HEBREWS 3
3 Therefore, holy ones – brothers! Partakers in a heavenly calling! – take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 being faithful to the One appointing him, just like Moses also was in all of his house. 3 For this man was considered worthy of more glory than Moses, the same way that the one building a house has more honour than the actual house. 4 Indeed every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
5 Now Moses was indeed faithful in all his house, as a servant for the testimony of things yet to be spoken, 6 but Christ was faithful as a son over his house – the house that we ourselves are if we hold firmly to the boldness and the rejoicing in the hope until the fulfilment is established. 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you would listen to his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as they did in the aggravation during the day of testing in the wilderness 9 when your fathers tested me in a trial – and for forty years they saw my works! 10 Therefore I was disgusted with that generation and said, ‘Their heart is constantly being led astray and they do not know my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my anger, ‘As if they will enter into my rest!’”
12 Watch out, brothers, lest there ever be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief that departs from the living God! 13 Instead, urge each other every day – while it is still called ‘Today’ – so that not one of you may be hardened by sin’s deception. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ provided we hold the initial foundation firmly until the end. 15 As it was said, “If you would listen to his voice today, you wouldn’t harden your hearts like in the aggravation!” 16 For which ones heard and aggravated him? Was it not all those coming out of Egypt under Moses? 17 And with whom was he disgusted for forty years? Was it not the ones who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear would not enter into his rest if not the defiant ones? 19 So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.
5 Now Moses was indeed faithful in all his house, as a servant for the testimony of things yet to be spoken, 6 but Christ was faithful as a son over his house – the house that we ourselves are if we hold firmly to the boldness and the rejoicing in the hope until the fulfilment is established. 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you would listen to his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as they did in the aggravation during the day of testing in the wilderness 9 when your fathers tested me in a trial – and for forty years they saw my works! 10 Therefore I was disgusted with that generation and said, ‘Their heart is constantly being led astray and they do not know my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my anger, ‘As if they will enter into my rest!’”
12 Watch out, brothers, lest there ever be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief that departs from the living God! 13 Instead, urge each other every day – while it is still called ‘Today’ – so that not one of you may be hardened by sin’s deception. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ provided we hold the initial foundation firmly until the end. 15 As it was said, “If you would listen to his voice today, you wouldn’t harden your hearts like in the aggravation!” 16 For which ones heard and aggravated him? Was it not all those coming out of Egypt under Moses? 17 And with whom was he disgusted for forty years? Was it not the ones who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear would not enter into his rest if not the defiant ones? 19 So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.
1, 14) Partakers. Wrestled with which word to use, because ‘partakers’ is a bit old fashioned. But ‘partners’ puts us on a higher footing than the text intends, I believe, and ‘companions’ doesn’t carry across the idea of receiving well enough, which the word metachoi seems to suggest (literally ‘with-havers’). Also ‘sharers’ might imply an outward aspect, like sharing Christ with others, an idea which again the word does not connote. So it would seem from v14 that a Christian could be a partner (they are saved) but not necessarily a partaker (they rely on their own strength too much), or else the conditional nature of v14 would seem theologically shaky. Compare v6. It could simply be the Calvinistic thing of not knowing who is truly saved until the end when they prove themselves faithful.
8) Testing. The use of this word again in V9 would suggest this is testing of God (as in, testing his patience), not the testing of Israel (though it did prove their real heart).
9) Trial. I.e. verification, proving, authentication. Note who was testing who!
8) Testing. The use of this word again in V9 would suggest this is testing of God (as in, testing his patience), not the testing of Israel (though it did prove their real heart).
9) Trial. I.e. verification, proving, authentication. Note who was testing who!