The Grounds for Faithfulness

With his central theological argument concluded, the author turns now to some practical applications of what he has so effectively argued. Thus, as is true throughout his epistle, he is never content simply to present theology without showing its practical relevance to his readers. Indeed, he has had his Jewish readers in mind through all the argumentation of the preceding section. But now he comes again to their immediate situation. In this section he draws together motifs from the preceding several chapters and makes them the basis of his moving exhortation of his readers to faithfulness. They, as we shall be reminded again in verses 26–36, are in danger of falling away from the truth of Christianity. The firm conviction of the author is that if they can but see the true significance of Christ and his work, draw upon the resources he has made available, and so take advantage of what is offered them, they will persevere and receive the reward God has for all his faithful people. This exhortation bears a striking resemblance to that in 4:14–16.

10:19–21 These three verses contain the basis for the first of the three major verbs of exhortation in this section: “let us draw near” (v. 22; cf. vv. 23, 24). Syntactically the Greek of these verses consists of one long subordinate clause dependent on the main clause with which verse 22 begins. The author begins the exhortation by addressing his readers as brothers, as he has done in 3:1, 12 and will do in 13:22. From the logical connective therefore, it is evident that the basis of the following exhortation depends in turn on the entire preceding argument. That argument has demonstrated that the way into the Most Holy Place has been opened by a forerunner (6:20), that is, by the blood of Jesus (cf. 9:12, 14). This affords confidence (or “boldness”). What had previously been the special awe-inspiring privilege of the high priest one day in the year—entry into the very presence of God—is now said to be the privilege of every member of the community of faith (cf. Eph. 2:18; 3:12). The originally literal language is now spiritualized and understood as available to Christian experience universally (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5). The old situation of the levitical priesthood and sacrifices indicated by its very nature that “the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed” (9:8). But now it is evident that a new and living way has been opened for us (cf. John 14:6).

This way is obviously new, in both its means and its effects. By living the author probably means something like “truly effective” or “enduring,” in contrast to the ineffective and now defunct rituals of the past. This new way goes through the curtain that divided the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Holy Place or sanctuary. And now the author finds a rich symbolism in this reference to the curtain by identifying it with Christ’s body (lit., “flesh”). Probably the author here alludes to the tradition about the tearing of the curtain in two at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus—a tradition that eventually found its way into all three Synoptic Gospels. (Mark 15:38 and Matt. 27:51 specify that it was torn from top to bottom, that is, by an act of God rather than men; cf. Luke 23:45.) The tearing of the curtain symbolized the opening of direct access to God’s presence accomplished by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Thus, for our author, although he does not explicitly say so, the tearing of the Christ’s “flesh” (and this may be why the word for flesh is used rather than the word for body) in the crucifixion may be analogous to the tearing of the curtain in the temple. Through his death Christ opened the way to God’s presence. It may be said that we have a great priest (cf. 4:14), one who has accomplished what no other high priest (which is what great priest means) could do by preparing a way in which all may follow. And those who do follow—his people—are described as the house of God (see 3:6). God’s saving purposes are brought to fulfillment in Christ, and Christ now reigns as priest and king over those whom he has redeemed.

10:22 The author has thus summarized what has been accomplished through Christ’s work, and he now exhorts his readers to take advantage of it. The first exhortation is let us draw near (NIV adds to God). This is the spiritualized language of the temple cultus, meaning now to come into God’s presence through things such as worship and prayer. This is to be done with a sincere heart and in the full assurance of faith. And we are reminded that our acceptability, as we know from the preceding chapters, depends fully upon the priestly work of Christ. We have been cleansed internally (having our hearts sprinkled; cf. Ezek. 36:25, in the context of reference to the new covenant), so that we no longer have the guilty conscience (cf. 9:9, 14) from which the old, sacrificial ritual could not free us. Again the language of the cultus is deliberately used to show how it finds its true fulfillment in the internal cleansing made possible by Christ. Bodies washed with pure water refers not to Jewish lustrations (ceremonial washings for purification [e.g., 6:2]), but almost certainly to Christian baptism, which is the outward sign of the true, internal cleansing to which reference has just been made (cf. 1 Pet. 3:21; Eph. 5:26). It is this new cleansed state enjoyed by Christians, as well as the open way to God’s presence, that results from the sacrifice of Christ.

10:23 The second exhortation calls the readers to faithfulness, and thus the author returns to one of the major concerns in the letter, the danger that the readers will fall away from the truth (cf. 2:1–3; 3:12–14; 4:1; 6:4–6; 10:26–31). He accordingly encourages them to hold unswervingly (lit., “without wavering”) to the hope we profess (lit., “the confession of our hope”). This last clause refers to what is believed by these Jewish Christians (cf. 4:14) and to the confident expectation for the future included in that belief. This is the faith that would have been confessed by these Christians at their baptism. What justifies our efforts at faithfulness is God’s faithfulness: he who promised is faithful (cf. 11:11). What Christians believe, and the hope that is a part of that belief, may be trusted fully and held firmly, because God’s faithful character is beyond questioning.

10:24–25 The third exhortation in this section directs the readers to be concerned with the welfare of others in the community of faith. There is a need to spur (or “stimulate”) one another on toward the basic Christian conduct of love (cf. 13:1) and good deeds. It is worth noting that we have encountered the three great virtues of faith (v. 22), hope (v. 23), and love in three successive verses (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13). The mutual encouragement that our author has in mind can occur, of course, only in the context of Christian fellowship. But some, perhaps even in this community, had been neglecting to come together. The avoidance of public meetings on the part of Jewish Christians may have been caused by the understandable desire to escape persecution, whether from the Romans or from the non-Christian Jewish community. Perhaps in the light of past experiences (see vv. 32–34) as well as threats concerning the imminent future (12:4), it was deemed wise to avoid attracting attention. Despite the twofold let us (both are added by NIV) in verse 25, no new exhortations are present; rather, the material in this verse supports the exhortation of verse 24. The way in which the readers can manifest their concern for one another is through active participation in fellowship, on the one hand, and through mutual encouragement, on the other. Christians need each other, and especially in trying circumstances. The whole matter, moreover, is to take on a special urgency with the increasing sense of the imminence of the eschaton, as you see the Day approaching (cf. the quotation of Hab. 2:3 in v. 37).

Additional Notes

10:19–21 The word confidence (parrēsia) often implies boldness or courage to do something otherwise regarded as dangerous, as here and in 4:16. This courage is based always on the sufficiency of the work of Christ. The word is used elsewhere in the NT in connection with drawing near to God’s presence (see Eph. 3:12; cf. 2 Cor 3:12; 1 John 2:28). Note 12:29: “our God is a consuming fire.” See H. Schlier, TDNT, vol. 5, pp. 871–86. Underlying the words to enter is the Greek word eisodos (“entrance”), which occurs only here in Hebrews and is used in referring to entering God’s presence only here in the NT. Most Holy Place is literally “holy place” as in 9:8 and 25, but here, as there, the context points to the Holy of Holies. For the “blood of Jesus,” see 9:12–14; 10:29; 13:12, 20. For the importance of “blood” see note on 9:7. The verb for opened (enkainizō) is translated “was put into effect” in 9:18, where the new covenant is in view. In describing the basis of the new covenant, the translation “inaugurated” is also possible. The Greek word used for new is prosphatos, which occurs only here in the NT. The adjective living is elsewhere used by our author to describe God, as it is often in the NT (3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22). The word way (hodos) is used in exactly the same sense in 9:8 (but nowhere else in the NT does it refer to the approach to God’s presence).

The word for curtain (katapetasma) occurs earlier in Hebrews in 6:19 and 9:3 (“second curtain”), but nowhere else except in the Gospel passages cited above. It is exegetically possible, and preferred by some commentators (e.g., Westcott, Montefiore; cf. NEB), to understand the words his body (“flesh”) as referring to the living way rather than to the curtain. In this view the death of Jesus, made possible through the “flesh,” is the way through which we have access to God. Although unexceptionable in itself and in agreement with the teaching of the epistle, this view is more awkward as far as the word order of the passage is concerned and ignores the probable allusion to the synoptic tradition about the tearing of the curtain. There is no need to press the function of the curtain in hiding or blocking out the presence of God. The view that the curtain is the flesh does not deny that the living way depends upon the “flesh” of Jesus. The difference is not much in the end. Just as one had to go through the curtain to get to the Holy of Holies, thus Jesus in his “flesh” (Col. 1:22) and through his sacrificial offering on the cross has become the mediator of the new covenant (9:15), the means whereby all may draw near to the presence of God. See N. A. Dahl, “A New and Living Way: The Approach to God according to Heb. 10:19–25,” Interp 5 (1951), pp. 401–12; N. H. Young “Tout’ estin tēs sarkos autou (Heb. 10:20): Apposition, Dependent or Explicative?” NTS 20 (1973), pp. 100–104; G. W. MacRae, “Heavenly Temple and Eschatology in the Letter to the Hebrews,” Semeia 12 (1978), pp. 179–99. Great priest is used often for “high priest” in the LXX (cf. Num. 35:25, 28; Zech. 3:1; 6:11).

10:22 The expression sincere (“true”) heart occurs only here in the NT (3:12 describes the opposite kind of heart). The word for full assurance (plērophoria) occurs elsewhere in Hebrews only in 6:11, where it modifies “hope.” The verb for sprinkled, rhantizō, is used three times earlier in the preceding chapter in a cultic or ritualistic sense (9:13, 19, 21). Here in its only other occurrence in Hebrews it has a symbolic connotation. For a similar spiritual application of the cognate noun “sprinkling,” see 1 Pet. 1:2. This is the only reference in the NT to a guilty (or “evil”) conscience. The inward cleansing described in the language of the cultus is paralleled by an outward cleansing that is symbolic of the former. This is the only place in the NT where the literal word for washed (louō) is given a sacramental meaning. This language, too, although it alludes to Christian baptism, is drawn from the ceremonial cleansing of the levitical rituals (cf. Lev. 16:4). If this language is reminiscent of the ceremony for the ordination of the levitical priests (cf. Lev. 8:30; Exod. 29:4), it may then point to the qualification of the Christian to perform the “priestly” duties of the new covenant, such as, for example, described in the present passage. The Greek words underlying sprinkled and washed are perfect participles, describing the resultant state from the initial experience of these realities.

10:23 “Confession” in Hebrews consistently has the objective meaning of what is believed. See note on 3:1. Here the added description “of hope” orients us to the future aspects of our faith, a subject that will come to the fore later in this chapter (vv. 35–39). The word for “unswervingly” (aklinēs) occurs in the NT only here. The faithfulness of God is a common motif in the NT (see 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:18; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Tim. 2:13). Abraham will be shown in 11:11 to be a model believer in the faithfulness of God.

10:24–25 The word spur (paroxysmos) is a sharp word with the nuance of “stirring up” (cf. RSV). Its only other occurrence in the NT is with the negative meaning of a sharp disagreement (Acts 15:39). With “good works” contrast the “useless works” of 6:1; 9:14. The Greek word for meeting together (episynagōgē) occurs elsewhere in the NT only in 2 Thess. 2:1. Some have argued that the prefix to this unusual word is an indication of some sense in which the gathering in view was in addition to the synagogue meetings. This, however, as Hughes points out, is to read too much into the word. See his note on the word, Hebrews, pp. 417–18. The author is a strong advocate of exhortation or encouragement (the Greek verb for encourage is parakaleō). In 3:13 he tells his readers to encourage or exhort one another every day. He exhorts his readers throughout the book and at the end refers to what he has written as a “word of exhortation” (13:22). The urgency of his request is the result of the approach of the Day. For the absolute use of “day” to indicate the arrival of the future consummation of all things, see 1 Cor. 3:13 (cf. 1 Thess. 5:4). On “day,” see G. Braumann and C. Brown, NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 887–95. The delay of the return of Jesus became an increasingly difficult problem as Christians continued to suffer persecution (cf. vv. 36–39). As F. F. Bruce suggests, the statement about seeing the Day approaching may possibly reflect knowledge of the increasing predicament of Judea and Jerusalem. With the prophecy of Jesus in mind, the fall of Jerusalem may have been seen to be simply a matter of time (cf. 8:13), and from the perspective of the author and indeed all Christians of that era, the destruction of Jerusalem would have been thought to signal the appearance of the eschaton (cf. Matt. 24:3).

The Sin of Apostasy and the Reality of Judgment

The reference to “the Day” at the end of the preceding section leads naturally to the subject of the future judgment, and this is now used as a further incentive to faithfulness and the avoidance of apostasy. The concern of this passage is similar to that of 6:4–8 (cf. 3:12).

10:26–27 The words if we deliberately keep on sinning do not refer to ordinary sins, but to the most grievous and final sin, apostasy. (NIV’s keep on is an interpretive addition intended to reflect the present participle of the Greek; here, however, it may be that the KJV’s and RSV’S straightforward “if we sin” is a more appropriate translation.) This is the sin which by its nature puts the offender out of reach of God’s forgiveness and therefore the sin from which there is no return. Verse 29 underlines the nature and the seriousness of the sin in question. That the sin involves a falling away is further indicated by the words after we have received the knowledge of the truth. The parallel in 6:4 is clear: “those who have once been enlightened … who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away.…” But for those who have turned their backs on the sacrifice of Christ—the sacrifice to which all other sacrifices pointed and upon which they depended for their temporary efficacy—then no sacrifice for sins is left. One who rejects the sacrifice of Christ (v. 29) will find no other answer to the problem of sin. With resources exhausted, such a person must face the prospect of God’s wrath against sin (cf. 2 Pet. 2:21). And, for that person the only perspective toward the final judgment must be a fearful expectation … of raging fire (i.e., of destruction) that will consume the enemies of God. The last words about fire consuming the adversaries seem to be based on the words of Isaiah 26:11 as found in the LXX.

10:28–29 To bring his point home with even more forcefulness, the author now turns to a form of argumentation he used in 2:1–3 (and will use again in 12:25), wherein something shown to be true in the era of Mosaic law is shown to be all the more true in the era of fulfillment brought by Christ. Thus disobedience to the law of Moses was so serious a matter that an offender was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses (cf. Num. 15:30). But transgressing the law of Moses, grievous though that may be, is not as serious an offense as rejecting the work of Christ, once a person has received it as the truth. The language of verse 29 is very strong, but it is just this that is entailed in apostasy by its nature. Apostasy means that the Son of God—Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant—is counted worthless and treated with contempt. Unholy thing is literally “common.” Apostasy means that the blood of the covenant is reckoned to be common or unholy—this despite the fact that this blood sanctified him (lit., “by which he was sanctified”). The apostate is one who has insulted the Spirit of grace. Apostasy is the equivalent of the unforgivable sin, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Matt. 12:31f.). It is evident, then, that apostasy involves the rejection and hence the mockery of the Son of God, the blood of the covenant, and the Spirit of grace. Obviously this person more severely … deserves to be punished than one who was judged under the Mosaic law.

10:30–31 The reality of judgment upon those who spurn the salvation offered by God is now emphasized by the quotation of two statements from Deuteronomy 32:35–36. The first of these is introduced with the words, we know him who said. The identity of the speaker is made explicit by our author in the final words, the living God. That God will avenge himself against his enemies is, of course, a common theme in the OT and in Judaism. Thus, the second quotation occurs verbatim not only in Deuteronomy 32:36, but also in Psalm 135:14. The first quotation, which does not agree exactly with the LXX text of Deuteronomy 32:35, is, however, quoted in exactly the same form by Paul in Romans 12:19. The thought of the judgment of the living God is something that can only fill the heart with fear (cf. v. 27; 12:29; Matt. 10:28). Yet this is to be the lot of those who repudiate their original faith.

Additional Notes

10:26–27 The word for deliberately (hekousiōs) or “willingly” occurs only here and in 1 Pet. 5:2 in the NT. In view is the clearly volitional character of an abandonment of the Christian faith. The verb underlying sinning (hamartanō) occurs elsewhere in Hebrews only in 3:17, where it also refers to willful rebellion against God. It was argued by some in the early church that the sinning referred to here included lesser sins than apostasy, namely, any sin that was done knowingly and thus in defiance of God’s will (this in contrast to the sins of “those who are ignorant and are going astray,” 5:2; cf. Num. 15:29–31). In order to avoid these so-called post-baptismal sins, one delayed baptism until the end of one’s life. It is obvious from the context, however, that the sinning in the author’s mind involves a rejection of the central truths of the Christian faith. Grace and mercy remain available to the Christian who sins (4:16; 7:25). The unavailability of any further sacrifice for sins points thus not to the unavailability of mercy for the Christian who has sinned, but to the fact that the apostate has cut himself off from any possibility of forgiveness. Christ’s sacrifice alone is the means of forgiveness. On “sacrifice for sins,” see note to 10:5.

Knowledge of the truth (epignōsis tēs alētheias, where the word “knowledge” is found in an intensive form) is an expression found also in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1). The position of the word fearful (phoberos) makes it slightly emphatic. The word occurs elsewhere only in v. 31 and in 12:21 (where Moses trembles with fear in God’s presence). Hebrews refers to judgment (krisis) only here and in 9:27 (the verb form occurs in v. 30 and 13:4). The present passage, including vv. 30–31, reflects the widespread Jewish view concerning the ineluctable reality of apocalyptic judgment. Now, however, the ones who will experience the fury of this judgment are not the enemies of God and Israel generally (as in the language drawn from Isa. 26:11), but those who reject God’s Son and the salvation that rests upon his work.

10:28–29 Underlying the word rejected is a word with strong implications, parallel with the potential apostasy that is in view in this passage: atheteō (lit., “set aside” or “nullify”). This verb occurs in Hebrews only here (but the cognate noun is found in 7:18, where it refers to the setting aside of the Mosaic law concerning priesthood, and 9:26, where it refers to the removing of sin by the sacrifice of Christ). The reference to two or three witnesses deliberately recalls the OT practice as recorded in Deut. 17:6; 19:15 (cf. Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; and 1 Tim. 5:19 for an application of the principle in the early church). The word punished (timōria) in v. 29 occurs only here in the NT. The verb for trampled … under foot is found in Matthew referring to salt that has lost its savor and is cast out as worthless so that it is “trampled by men” (Matt. 5:13), and referring to pearls cast before swine which proceed to “trample them under their feet” (Matt. 7:6).

The blood of the covenant initially referred to the sealing of the covenant with Israel as, for example, in Exod. 24:8, which is quoted by our author in 9:20. In the argument of Hebrews, however, it is clear that the blood of the covenant refers now to the blood of Christ and the inauguration of the new covenant. See 7:22; 9:15–18; 10:12–18, and the reference in 13:20 to “the blood of the eternal covenant.” The word for “common” (koinos), which occurs only here in Hebrews (but cf. the participial form in 9:13), is a cultic word meaning “unclean” or unholy (cf. Mark 7:2; Acts 10:14; 11:8; Rev. 21:27). See F. Hauck, TDNT, vol. 3, pp. 789–97. For the verb sanctified (hagiazō), see note on 2:11. By Spirit of grace is meant the gracious Spirit, the one who is the vehicle of God’s grace whereby we become participants in the saving acts of God. Thus, to insult the Spirit is to cut at the very means of experiencing the favor of God. The strong word for insulted (enhybrizō) occurs in the Greek Bible only here. See G. Bertram, TDNT, vol. 8, pp. 305–6.

10:30–31 The first quoted sentence does not agree exactly with the LXX of Deut. 32:35, which reads: “In the day of vengeance I will repay.” But in Rom. 12:19 the quotation is given in a form exactly agreeing with the form here. The quotation also appears in a similar form in certain of the Targums (paraphrastic translations of OT writings into Aramaic; in view here are those known as Onkelos, Pseudo-Jonathan, Palestinian). It was widely known in the form cited here and indeed had probably become a proverbial saying by the first century. Both of these quotations express a common expectation in the OT Scriptures and first-century Judaism. Thus, the point need not be argued, but only mentioned (cf. we know him who said). The “hand” or “hands” of God is a common anthropomorphism used in describing God’s activity (cf. 1:10; 2:7). On dreadful thing (lit., “fearful”), see note to v. 27. God is referred to as the living God in 3:12; 9:14; 12:22. It is a common Hebraic way of referring to God in his dynamic power and is found frequently in the NT. See note on 9:14.

An Exhortation to Endurance and Faithfulness

Our author again turns to exhortation. But now he bases his encouragement on the past successes of the readers during the most trying of circumstances. In this description of their history we obtain the letter’s most explicit information concerning the addressees. We learn that they endured persecution in the past and came through it victoriously. Now they apparently face difficult times again, to the extent that (as we have previously noted) they are tempted to abandon their Christian faith (cf. 2:1–3; 3:12–14; 4:1, 11; 6:4–6; 12:3–11; 13:13). In his exhortation the author reminds the readers of their faithfulness in the past. They should not throw away that former success by yielding to the present pressures. If they endured in the past, they can endure both in the present and in the future, whatever it may hold. Past experience should be motivation for faithfulness in the present. The same faithful God will supply the needed resources—now, as then.

10:32–33 The readers are reminded of those earlier days. The memories of the sufferings now to be mentioned must have been vivid, although we have no way of knowing precisely how much earlier these events had taken place. This persecution was more probably that under Claudius in A.D. 49 than that suffered by the Roman community under the mad Nero in A.D. 64. If we are right that Hebrews was written in the early sixties, the events remembered may have occurred more than ten years earlier. This was clearly sometime after the Jewish readers had become believers in Christ, that is, after you had received the light (lit., “having been enlightened”; cf. the same expression in 6:4). The victory of the readers is stressed in the rest of the verse: you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering (lit., “you endured a great struggle with sufferings”). What is described generally as a “great struggle” is given some detail in the following verses. They were made a public spectacle of, suffering verbal abuse and physical punishment. Apparently, however, the persecution had not resulted in martyrdom and thus cannot be the persecution under Nero in A.D. 64, when many in the Roman church were martyred. (The statement of 12:4, although referring to the present situation of the readers, presumably holds true for the past also.) And when the readers did not suffer directly, they stood side by side with those experiencing similar sufferings. The way in which they were “sharers” (as the text literally reads) is not altogether clear, but it apparently involved the support of others who suffered, at considerable personal sacrifice, as we see from the following verse.

10:34 You sympathized with those in prison (lit., “you suffered with the prisoners”) seems to indicate that the readers were not themselves prisoners but nevertheless suffered because of the imprisonment of others. The exhortation of 13:3 reminds the readers of this very responsibility: “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners.” One aspect of the persecution involved the confiscation of their property. This they joyfully accepted because they kept in mind that they had better and lasting possessions (lit, “a better and abiding possession”). This reference to the superiority of an unseen, eternal reality will become an important motif in chapter 11 (cf. 11:10, 16, 40). The readers, in the midst of difficult circumstances, were thus able to make an unseen reality their priority and in light of it to endure great personal hardship and loss. Possibly it is the sharing of the sufferings of others referred to in these verses that was in the author’s mind when he wrote in 6:10 that God “will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” In 13:3 the author exhorts the readers to continue this identification with those who suffer.

10:35–36 It is precisely this that the readers are now to remember and to take to heart. The author exhorts them not to throw away their confidence (or “courage” or “boldness”). This boldness, if it is exercised in the present situation, will enable the readers to endure as they have done in the past, and it will be richly rewarded. Above all, the readers need to persevere (lit., “endure”). This noun is formed from the same root as the verb “endured” (stood your ground) in verse 32. They endured in the past times of hardship; they must endure now. Endurance is the will of God and is necessary in order to receive “the promise.” The promise is left unspecified here, but it is obviously that eschatological hope of the final realization of God’s saving purpose. It is what has been described in verse 34 as “better and lasting possessions” and what will be described in chapters 11 and 12 with different metaphors.

10:37–38 A quotation from Habakkuk 2:3–4 is now offered without introduction except for the word for. Its appropriateness is evident. The time of suffering is a limited one and the return of the Lord is imminent. The author may understand Habakkuk’s words concerning imminence quite literally, especially if persecution were increasing. The end of the age, it had been promised, would see an increase in the persecution of the righteous (cf. Matt. 24:9–14). But with the Lord’s return in view, faithfulness becomes a special consideration. Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted here, but not with the same meaning as when Paul cites it in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 (cf. RSV’s effective translation of Hab. 2:4 in these verses). In these passages the stress is upon how a person becomes righteous, namely, by faith. Here, however, the stress is upon the faithfulness of the righteous person: my righteous one will live by faith. That is, righteous people will live faithfully, their lives will be lived in accordance with their faith. These two emphases are complementary rather than contradictory. The possibility of our faith (whereby we are accounted righteous) and our faithfulness (whereby we live according to God’s will) are both based upon the faithfulness of God on our behalf. It is clear from the context and from the chapter to follow that our author’s stress here is on the necessity of faithfulness. It is this to which he calls his readers, lest they fall away in the midst of tribulation. If the righteous one should shrink back, even though under pressure, the Lord will not be pleased. The simple point is that God requires faithfulness or endurance of his people. This is the message the readers need desperately to hear and to heed. The displeasure of the Lord is equivalent to his wrath, already alluded to in verses 27–31.

10:39 A brief one-sentence commentary on the meaning of the passage is now given in midrashic form, utilizing two key words from the quotation. The author here, as in 6:9, encourages the readers by believing not the worst, but the best, concerning them. He furthermore speaks of himself together with them in the plural and emphatic we, introduced by the strong adversative “but” at the beginning of the verse. We are not, says the author tersely, of those who shrink back [alluding to the word in Habakkuk] and are destroyed, but of those who believe [using the same word as in Habakkuk] and are saved. This is his way of encouraging his readers to positive thinking. If they are but true to their identity and take advantage of the resources God has provided, being motivated by the reality and imminence of their hope, they will find strength to endure the present crisis without falling away from the truth. The connection between endurance and the gaining of one’s life is referred to in the context of persecution in Luke 21:19, where Jesus says: “By standing firm [lit., “by your endurance”] you will gain life.”

Additional Notes

10:32–33 For “enlightened” phōtizō), see note on 6:4. The word for “struggle” (athlēsis) occurs only here in the NT and is used figuratively to refer to the adversity which people must battle. The verb “endured” (hypomenō) occurs again in 12:2, 3, and 7 (the cognate noun occurs in 10:36 and 12:1). This word is very important in the author’s message to his readers. See F. Hauck, TDNT, vol. 4, pp. 581–88. The noun suffering (pathēma) is used elsewhere in Hebrews only in referring to Christ’s death (2:9, 10). Underlying NIV’s insult is the noun “reproaches” (oneidismos), which the author uses again in 11:26 and 13:13, where it is explicitly the Christian’s bearing of the reproach of Christ. Persecution is lit., “tribulations” (thlipsis), which although a common word in the NT, occurs in Hebrews only here. NIV’s publicly derives from theatrizō, a verb occurring only here in the NT that means “to make a public show” (NEB). Cf. the cognate noun “spectacle” (theatron) in 1 Cor. 4:9, describing the experience of the apostles. Stood side by side with translates the noun “sharers” (koinōnos), a word occurring in Hebrews only here. For a parallel concept, “sharers in sufferings,” see 2 Cor. 1:7, where the idea depends on Paul’s doctrine of participation in the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:4–5, 26).

10:34 This verse contains two textual uncertainties. In the first, some manuscripts read “those in bonds” (desmos) instead of those in prison (desmios), some containing “my bonds” or “their bonds.” Metzger attributes the loss of the Greek letter iota, producing “bonds,” to a transcriptional error. Thus those in prison is to be preferred (cf. 13:3). See Metzger, TCGNT, p. 670. The second question involves the case of the reflexive pronoun yourselves. It is probably accusative (heautous), thus producing NIV’s you yourselves had … possessions, rather than dative (heautois), which would produce “possessing for yourselves,” or “in yourselves.” See Metzger, TCGNT, p. 670. The verb underlying sympathized with (sympatheō, lit., “suffered with”) occurs only here and in 4:15 in the entire NT. For the concept, see the preceding note. The idea of “joy” (chara) in the face of personal suffering is reminiscent of James 1:2 and 1 Pet. 4:13f. (cf. Matt. 5:11). The same word occurs again in 12:2, 11, and 13:17. See H. Conzelmann, TDNT, vol. 9, pp. 359–72. For the importance of better (kreissōn) in Hebrews, see note on 1:4. Although the language of an “abiding possession” is unique, the concept is very close to the reference in Matt. 6:20 to treasures in heaven “where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” The participle “abiding” is used with the same significance in 13:14: “For here we do not have an enduring city” (cf. 12:27, “remain”).

10:35–36 For confidence or “boldness,” see note on 3:6. The word for rewarded (misthapodosia) occurs in the NT only in Hebrews: in 11:26 it has a positive sense, as it does here (cf. 11:6 for almost the same word); in 2:2 it occurs in the negative sense of “retribution.” Concerning the importance of “endurance” (hypomonē), see note on the verbal form of the same word in v. 32. Reference to the readers doing the will of God is again made in the great benediction of 13:20–21. The expression “receive the promise” occurs in 11:13 and 39, where it is denied that the patriarchs had already received it. For “promise” (epangelia) in Hebrews, see note on 6:15.

10:37–38 The opening line in the quotation, in just a very little while, is not from Habakkuk, but is probably drawn from Isa. 26:20, unless it is simply a common, stereotyped expression. (Isa. 26:11 may have been alluded to in v. 27. See above.) The author takes some liberties in his citation of Hab. 2:3–4, which follows the LXX rather than the Hebrew. He adds a definite article to turn a participle into a substantive, he who is coming. “The coming one” was a title of the Messiah, Jesus, in the early church (cf. Matt. 3:11; 11:3). The author also transposes the clauses of Hab. 2:4 (which in the LXX begins with the words, “But if any of them turns back”) so that it is the righteous one who must directly confront the possibility of turning back and experiencing the displeasure of the Lord. The author thus accepts the messianic understanding of the passage (as in the LXX) but applies Hab. 2:4 to the Christian believer (despite the singular, my righteous one). This passage was commonly used in Jewish literature to strengthen belief in the realization of the promises to Israel. The Greek word “faith” (pistis) can also be translated “faithfulness.” Some manuscripts of Hebrews have the pronoun “my” in another place, producing the reading “the righteous one will live by my faithfulness,” as it is found in an important manuscript of the LXX (B). Some manuscripts of Hebrews (e.g., P13) omit the pronoun “my” altogether (as does Paul in his use of Hab. 2:4). The better manuscripts of Hebrews, however, favor placement of the “my” with “righteous one” (e.g., P46, Sinaiticus, A). See Metzger, TCGNT, pp. 670f. The verb underlying shrinks back (hypostellō; cf. v. 39) may connote doing so “in concealment” (cf. the emphasis in 4:12–13). See K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 597–99; T. W. Lewis, “ ‘… And if he shrinks back’ (Heb. 10:38b),” NTS 22 (1975), pp. 88–94.

10:39 Are destroyed is derived from apōleia, a common NT word for “destruction,” which in Hebrews occurs only here. The idea recalls the argument in vv. 27–29. And are saved translates lit., “unto the preserving (peripoiēsis) of life.” The word “life” here is psychē (lit., “soul”). This word is used in a similar way in 12:3 and 13:17 (contrast 4:12; 6:19). What is meant here is obviously the opposite of “destruction.” Thus the phrase may well connote the realization of new life in the eschaton. See E. Schweizer, TDNT, vol. 9, pp. 637–56.