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Hebrews 6

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1
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ​
2
Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ​
3
And this will we do, if God permit.
4
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ​
5
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ​
7
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8
But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. ​
9
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. ​
10
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ​
11
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ​

The Certainty of God's Promise 13–20

13
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, ​
14
Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16
For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: ​
18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; ​
20
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Hebrews 6

Verse 1

leaving the principles — ‘Principles’ is arche, beginning, so the phrase reads ‘the word of the beginning of Christ’. The ‘foundation’ (themelios) is the six items of vv.1–2. ‘Perfection’ (teleiotes) occurs only here and in Col 3:14, ‘the bond of perfectness’. ‘Dead works’ return in 9:14, where Christ’s blood purges the conscience from them.

Verse 2

doctrine of baptisms — ‘Baptisms’ is baptismos, the washing of Mark 7:4 and the ‘divers washings’ of Heb 9:10, in the plural. Laying on of hands, resurrection and eternal judgment complete the list; Paul’s address at Athens names both judgment and the resurrection of the dead (Acts 17:31–32).

Verse 4

once enlightened — ‘Once’ is hapax, the word of ‘once to die’ (9:27) and ‘once offered’ (9:28). ‘Enlightened’ (photizo) is ‘illuminated’ in 10:32, of the readers’ early days. ‘Tasted’ (geuomai) is the verb of Christ tasting death (2:9), and ‘partakers’ (metochos) that of 3:14, ‘partakers of Christ’. ‘Impossible’ returns in 6:18.

Verse 6

fall away — Parapipto occurs only here in the New Testament. ‘Crucify… afresh’ is one verb, anastauroo, and ‘renew’ (anakainizo) is also found only here. ‘Put him to an open shame’ (paradeigmatizo) is ‘make her a publick example’ in Matt 1:19. The same offence is called treading under foot ‘the Son of God’ in 10:29.

Verse 8

thorns and briers — Thorns and thistles are the produce of the cursed ground (Gen 3:17–18); ‘briers’ (tribolos) is ‘thistles’ in Matt 7:16, its only other place. Land that drinks the rain and bears herbs ‘receiveth blessing from God’ (v.7). ‘Rejected’ (adokimos) is ‘castaway’ in 1 Cor 9:27 and ‘reprobate’ in Rom 1:28.

Verse 9

better things — ‘Better’ (kreisson) is a keyword of Hebrews, from ‘so much better than the angels’ (1:4) to ‘better things than that of Abel’ (12:24). ‘Beloved’ (agapetos) is used only here in the letter. After the warning, the writer states his confidence in ‘things that accompany salvation’.

Verse 10

not unrighteous to forget — ‘Labour of love’ is the phrase of 1 Thess 1:3. To minister to the saints (diakoneo) is the verb of Paul’s collection, ‘to minister unto the saints’ (Rom 15:25). The readers’ record is given in 10:32–34, where they ‘had compassion of me in my bonds’.

Verse 12

slothful — Nothros, the word rendered ‘dull’ in 5:11. ‘Followers’ is mimetes, imitators, as in ‘followers of God’ (Eph 5:1). ‘Patience’ is makrothymia, long-suffering. The examples that follow are Abraham (vv.13–15) and, in chapter 11, those who were ‘heirs with him of the same promise’ (11:9).

Verse 13

he sware by himself — The oath is that of Gen 22:16, ‘By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD’, given after Abraham ‘hast not withheld thy son’. The verb omnyo is the one used of the oath that made Christ priest, ‘The Lord sware and will not repent’ (7:21).

Verse 17

immutability of his counsel — Ametathetos, unchangeable, occurs only here and in v.18. ‘Confirmed it by an oath’ is the single verb mesiteuo, formed from the word for a go-between, found only here. The ‘heirs of promise’ are Abraham’s fellow heirs of 11:9.

Verse 19

anchor of the soul — Ankyra is found elsewhere only in Acts 27, where four anchors are cast from the stern (27:29). ‘Within the veil’ is the place of Lev 16:2, ‘within the vail before the mercy seat’, which Christ entered ‘through the veil, that is to say, his flesh’ (10:20).

Verse 20

forerunner — Prodromos, one who runs ahead, occurs only here in the New Testament. Jesus has entered ‘into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us’ (9:24). The verse ends with the priesthood ‘after the order of Melchisedec’, the subject left off at 5:10.