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Hebrews 3

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Jesus is Superior to Moses 1–6

1
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; ​
2
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. ​
3
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. ​
4
For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. ​
5
And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; ​
6
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. ​

Warning Against Hardening the Heart 7–19

7
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, ​
8
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: ​
9
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11
So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) ​
12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. ​
13
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ​
14
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; ​
15
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. ​
17
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18
And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
19
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · 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.