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Hebrews Chapter 12

Hebrews Chapter 12

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Run with Endurance
  1. Consequently, we also – having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and having set aside every burden and easily ensnaring sin – we should run with endurance the race being set before us,
  2. looking away from everything else exceptfn“looking away from everything else except” is one word in Greek with that exact meaning. the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus, who in exchange for the joy set before Him endured the cross, having disregarded its shame, and He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  3. For consider the One who has endured such opposition from sinners against Himself so you won’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.
The Lord’s Discipline
  1. In struggling against sin, you didn’t yet resist as far as shedding blood,
  2. and you have completely forgotten the admonishment that is addressed to you as sons: “My son, don’t disregard the Lord’s discipline, nor faint when being rebuked by Him.
  3. “For the Lord disciplines whom He ^loves, and scourges every son whom He welcomes.”fnquotation/allusion to Proverbs 3:11-12
  4. You endure discipline, for God treats you as sons; for what son exists whom his father doesn’t discipline?
  5. But if you are without discipline (of which all have been partakers) then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
  6. Furthermore, we indeed had discipliners in our fathers of flesh and we were revering them.  And won’t we much more be submitted to the Father of spiritsfnquotation/allusion to Numbers 16:22 and Numbers 27:16. Contextually, it might also be a reference to Deuteronomy 8:1–5 about God disciplining Israel in the wilderness. A final possible referent is the “sons of God” title often used to describe angelic beings. (For example, Job 1:6) and shall live?
  7. For indeed, they were disciplining us for a few days according to the discipline seeming best to them.  But His discipline is further benefiting us, for us to partake of His holiness.
  8. And indeed, all discipline doesn’t seem to be a joy in the present, but grief.  But afterwards it returns the peaceful fruit of righteousness to the men who have been strenuously trainedfn“strenuously trained” is one word in Greek.  It literally means to train naked or in a loincloth, and was used of athletes who trained themselves for the Olympic games, which were conducted clad thus.  Figuratively – as it’s used here – it means to constantly train with rigorous effort and practice. through it.
  9. Therefore, lift up the *weary hands and the *weak kneesfnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 35:3
  10. and make the paths straight for your feet,fnquotation/allusion to Proverbs 4:26–27 so the lame won’t be dislocated,fn“dislocated” could also be translated “turned away” or “turned out” (of joint).  It was used as a medical term for spraining or dislocation.  However, elsewhere it’s used for “turning away” in the sense of wandering into error. but rather might be healed.
Pursue peace and holiness
  1. Pursue peace with all men, and holiness (without which no one will see the Lord),
  2. watching carefully, lest someone be falling short of the grace of God, or lest some root of bitterness springing upfnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 29:18 might disturb you, and through this, many might be defiled,
  3. lest there’s some fornicator or profane man, like Esau, who sold his own firstborn’s birthright for one meal.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 25:29-34
  4. For you *know that also wishing to inherit the blessing afterward, he was rejected, for he didn’t find a place for a changed mind, although he earnestly sought it with tears.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 27:1-40, especially 30-40
  5. For you haven’t approached a mountain capable of being touched, and *burning fire, and darkness, and blackness, and a whirlwind,
  6. and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice of words, which the men who heard begged the word not to be spoken to them anymore,
  7. for they weren’t enduring the thing being commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 19:12-13
  8. And the thing appearing was so fearful that Moses said: “I’m terrified and trembling.”fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 9:19
  9. But you have approached Mount Zion, and the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem) and myriads of angels,
  10. and the festival assembly, and the church assembly of the firstborn *enrolled in the heavens, and God the judge of all, and the *perfected righteous spirits,
  11. and the mediator of a new covenant (Jesus), and the sprinkled blood of purification speaking better than the blood of Abel.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 4:10
  12. See that you don’t refuse the One speaking.  For if these men didn’t escape on earth after having refused the One divinely warning them, then much more we won’t escape the One from the heavens after turning away from Him,
  13. whose voice shook the earth back then.  But now, He has promised saying: “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”fnquotation/allusion to Haggai 2:6
  14. And the phrase “Yet once more” plainly declares the removal of the things being shaken as *created things, so the things not being shaken might remain.
  15. Therefore, in receiving an unshakable kingdom we should have grace, through which we might minister to God in a pleasing way, with pious reverence and fear.
  16. For also, our God is an utterly consuming firefnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 4:24.

 

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