underlying NIV’s misses is the Greek word hystereō (lit., “fall short”), the same verb used in the same connection in 4:1. The expression the grace of God occurs earlier in 2:9 where it refers to the atoning death of Jesus. Our author’s words cause trouble (from the verb enochleō) probably represent a minor corruption of the LXX text (which reads pen cholē “in gall”; cf. GNB’s addition of the words “with its poison”). Because “trouble” and “gall” are fairly similar in meaning, the slight alteration of the LXX text is not serious. The result of such a bitter root in the community is literally “that the many become defiled.” The word “defiled” (miainō) here is used for both ceremonial (John 18:28; 1 Macc. 1:63) and moral (Titus 1:15) uncleanness. In the present context the defilement has to do with tendencies toward apostasy.
12:16–17 As with his examples in chap. 11, the suitability of the example of Esau for the author’s point is so striking that it is easy to imagine the diligence with which he searched his OT for appropriate illustrative material. It is debatable whether both sexually immoral and godless are to be understood as referring to Esau. That our author has a concern about sexual immorality among the readers seems clear from 13:4. It is also clear that Esau is portrayed in Jewish tradition as guilty of sexual immorality (see Strack-Billerbeck for examples). In the present context the second word is obviously appropriate. Esau was “irreligious” (bebēlos) because he had no regard for his lineage or for the covenant promises associated with that lineage. This is in obvious contrast to the portrayal of Jacob in 11:21. When Esau is said to have wanted to inherit this blessing, what is meant of course is the restoration of his birthright as the first-born son. He was rejected (apodokimazō) may perhaps be better translated “declared disqualified” (cf. BAGD, p. 90). The word for “repentance” (metanoia) occurs in a similar connection in 6:6. It is difficult to know whether the antecedent of it (autēn) at the end of v. 17 is “repentance” or the blessing (added by NIV), both of which are feminine nouns. The difference, however, is only slight, since the “repentance” was after all designed to repossess the blessing. Futility in one meant futility in the other, and thus either could have been the source of Esau’s anguish.
The Glory of the Christian’s Present Status
In one of the most remarkable passages in the whole book, the author presents a vivid contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, between the essential character of the old and new covenants. In so doing he provides a startling portrait of the readers’ possession in and through Christ. It would be difficult to find a more impressive and moving expression of realized eschatology in the entire NT. The author’s purpose is to enlarge the horizons of the readers to enable them to comprehend the true glory of what they participate in as Christian believers. What they are presently tempted to return to, their former Judaism, pales significantly in the comparison (cf. 2 Cor. 3:4–18). Those who have been to Mount Zion can never contemplate a return to Mount Sinai.
12:18 The vocabulary of this and the following verse is drawn to a large extent from the LXX accounts of Moses on Sinai (esp. Deut. 4:11; 5:22–25; Exod. 19:12–19). The allusion cannot have been missed by the original readers. The manifestations of God’s presence on Sinai were tangible, that is, they could be experienced by the senses. The fire, darkness, gloom, and storm made a vivid impression on the Israelites.
12:19–20 They also heard a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words. According to the Exodus narrative (20:19) the people indicated to Moses their fear of God’s voice. “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” This same fear is also recorded in Deuteronomy (5:25): “We will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.” It was not only the actual hearing of God’s voice that frightened the Israelites, but also the stern commands he uttered. Our author provides an example in the prohibition against touching the holy mountain. The awesome and absolute holiness of God’s presence was unapproachable. Even an animal was to be stoned if it touched the mountain (the quotation is from Exod. 19:13). The result of the Israelites’ fear was that they wanted no further word to be spoken to them.
12:21 According to our author, even Moses was filled with fear at the spectacle of the theophany at Sinai. The words attributed to him are not found in the OT. The closest resemblance to them is found in Deuteronomy 9:19, where, after the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness, Moses says, “I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord.” The author’s picture of the giving of the law at Sinai, then, is one in which fear and the sternness of God’s commands predominate. This picture stands in very great contrast to the picture of the new covenant situation the author now presents.
12:22 The opening of this verse picks up the opening verb of verse 18. The perfect tense of this verb, you have come, indicates arrival some time in the past with continued enjoyment of the results of that arrival in the present. By the use of this tense the author clearly means to stress that what he is about to describe is in some way already enjoyed by the readers. They have come to Mount Zion, a mountain of even greater significance than the mountain alluded to in the preceding verses. Mount Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem in the OT (e.g., 2 Sam. 5:6f.; 2 Kings 19:21; Ps. 2:6; 9:11). Here it is further described as the heavenly Jerusalem, that eschatological expectation referred to in Revelation 21:2 (cf. Gal. 4:26; 2 Bar. 4:2ff.) and the city of the living God, a city already mentioned as Abraham’s true goal (11:10; cf. 11:16). In 13:14 it is written: “we are looking for the city that is to come.” Thus the readers already enjoy in the present the eschatological city of the future (cf. Eph. 2:6). Here again we encounter the tension between realized and future eschatology (e.g., 1:2; 4:3; 6:5; 9:11; 10:1). Christians have experienced fulfillment, but fulfillment short of consummation. The readers are also said to have come to thousands upon thousands (lit., “myriads” or “tens of thousands”) of angels. In Deuteronomy 33:2, “myriads of holy ones” are associated with the appearance of the Lord at Sinai; in Daniel 7:10, “ten thousand times ten thousand” serve before the throne of God. These hosts are also present in the city, the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. the marriage supper of the Lamb, Rev. 19:6).
12:23 The readers have come to the church, the gathering of those who have been “called out” to form the people of God, as his firstborn, whose names are inscribed in heaven (cf. Luke 10:20). This most probably refers to the believers of the new covenant era. Together this community of believers in Christ constitutes the firstborn in that they have become the heirs of the promise (cf. Rom. 8:17). The Jerusalem Bible captures the sense of the passage well: “with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven.” The readers, in short, have come (NIV resumes the original verb) into the very presence of God, the judge of all. Despite the awesome reality of God as judge (cf. v. 29), they have no need to be afraid, like the Israelites who were afraid at Sinai even of God’s voice, because through Christ they now are free to approach God even in his role as judge. With this freedom we may compare the boldness of the Christian’s free access into God’s presence through the sacrificial work of Christ (e.g., 4:16; 6:19; 7:25; 10:19ff.). The spirits of righteous men (i.e., “people”) made perfect is probably a reference to the OT people of God. They are referred to as spirits because they await the resurrection. More particularly they are described as having been made perfect in that, together with the readers and all Christians, they have arrived at the goal, the city of God, the final purpose of God that was first expressed to them, albeit in shadowy figures. This is in accord with what the author wrote about the OT saints in 11:40.
12:24 The readers, finally, have come to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant. This climactic fact is the very basis of all that has been described beginning in verse 22. And the reference to the new covenant here redirects the reader to one of the author’s central arguments (7:22; 8:6–13; 9:15). The sprinkled blood of Jesus refers to his sacrificial work of atonement. This imagery has also been utilized earlier in the description of the levitical practice (9:13f., 19, 21), and also once in the description of the work of Christ (10:22; cf. 1 Pet. 1:2). The blood of Jesus speaks a better word (lit., “speaks better”) than the blood of Abel. In 11:4 our author took note of Abel, writing that “by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Here, however, the reference appears to be to Genesis 4:10, where the blood of Abel “cries out to me from the ground.” This is the message of the blood of Abel. But the blood of Christ speaks of better things—most conspicuously of the forgiveness of sins associated with the inauguration of the new covenant (8:12; 10:17f.). Christ’s atoning blood speaks of the end of the old covenant and the establishment of the new. It is this blood that has brought the readers to the benefits of the new covenant and to their present glorious status wherein they have begun to experience the fulfillment, the goal of God’s saving purposes, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Additional Notes
12:18 A number of manuscripts (followed by NIV) include with that can be touched the word mountain (oros), thus a mountain that can be touched. The best manuscripts, however, omit the word, and its presence in some is probably due to the influence of v. 22 (cf. v. 20). The perfect tense of the verb have come implies “to come to and remain at.” This same tense is even more significant in the positive statement beginning in v. 22, where the verb is repeated. Only the words for touched (psēlaphaō) and gloom (zophos) are not drawn from LXX descriptions of the Sinai theophany.
12:19–20 The reference to a trumpet blast and voice is again drawn from the LXX of Exod. 19:16. According to the LXX of Exod. 19:13, the man or beast who touched the mountain was to be stoned or shot through with a dart. In both forms of execution the one killed is thus kept at a distance. This is in keeping with the dangerous potential for “contamination” by God’s holiness (cf. 2 Sam 6:7), even secondhand. See E. Pax, EBT, pp. 372–75. A certain irony may be seen in the fact that although Sinai and the attendant phenomena are described as “tangible,” yet neither man nor animal was allowed to touch the mountain.
12:21 The word for sight (phantazō) occurs only here in the NT. In Hellenistic literature the word is used to describe the “spectacle” of a theophany. See BAGD, p. 853. Possibly the reference to Moses’ fear and trembling is drawn from Jewish traditions concerning the giving of the law at Sinai (cf. Acts 7:32, but there the trembling is in connection with the burning bush).
12:22 The literal Mount Zion and Jerusalem, because of their great importance, eventually came to be understood as archetypes of the greater eschatological reality to come. On Zion and the new Jerusalem, see E. Lohse, TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 319–38. For city of the living God, see note on 11:10. F. F. Bruce points out that the main verb you have come to implies conversion (the root occurring here, proselēlythate, produces the English word “proselyte”). A difficult question of interpretation hinges on whether the Greek word panegyris (“festal gathering”) is to be taken with what precedes, “the myriad of angels” (NIV, RSV, JB), or with what follows, “the community of the first-born” (KJV, ASV, NEB, and GNB), or whether it is to be understood independently. It is almost certainly not to be taken independently since all other discrete entities referred to in the list are connected with “and” (kai), whereas there is no connective preceding panegyris here. The presence of a connective kai following it, however, makes it most natural to associate the word with the angels, thus thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly. See Hughes’s detailed note, Hebrews, pp. 552–55. On panegyris, see H. Seesemann, TDNT, vol. 5, p. 722. On the presence of angels in the heavenly realm and in an eschatological setting, cf. Revelation, which has the highest occurrence of references to angels of any NT book. See H. Bietenhard, NIDNTT, vol. 1, pp. 101–3, and note on 1:4 above.
12:23 Much debate has taken place concerning the meaning of the church of the firstborn. Such different possibilities as the following have been suggested: angels, OT saints, the first Christians, Christians who have died, and Christian martyrs. The accompanying reference to the names which are written in heaven makes it improbable that angels are meant, since this expression always refers to believers (e.g., Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 20:15). The firstborn could be interpreted to be the OT saints—first-born in the sense of preceding Christians. But given our author’s convictions about the new covenant, it is improbable that he would restrict this title to the people of the earlier covenant (cf. James 1:18, which refers to Christians as “a kind of first fruits”). On firstborn (prōtotokos), which refers to Christians only here in the NT, see W. Michaelis, TDNT, vol. 6, p. 881; Hughes, Hebrews, pp. 552–55; and note to 1:6 above. Moreover the author’s deliberate use of the word ekklēsia (church) may be intended to point to the church (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, and JB). The word ekklēsia in itself, of course, does not necessarily signify the church; it can, as in the only other occurrence of the word in Hebrews (2:12), simply mean “congregation” or “assembly.” Thus the word is translated here “assembly” (RSV, NEB) and “gathering” (GNB). See K. L. Schmidt, TDNT, vol. 3, pp. 501–36.
Earlier our author described the community of believers, of which the readers are a part, as “God’s house” (3:6). Here it is they who are said to comprise the city of God. This is the only place in Hebrews where God is called judge (kritēs), although the idea occurs several times (e.g., 2:3; 4:1; 6:8; 9:27; 10:27, 30f., 12:29). The word spirits is not to be taken as a technical term of biblical anthropology (to be distinguished from soul), but simply as referring to the spiritual or immaterial part of human beings. See E. Schweizer, TDNT, vol. 6, pp. 445f. The word righteous (dikaios) was used earlier in 10:38 (in the quotation of Hab. 2:4) and in 11:4, where Abel is described as “a righteous man.” The word is thus ideal to describe the exemplars of faith mentioned in chap. 11. It is possible, however, as some have argued (e.g., Delitzsch, Westcott, Hughes), that this clause refers universally to people of faith in all eras, old and new. See W. J. Dumbrell, “ ‘The Spirits of Just Men Made Perfect,’ ” EQ 48 (1976), pp. 154–59. On the verb made perfect (teleioō), so important to our author, see note to 2:10.
12:24 The word for mediator (mesitēs) is also used in referring to Jesus in 8:6 and 9:15. See note on 8:6. The word for “new” in new covenant here is neos rather than kainē, as it is in the other references to the new covenant in the epistle (8:8, quoting Jer. 31:31; 9:15), but no difference is intended by this synonym. For “covenant,” see note on 7:22. For the “sprinkling” of blood (the noun rhantismos occurs only here in Hebrews), see notes on 9:7 and 9:13. This is the last occurrence of the word better (kreittōn) in the epistle. On this very important word for our author, see note to 1:4.
A Final Warning Concerning Rejection
Our author turns once again to warning his readers not to lapse from their Christian faith and commitment. This warning, however, is wonderfully counterbalanced by stress on the ultimate security of those who remain faithful. The options are thus finally put before the readers with the utmost clarity. If they reject the truth of the gospel they will not escape judgment. But if they persevere in their faith, they are to know that they are the recipients of a kingdom that has no end. This passage, which rounds out so powerfully the argument that began in 2:1 with a passage so strikingly similar to the present one, is essentially the conclusion of the author’s main argument and appeal. Chapter 13, as we shall see, functions more as an appendix to what precedes than an extension of the argument any further.
12:25 This verse and the next build upon the contrast drawn between Sinai and Zion in the preceding passage. The author has presented virtually the same argument several times already (2:1ff.; 4:11f.; 10:28f.). Arguing from the lesser to the greater (a fortiori), he points to the obvious and painful reality of the judgment experienced by the Israelites in their disobedience to the covenant at Sinai and then to the proportionately greater judgment deserved by those who turn away from the greater revelation of the new covenant. In the present instance, the Israelites refused to hear God’s voice (cf. v. 19f.), not only literally, but in the sense that they did not obey his commands (cf. 3:17f.). It was God’s voice they refused to hear when he spoke to them on earth through his servant Moses (see Deut. 5:4f.). And to refuse God’s word is to reject God himself. Thus the opening warning is that the readers not refuse him who speaks. The reference to him who warned them on earth in the events of Sinai just described (vv. 18–21) should probably not be understood as Moses, but as God speaking through Moses. If, therefore, the readers abandon their faith, they turn away from (lit., “reject”) the one (NIV adds, probably correctly, who warns us) from heaven. That is, they refuse God’s word from heaven, the gospel and all that is entailed in the fulfillment it brings. Our author wrote at the beginning of his epistle that “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (1:2). This is the word from heaven that the readers are tempted to reject. But the greater the light, the more serious is its rejection. The readers are therefore to see to it that they do not reject the truth they have received.
12:26 At that time refers to the giving of the law at Sinai. It was the voice of God that then shook the earth (cf. v. 19; Exod. 19:18; Ps. 68:8). The now refers not to the past giving of the promise, but to the present expectation of its imminent fulfillment. God has promised a future shaking of the earth, and now that we are in the last days, that event can be expected in the near future. The quotation is from Haggai 2:6 (cf. 2:21). What is in view in these words from Haggai is the judgment that will take place in connection with the coming of the eschaton. The future shaking of the heavens has already been mentioned by our author in his quotation of Psalm 102:25–27 in 1:10–12 (cf. Matt. 24:29).
12:27 The writer again offers a brief midrashic commentary for his readers. The words once more from the quotation are explained as referring to the eschatological judgment (unlike the earlier “shaking”), and this shaking involves the purging of created things (lit., “as of things made”) so that (or “in order that”) only what cannot be shaken may remain. But what can be shaken will be, and this is what makes the prospect of eschatological judgment such a fearful thing (cf. v. 29).
12:28–29 The readers, however, have good reason to be thankful, for they are the recipients of an unshakable kingdom. Kingdom here refers to what may be described as the fruit of the new covenant. Thus, like the reality of the kingdom of God mentioned frequently in the NT, it is the experience of the reign of God made possible by the reconciling grace of God in Christ. It thus is the new quality of life, the new existence, made possible through the fulfillment of the promises of a new covenant. Since this is the result of God’s work, it remains secure through any future shaking of the world. By this thankful frame of mind and the faithful response that will accompany it, we will worship (or “serve”) God acceptably, namely, in a way that produces reverence and awe. Reverence and awe remain appropriate words even for the worship and service of the Christian, for God is “the judge of all” (cf. v. 23); and in the eschatological judgment, he is a consuming fire (cf. 10:30f.). This description of God is a quotation from Deuteronomy 4:24 (cf. Deut. 9:9), where Moses is exhorting the people to faithfulness to the covenant. God remains the same despite the new circumstances of the new covenant. In light of all this, the readers are to be thankful for what is theirs in Christ and to put out of mind all thoughts of lapsing from their Christianity to their former way of life.
Additional Notes
12:25 The a fortiori form of the argument is more obvious from the original, which reads “how much more shall we not escape.” The same verb for see to it (blepō) is used earlier in 3:12 in a similar connection. That the verb for refused (paraiteomai) is the same as that used in v. 19 (NIV’s “begged”) lends some support to the conclusion that it is God’s voice and not Moses’ that is refused. A contrast may be intended between the voice of Moses and the voice of God (or Christ?), as some translations suggest (e.g., NASB, NEB, JB; cf. Moffatt: “For if they failed to escape, who refused to listen to their instructor upon earth, much less shall we escape, if we discard Him who speaks from heaven”). NIV’s him who warned them on earth is rightly left ambiguous, since it may equally well be God speaking through Moses.
The word speaks, since it is the same verb as in the preceding verse, may readily be associated with the “better things” there mentioned. In the Greek text the words they and we are emphatic. The verb escape (ekpheugō) is the same as that used in the parallel passage in 2:3. Warned them translates the same verb (chrēmatizō) used in 8:5 and 11:7, both of which refer to God speaking (to Moses and Noah respectively). Heaven is clearly regarded as the abode of God (e.g., 8:1; 9:24; 12:23). Turn away translates apostrephō, which is practically synonymous with “apostatize” (cf. Titus 1:14).
12:26 The perfect tense of the Greek underlying has promised indicates the continuing validity of the promise. The quotation follows the LXX of Hag. 2:6 very closely. Our author adds the words not only and but also and transposes the order of heaven and earth with a resultant emphasis on the shaking of heaven. On the general expectation of an eschatological shaking of heaven and earth, see passages such as Isa. 2:19, 21; 13:13 (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 16:18ff.; 21:1). See G. Bornkamm, TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 196–200, and G. Bertram, TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 65–70. The present experience of the benefits of the eschatological age (see note on 1:2) leads naturally to an expectation of the imminence of eschatology proper.
12:27 More extensive midrashic treatments of OT quotations can be seen in 2:8f.; 3:12–4:10; 8:13; 10:8–10; and 12:7–11. The argument is that the words once more indicate something yet to come. From our author’s perspective this must refer to eschatological judgment of the created order. This judgment has as its goal the revealing of what cannot be shaken, what is a permanent part of the new creation already (cf. 13:20 “the eternal covenant”). The removing translates metathesis, a word that occurs twice earlier in Hebrews (7:12, where it refers to “a change of the law,” and 11:5, where it refers to the taking up of Enoch).
12:28–29 The only other place in Hebrews where kingdom is used positively, in the sense of “God’s kingdom,” is in the quotation of Ps. 45:6 in 1:8. Our author, if he is not dependent upon the Gospel tradition, may have drawn the term from a passage like Dan. 7:27. The present participle receiving suggests a careful balance between present and future eschatology. We are in the process of receiving the kingdom now; we will receive it finally in the future. The verb for worship is latreuō, used earlier in describing the service of the levitical priests (e.g., 8:5; 9:9; 10:2; 13:10; cf. the cognate noun in 9:1 and 6), but here, as in 9:14, it is used to describe the spiritual life of the Christian. See H. Strathmann, TDNT, vol. 4, pp 58–65. The adverb underlying acceptably (euarestōs) occurs only here in the NT (the cognate adjective occurs in 13:21, however). Reverence (eulabeia) occurs here and in 5:7 in the NT. See note on 5:7. The word for awe (deos) occurs only here in the Greek Bible. God in his role as judge is described several times in the OT in the imagery of a consuming fire (e.g., Isa. 26:11; 33:14; Zeph. 1:18; 3:8). Our author has earlier used this imagery in 10:27.
