7 Who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered:

9 And being made perfect, he became the author

of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

7 Ος εν ταις ἡμεραις της σαρκος αυτου δεήσεις τε και ἱκέτηριας προς τον δυναμενον σωζειν αυτον εκ θανατου και τα κραυγης ισχυρας και δακρυων προσενεγκας, και εισακουσθεις απο της ευλάβειας,

8 Καιπερ ων διος, έμαθεν, αφ' ὧν επαθε, την υπακοην.

9 Και τελειωθεις εγενετο τοις ὑπακουουσιν αὐτῷ πασιν αιτιος σωτηρίας αιωνιου

Ver. 7.-1. He in the days of his flesh. The things mentioned in this verse not being applicable to Melchizedec, who is spoken of in the preceding verse, 'O, is not the relative but the personal pronoun, and denotes Christ who is mentioned, ver. 5. I have therefore, translated 'Os by the word He, to lead the reader to that idea.

2. In the days of his flesh; that is, while he lived in the flesh on earth, subject to the infirmity of the human nature. See Ess. iv. 43.

3. Both deprecations. Sce 1 Tim. ii. 1. where dinous, the word used here, signifies deprecatory prayers against evil.

4. And supplications. ‘Inerngias, supplicatory prayers for assistance.—They were said to supplicate who fell down at the feet of the persons they addressed, and took hold of their knees. Supplications therefore, are prayers uttered with great earnestness and humility.

5. To him who was able to save him from death. I cannot think, with most commentators, that there is a reference here to our Lord's prayers in the garden; because, if in saying, O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me, he had prayed to be delivered from dying, the apostle could not have said, as in the common version, He was beard in that he feared; nor, as others translate the clause, He was heard for his piety. The cup which his Father gave him, whatever it was, he drank. I therefore conjecture, that the apostle, in this verse, refers to some other prayers which our Lord offered up to be saved from lying under the power of death; and I observe, that the text in the original agrees well with this conjecture. For the word, www, to save, signifies either to preserve one from an evil of which he is in danger, or to deliver one from an evil into which he hath fallen. In this latter sense, the word is used, Matth. i. 21. He shall save, that is, deliver his people from their sins. So likewise in this verse, To him who was able,

7 Secondly, as an High-priest, he can commiserate the ignorant and erring. For though he be the Son of God, he was subject to the infirmity of the human nature, and particularly to the fear of death, as is plain from this, That He in the days of his flesh having offered up both deprecations, and supplications, with strong crying (Ps. xxii. 1.) and tears, to him who was able to save him from death by raising him from the dead; and being delivered from fear,

8 Although he was the Son of God, he learned how difficult obedience is to men, by the things which he suffered in the flesh while he obeyed God; and also what need men have of help, to enable them to bear their trials and sufferings.

9 And, being thus qualified to have a right measure of compassion on the ignorant and erring, he was made perfect as an High-priest; and he became, to all who obey him, the author of eternal salvation, by offering himself a sacrifice for their sins:

ow?elv autov ex Javars, to deliver him out of death, namely, by raising him from the dead. According to this meaning of his prayer, our Lord was beard in that he feared; or was delivered from fear. For in answer to his prayers, his Father assured him that he would raise him from the dead, and thereby delivered him from his fear of lying under the power of death. 6. And being delivered from fear. So Whitby translates the clause uraxxσ Dels awo evxabuas; and appeals to the LXX. who used the word any to denote the act of delivering, Psal. liv. 2, 3. Attend unto me xai uraxxσOV Me awe porns exgx and deliver me from the voice of the enemy. And though the word waabuz translated fear, often denotes religious fear, Heb. xi. 7. it sometimes signifies fear of any kind; of which Beza, among other examples, gives the following one from Diphilus, quoted by Stobaeus, var TeQuna; μn whats revuevas. So also, Acts xxiii. 10. The chief captain whandus fearing.—Josh, xxii. 24. LXX. We did this, evenev eunabeas, out of fear-Estius thinks the apostle here refers to our Lord's prayer on the cross; My God, &c.—The fear from which Christ was delivered, is explain

10 Called of God an

10 Προσαγορευθεις ύπο του high-priest, after the or- Θεου αρχιερευς κατα την ταξ ιν Μελχισεδεκ

der of Melchizedec :

ed in the 5th note, which see.-Some of the fathers accounted for the fear from which Jesus is said to have been delivered, by supposing that his divinity for a season, withdrew its influence from his human nature.

Ver. 9.-1. And being made perfect. Texas, Since the apostle is speaking here of Christ as an High-priest, his being made perfect, is his being made a perfect, or effectual High-priest. For τελείωσαι, τελείωσις, τελειότης, and Tu, denoting perfection, the kind of perfection meant by these words is, the highest degree of the qualities, which are peculiar to the person or thing which is the subject of the discourse. Thus, the sacrifice by which the high priesthood was completely conferred on Aaron, is called, Exod. xxix. 34. Juria Tshwas the sacrifice of perfection.-Ephes. iv. 15. avdpa τέλειον a full grown man. Heb. ii. 10. τελείωσαι to make the Captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings.—Heb. vi. 1. Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on eri roτnta to perfection, to the right interpretation and application of the figures and prophecies of the law, which is the highest degree of Christian knowledge.-Heb. vii 11. Ei Teλuois, If perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, what farther need, &c. As men expect pardon through the sacrifices offered by their priests, perfection, in this passage, must signify complete pardon, with its concomitants, the favour of God, and eternal life.-Heb. vii. 19. dev' gag erexeiwσer à voμC, For the law made no one perfect; it neither gave pardon to sinners by its sacrifices, nor did it sanctify them by its precepts.-Heb. vii. 28. The law hath made men high-priests, who have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was after the law, hath constituted the Son, TETEXswμevor who is perfected for ever; who by the excellence of his nature, and his endless life in the body, will continue for ever an effectual High-priest.-Heb. xi. 40. speaking of the departed saints, God having foreseen some better things for us, that they without us un tiruwfæri should not be perfected; should not be completely rewarded, by the reunion of their bodies with their souls, and by inheriting the heavenly country. See also, Heb. xii. 23.—Luke i. 45. Blessed is she who believed; for there shall be rixuwols xxxμevois a performance of those things which were told her of the Lord.-Lastly among the Greeks, these who were completely instructed in the mysteries were called, Tu perfect men.— From these examples it appears that when To Exod. xxix. 9. is translated, to consecrate, and voia Texas, ver. 34. is translated, the sacrifice of consecration, these words are rightly translated, not because their etymology leads to that signification, but because Aaron and his sons by that sacrifice were made perfect as priests, that is, were completely invested with the priests' office.

2. He became to all them who obey him, the author of eternal salvation. In this verse three things are clearly stated. First, That obedience to Christ is equally necessary to salvation, with believing on him. Secondly, That he was made perfect as an High-priest, by offering himself a sacrifice for sin,

10 (Пporayoрevels) Being saluted by God, an High-priest, according to the order of Melchizedec:

10 As is evident from his being saluted by God, on his return from the earth, an High-priest according to the order of Melchizedec.

chap. viii. 3. Thirdly, That by the merit of that sacrifice, he hath obtained pardon and eternal life, for them who obey him.

Ver. 10.-1. Being saluted by God an High-priest. As our Lord in his conversation with the Pharisees, recorded Matth. xxii. 43. spake of it as a thing certain in itself, and universally known and acknowledged by the Jews, that David wrote the CXth Psalm by inspiration concerning the Christ or Messiah, the apostle was well founded in applying the whole of that Psalm to Jesus. Wherefore, having quoted the fourth verse, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec, as directed to Messiah, David's Lord, he justly termed that speech of the Deity, a salutation of Jesus according to the true import of the word @gorayogudus, which properly signifies, to address one by his name, or title, or office. Accordingly Hesychius explains προσαγορευομαι by ασπαζομαι.—Now that the deep meaning of this salutation may be understood, I observe first, that by the testimony of the inspired writers, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, when he returned to heaven after having finished his ministry on earth. Mark xvi. 19. Acts vii. 56. Heb. i. 3. viii. 1. 1 Pet. iii. 22. Not however immediately, but after he had offered the sacrifice of himself in heaven, by presenting his crucified body before the presence of God, Heb. i. 3. x. 10.-Secondly, I observe that God's saluting Messiah, a Priest after the order of Melchizedec, being mentioned in the Psalm, after God is said to have invited him to sit at his right hand, it is reasonable to think, the salutation was given him after he had offered the sacrifice of himself, and had taken his seat at God's right hand. Considered in this order, the salutation of Jesus as a priest after the similitude of Melchizedec, was a public declaration on the part of God, that he accepted the sacrifice of himself, which Jesus then offered, as a sufficient atonement for the sin of the world, and approved of the whole of his ministrations on earth, and confirmed all the effects of that meritorious sacrifice. See the illustration of ver. 10.-And whereas we are informed in the Psalm, that after God invited his Son in the human nature to sit at his right hand as Governor of the world, and foretold the blessed fruits of his government, he published the gath by which he made him a Priest for ever before he sent him into the world to accomplish the salvation of mankind, and declared that he would never repent of that oath, The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the similitude of Melchizedec, it was in effect a solemn publication of the method in which God would pardon sinners, and a promise that the effects of his Son's government as a King, and of his ministrations as a Priest, shall be eternal. See Heb. vi. 20. note 2.-Moreover, as this solemn declaration of the dignity of the Son of God, as a King and a Priest for ever in the human nature, was made in the hearing of the angelical hosts, it was designed for their instruction, that they

11 of whom we have

many things to say, and hard to be uttered; seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are

become such as have need

12 Και γαρ οφείλοντες είναι διδασκαλοι δια τον χρονον, παλιν χρείαν έχετε του διδάσκειν μας τινα τα

ςοιχεια της αρχής των λογίων του Θεου και γενονατε

of milk and not of strong χρειαν εχοντες γαλακτος, και

mneat.

13 For every one that

ου ςερεάς τροφής. 13 Πας γαρ ὁ μετέχων uscth milk is unskilful in γαλακτος, απειρος λόγου δι

the word of righteousness; καιοσυνης νηπιος γαρ εςι for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat be

14 Τελειων δε εςιν ἡ ζεlongcth to them that are of ρεα τροφη των δια την έξιν full age, even those who by

might understand their subordination to God's Son in the human nature, and pay him that homage which is due to him, as Governor of the world, and as Saviour of the human race, Philip. ii. 9, 10. Heb. i. 6.-The above explanation of the import of God's saluting Jesus a Priest for ever, is founded on the apostle's reasonings in the seventh and following chapters, where he enters into the deep meaning of the oath by which that salutation was confirmed.

The attentive reader no doubt hath remarked, that in Psal. cx. 4. the appellation given to Messiah David's Lord is, a Priest: and that the apostle in ver. 10. hath changed it into an High-priest. This he hath done, not because there are other priests in the house of God over whom Jesus presides, but because the ministrations of the Levitical high-priests in the inward tabernacle, were all typical of Christ's ministrations in heaven.

2. Dull of hearing. The word νωθροι, signifies persons who walk tardily. Applied to the mind, it signifies persons of slow understanding; also slothful, sluggish, idle persons, Heb. vi. 12.

Ver. 12. 1. Certain first principles of the oracles of God. Τινα χεια της αρχής των λογίων το Θε8. Here τινα is not the nominative plural, as our translators supposed, but the accusative, governed by τε διδάσκειν. Wherefore, the literal translation of the clause is, teach vou certain elements of the beginning of the oracles of God. For the meaning of saysia, see 2 Pet. iii. 10. note 5.-The oracles of God are the ancient revelations contained in the writings of Moses and the prophets, Rom. ii. 2. Some of the first principles of these oracles, the apostie had formerly explained to the Hebrews.