Hebrews

13:1-6

Conclusion, 13:1-19

i] love and sanctity

The writer of Hebrews concludes his letter with some typical pastoral advice. The reader is encouraged to address five elements of personal piety: brotherly love, hospitality, care of the persecuted, sexual propriety and contentment. The reader is reminded of divine judgment, but also of the promise of divine blessing, and therefore is given a right and proper way to respond to God.

menetw (menw) pres. imp. "keep on" - let continue, remain, abide. The present imperative carries the sense of a command with durative force, ie. urges an activity as an ongoing process. The believers must continue in their love one toward another.

h/ qiladelqia (a) "loving each other as brothers" - brotherly love. The word is used of affection toward siblings and is taken up in Christian literature to describe compassionate dealings with fellow believers. Attridge understands the sense here as an extension of the writers exhortation toward peace,12:14, but there is nothing in the text to make this link.

epilanqanesqe (epilanqanomai) pres. imp. "do not forget to" - do not forget, neglect. The NIV "forget" misses the sense here which is to forget and therefore, to fail to do something, ie. "do not neglect." The ongoing sense of the command is again underlined. The use of this word seems to imply a falling off of hospitality and this is possibly the result of travelling pseudo teachers/prophets who survived on the generosity of others. The Didache (2nd century Christian ethical treatise) tries to regulate this development by stating that travelling ministers should only stay one day.

thV qiloxeniaV (a) "entertain strangers" - hospitality. An important virtue in the early church, given the widespread "methodist" circuit ministry employed, 1Tim.3:2, Tit.1:8. The hospitality shown is therefore, not necessarily toward strangers, in fact, it is more likely toward brothers and sisters in the faith, probably referred, rather than known personally.

dia + gen. "for" - because. Giving the reason why.

tauthV "some people" - An illusion to Old Testament saints who encountered angels, particularly Abraham and Sarah who "inadvertently" entertained them.

xenisonteV (xenizw) aor. part. "have entertained" - having entertained, received. The participle may be classed as complementary, completing the sense of the main verb elaqon "without knowing it"; "receiving without being aware", cf. BDF#413[3]. The phrase is classical and reflects Gk. idiom. The word is used of showing hospitality toward a guest who is not necessarily a family member or a close friend. "There are those who ..... have entertained angels without knowing that they were doing it", Barclay.

aggelouV (oV) "angels" - divine messengers. The writer may have in mind the visit of divine beings, but his language may also be figurative. By showing hospitality toward a travelling prophet/pastor/teacher, we may receive a spiritual blessing, a word from the Lord (as did Abraham and Sarah), which far exceeds our small outlay made in offering hospitality.

elaqon (lanqanw) aor. "without knowing it" - hidden, unaware, without knowing. "Inadvertently", "unawares".

mimnhskesqe (mimnhskomai) pres. imp. "remember" - keep on remembering. The strength of the imperative and its ongoing sense, is not clear in the bland "remember". "Make sure you keep in mind [those in prison]." We are not to ignore the afflictions of those brothers and sisters facing persecution. Of course, the sense of the exhortation is not just to remember, but to act on the thought. Practical care toward prisoners was permitted at this time, so we have here an encouragement toward the provision of the daily needs of those members of the brotherhood imprisoned for their faith.

wJV sundedemenoi (sundew) perf. pas. part. "as if you were their fellow prisoners" - as having been bound with. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the remembering - once only use in the New Testament (ie. a hapax legomenon). The phrase defines how we should consider those in prison for their faith; we should act in solidarity with them. The parallel phrase "as if you yourselves were suffering" further explains the point being made. "Remember those who are mistreated as though you were in their body", Koester.

twn kakoucoumenwn (kakoucew) perf. pas. part. "those who are mistreated" - the ones being mistreated, caused to suffer, ill-treated. The participle functions as a substantive. Persecution is again in mind.

outoi pres. part. "[as] if [you yourselves] were suffering" - [as also yourselves] being [in body]. The participle is modal, as above, expressing the manner of the remembering. A restatement of the previous parallel phrase, encouraging empathy with those who suffer. The reference to "body" is probably not picking up on Pauline "body" theology, namely, our incorporation into the one body, Christ, and therefore, the idea that the suffering of one member becomes the suffering of all, cf. Westcott. None-the-less, our incorporation in Christ does motivate us to empathize with the suffering of a brother.

oJ gamoV "marriage" - The union of marriage

"should be" - let be. The imperative verb to-be is assumed; it is not in the text. Attached to "honoured" it forms a predicate adjective which affirms a fact about the subject, "marriage". This grammatical structure is repeated in v5. Of course, the phrase may be a simple statement, "the honored marriage", but this is unlikely.

timioV adj. "honored" - respected, esteemed. The ethical issue here is adultery prompted by lust. The subject is commonly found in both Old and New Testament teaching on personal morality. The marriage bed should not be defiled by the sexual intrusion of a third person.

en pasin "by all" - The preposition is either distributional "among", or instrumental "by". Also, the "all" reads "all things", but "all people" seems more logical.

hJ koith (h) "marriage bed" - bed. The opening clause is repeated here and therefore "matrimonial bed" is intended. In fact, the word is sometimes used of sexual relationships.

amiantoV adj. "pure" - undefiled. The word reflects the view that adultery defiles.

krinei (krinw) fut. "[God] will judge" - "Because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient", Eph.5:6. It is interesting how the New Testament seems to single out sexual sins and links them to divine judgment. Sexual sins are serious because they strike at the heart of the divine image, in particular, the notion of union with God, a union which is imaged in the sexual act. The defilement of this image is the issue. As for judgment, sexual sins are just as open to the wrath of God as any other sin, and as with all sin, God's wrath is turned aside by the same means, namely by grace through faith in the atoning work of Christ.

pornouV (oV) "the sexually immoral" - fornicators. The word is used to describe sexual sin in general terms.

oJ topoV (oV) "[keep] your lives" - manner of life, character, conduct. As in v4 the imperative of the verb to-be is assumed.

afilarguroV adj. "free from the love of money" - not greedy, unmercenary. "No lover of money", 1Tim.3:3, cf. 6:10. "Avoid coveting the things of this world."

arkoumenoi (arkew) pres. pas. part. "be content" - being content. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the assumed imperative "keep your life free ...."; "avoid covetousness and be content ....." Some translations treat this participle as an independent verbal participle functioning as an imperative, but this is a rare construction. The writer is reinforcing his exhortation that the readers detach themselves from an overreliance on worldly wealth. It is a call for detachment, although not necessarily simplicity.

autoV "God" - he. Presumably the author of the quote is intended, therefore "God".

ou mh se anw (anihmi) aor. subj. "never will if leave you" - may I never abandon. A subjunctive of emphatic negation serving to underline the fact that God will never abandon his people. The quote here is difficult to identify, but is probably a particular version of Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 which we no longer have access to. The writer takes God's promise to support his people Israel, and applies it to first century believers. Identifying the actual support provided is always difficult. The Lord stands beside us in our journey to the promised land and he will support us during that journey, but the support is not of our devising. That there is support, enables the believer to be detached from an overreliance on worldly wealth.

egkatalipw (egkataleipw) aor. subj. "will I forsake" - may I forsake, desert.

wJste + inf. "so" - so that ... [to say]. The construction here, this conjunction with the infinitive, forms a consecutive clause expressing the result of accepting the truth that God will never leave us; "so, as a result, we can say ...."

hJmaV "we" - Given that God will never leave us, "we", the church, the people of God, can respond confidently ......

qarrountaV (qarraw) pres. part. "with confidence" - being confident, brave, courageous. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of our saying; "we can say fearlessly." With the Lord on our side, we don't need to be overly focused on wealth and power to maintain our own security or the security and advancement of the church's mission.

ou fobhqhsomai (fobew) fut. pas. "I will not be afraid" - I will not fear. "I will be fearless." The quote is from the LXX, Ps.118:6. "There is not much humanity can do to me to inflict lasting damage", Junkins.

Hebrews Introduction

lectionarystudies.com