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Hebrews 3

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Jesus is Superior to Moses 1–6

1
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus; ​
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who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house. ​
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For he hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honor than the house. ​
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For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God. ​
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And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; ​
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but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. ​

Warning Against Hardening the Heart 7–19

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Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, ​
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Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, ​
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Where your fathers triedmeby proving me, And saw my works forty years.
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Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways;
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As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. ​
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Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: ​
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but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: ​
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for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: ​
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while it is said, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
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For who, when they heard, did provoke? nay, did not all they that came out of Egypt by Moses? ​
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And with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with them that sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
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And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient?
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And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Hebrews 3

Verse 1

the Apostle and High Priest — Apostolos is one sent out, and Christ speaks of himself as sent: 'as my Father hath sent me' (John 20:21). 'High Priest' takes up 2:17, 'a merciful and faithful high priest'. 'Profession' (homologia) is the confession of faith, to be held fast (4:14; 10:23).

Verse 2

faithful to him that appointed him — 'Appointed' renders poieo, the ordinary verb 'to make'. Moses is set beside Christ on common ground, using the LORD's own verdict, 'My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house' (Num 12:7). Both served in one house, and it is God's.

Verse 3

more glory than Moses — 'Counted worthy' (axioo) is the verb of reckoning. The measure is the builder (kataskeuazo) set against the house, and the one who builds it has more honour than the house. The house is 'the house of God, which is the church of the living God' (1 Tim 3:15).

Verse 4

he that built all things is God — The verb kataskeuazo of v.3 is now general: every house has a builder, and the builder of all things is God. Since v.3 gives the builder's honour to Christ, he is the Son 'by whom also he made the worlds' (Heb 1:2).

Verse 5

as a servant — Therapon, a servant in attendance, found nowhere else in the New Testament. Moses served 'for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after': his service pointed beyond itself to what God has spoken 'in these last days… by his Son' (Heb 1:2).

Verse 6

as a son over his own house — Moses was faithful 'in' the house (v.5); Christ is Son 'over' it. The house is his people, 'built up a spiritual house' (1 Pet 2:5). 'Hold fast' and 'unto the end' return in v.14, where 'firm' (bebaios) is the same word as 'stedfast'.

Verse 7

To day if ye will hear his voice — The words are Ps 95:7, introduced as the saying of 'the Holy Ghost'. The quotation runs through v.11 and is taken up again in 3:15 and 4:7. 'Saith' is present tense: the psalm still speaks, and its 'To day' is still open.

Verse 8

the provocation — Parapikrasmos, a bitter provoking; it is found only here and in v.15. The 'day of temptation' (peirasmos, a testing) is Massah and Meribah, named 'because they tempted the LORD' (Ex 17:7); at Kadesh the LORD counted 'these ten times' (Num 14:22).

Verse 11

They shall not enter into my rest — The Greek has the form of an oath, 'if they shall enter', as Heb 4:3 renders it. The oath was sworn at Kadesh: 'Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers' (Num 14:23). 'Rest' (katapausis) then reaches to God's own rest (4:4, 10).

Verse 12

an evil heart of unbelief — 'Unbelief' (apistia) opens the warning here and closes the section in v.19. 'Departing' (aphistemi) is to stand away from the 'living God', as in Jer 17:5, 'whose heart departeth from the LORD'. The warning is to 'any of you', each one.

Verse 13

exhort one another daily — Parakaleo is to call alongside, and 'daily' fills the whole span in which it 'is called To day' (Ps 95:7). 'Deceitfulness' (apate) is the word of 'the deceitful lusts' in Eph 4:22; the deceit of sin is what hardens. Compare 'exhorting one another' (Heb 10:25).

Verse 14

partakers of Christ — Metochoi, sharers: the word of 'partakers of the heavenly calling' in v.1. The condition repeats v.6, 'hold… unto the end'. 'Confidence' here is hupostasis, the word rendered 'substance' in 'faith is the substance of things hoped for' (Heb 11:1).

Verse 16

not all that came out of Egypt — After the report of the spies, Joshua and Caleb alone of the men who went to search the land are excepted: 'save Caleb… and Joshua' (Num 14:30), who 'lived still' (v.38). 'Did provoke' (parapikrazo) is the verb behind 'the provocation' of v.8, found only here.

Verse 19

because of unbelief — 'So we see' uses the verb of 'Take heed' in v.12 (blepo). The failure is traced to unbelief (apistia), the word of v.12 again. The people had been saved 'out of the land of Egypt' and 'afterward destroyed them that believed not' (Jude 1:5): rescue did not carry them into the rest.