Hebrews 3
Holy brothers, companions of a heavenly calling, are told to look at the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus — the only place in the New Testament where Jesus is called ‘apostle’. He was faithful to the one who made him, as Moses was in his house; but as the one who constructed a house has more honour than the house, so he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses — Moses an attendant inside the house, Christ a son over it, and we are that house if we hold fast the openness and the boast of hope. Then, as the Holy Spirit says, comes Psalm 95: today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the embittering in the wilderness, where your fathers tested in a proving and saw my works for forty years; therefore I was angry and swore, “If they shall enter my rest —.” So see to it that no evil heart of unbelief falls away from the living God, and exhort one another each day while it is called “Today” — for we have become companions of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance to the end. Three questions then work the quotation out: who embittered him, with whom was he angry forty years, to whom did he swear they would not enter — to those who disobeyed. And we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.
Why this rendering
Heb.3.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὅθεν, ἀδελφοὶ ἅγιοι, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν ⸀Ἰησοῦν, πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ⸀ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ — “Therefore, holy brothers, companions of a heavenly calling, look at the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus, who was faithful to the one who made him, as Moses also was in all his house.” μέτοχοι ‘companions’ is the word of 2:14 used of people (at 1:9 they were the king’s companions) · this is the only place in this book, and in the New Testament, where Jesus is called ‘apostle’ — the sent one and the high priest set side by side under one article · ὁμολογία ‘confession’ (as fixed at 2 Cor 9:13; three times in Hebrews) · τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν ‘the one who made him’ — ποιέω carries both making and appointing (the verb of Mark 3:14, ‘he appointed twelve’) · the base text prints ‘Jesus’ alone, where the Received Text reads ‘Christ Jesus’ (⸀) · at the second ⸀ the base text reads ‘in his house’ without ‘all’ · Μωϋσῆς stands seven times in this chapter and οἶκος ‘house’ six times — the warp and weft of vv.1-6.
Rendering options · 3
Basis A single article governs both, showing in the Greek that they are said of one · unpacking ‘apostle’ as ‘the one sent’ would cut it from the word elsewhere.
Basis 1:9 ‘your companions’ · 3:14 ‘companions of Christ’ · 6:4 · 12:8 are one word — taken up five times in this book, so one rendering.
Basis The familiar reading.
Rejected Collides with the rendering of μετέχω ‘partake of’ and does not stand at 1:9, where they are persons.
Lost in translation
μέτοχοι (vv.1 · 14) — the word of 1:9 returns twice. ‘Companions’ joins the three.
τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα (v.1) — a single article. Both renderings use one article, so the one person stands.
τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν (v.2) — making or appointing. ‘Made him’ leaves more of it open.
ἀπόστολος (v.1) — the only place it is used of Jesus. ‘Apostle’ keeps it joined to the other places.
ὁμολογία (v.1) — the noun of ὁμολογέω ‘confess’. ‘Confession’ keeps the root.
ἀδελφοὶ ἅγιοι (v.1) — a vocative without the article. ‘Holy brothers’ adds none.
Why this rendering
Heb.3.6 Observation
Syntactic observation
πλείονος γὰρ ⸂οὗτος δόξης⸃ παρὰ Μωϋσῆν ἠξίωται καθ’ ὅσον πλείονα τιμὴν ἔχει τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν· πᾶς γὰρ οἶκος κατασκευάζεται ὑπό τινος, ὁ ⸀δὲ πάντα κατασκευάσας θεός … The comparison is double — more glory than Moses set beside more honour than the house · v.4 ends in a clause with no verb (‘the one who constructed all things is God’) · μὲν … δὲ sets attendant and son apart · θεράπων is once in the New Testament, a different word from δοῦλος ‘slave’, λειτουργός ‘minister’ and οἰκέτης ‘household slave’ · ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ ‘in all his house’ (Moses inside the house) ↔ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον ‘over his house’ (Christ over it) — one preposition divides the two places · τῶν λαληθησομένων, future passive participle, ‘the things that were going to be spoken’ · ⸀ὃς οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς ‘whose house we are’ — the relative picks up ‘his house’ just before · κατάσχωμεν ‘hold fast’ (the site-rule of Luke 4:42) · after ⸀ἐλπίδος the Received Text adds ‘firm to the end’, while the base text keeps that only at v.14.
Rendering options · 3
Basis A different site from ‘prepare’ at Matt 11:10, recorded as a site-bound rendering · kept as ‘construct’ so it does not collide with οἰκοδομέω ‘build’.
Basis Once in the New Testament and different from ‘slave’, ‘minister’ and ‘household slave’ — a fresh word so that the four do not take each other’s places.
Basis ἐν and ἐπί are what divide Moses from Christ; rendering both alike would erase the comparison.
Lost in translation
ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ / ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον (vv.5-6) — the prepositions divide inside from over. ‘In / over’ keeps it.
οἶκος six times (vv.2-6) — one word returning. ‘House’ six times keeps it.
θεράπων (v.5) — distinct from ‘slave’, ‘minister’, ‘household slave’. ‘Attendant’ keeps the four apart.
πλείονος … πλείονα (v.3) — the same comparative twice. ‘More … more’ keeps the pair.
τῶν λαληθησομένων (v.5) — one word, future passive participle. Both must unpack it.
ὁ … πάντα κατασκευάσας θεός (v.4) — a verbless clause. Both supply ‘is’.
Why this rendering
Heb.3.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
Διό, καθὼς λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ … ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου· Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου — The quotation is Ps 95:7-11, and the speaker named is the Holy Spirit — as at 1:6 (‘he says’), this book reads the psalm as speech now being spoken · παραπικρασμός ‘embittering’ stands only twice, both in Hebrews (3:8 · 3:15), and the verb παραπικραίνω in v.16 is once in the New Testament — the Greek Old Testament renders the place-name by its sense instead of keeping the sound · προσοχθίζω ‘be angry’ likewise only twice, both in Hebrews (3:10 · 3:17) · the base text reads ἐπείρασαν without ‘me’ and prints ⸂ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ⸃ ‘in a proving’, where the Received Text reads ‘tested me and proved me’ · δοκιμασία ‘proving’ is once in the New Testament · τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη ‘for forty years’ is joined by the base text’s punctuation to ‘saw my works’ in the verse before (at v.17 the same number goes with the anger — one figure placed two ways) · Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται is the Hebrew oath form, whose second limb is left unsaid — kept broken as ‘If they shall enter —’ (the step taken at Mark 8:12) · κατάπαυσις ‘rest’ (Acts 7:49).
Rendering options · 3
Basis The εἰ is the Hebrew oath-conditional with its second limb unspoken — the same shape was left broken at Mark 8:12 · resolving it as ‘they shall not enter’ hides that v.18 is where the author himself resolves it.
Basis The familiar reading.
Rejected Joins what the text leaves broken and makes the restatement at v.18 redundant.
Basis The Greek Old Testament already gave the place-name by its sense rather than its sound — this edition renders the Greek, so it does not restore ‘Meribah’ · kept on one root with the verb in v.16.
Lost in translation
Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται (v.11) — an oath with no second limb. ‘If they shall enter —’ keeps the break.
παραπικρασμός / παραπικραίνω (vv.8 · 15 · 16) — noun and verb on one root. ‘Embittering / embittered’ keeps it.
παραπικρασμός (v.8) — a place-name turned into its sense. The sound was already gone in the Greek.
τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη (vv.10 · 17) — the same figure once with the seeing, once with the anger. Both placements stand.
λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (v.7) — the psalm cited as speech now. The present is kept.
ἐπείρασαν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ (v.9) — a verb without its object and a noun found once. The base text’s reading is kept.
Why this rendering
Heb.3.14 Observation
Syntactic observation
βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος … μέτοχοι γὰρ ⸂τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν⸃, ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ὑποστάσεως μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν — the ‘Today’ of the quotation takes an article and becomes a noun (τὸ Σήμερον) — one word of the psalm becomes this book’s name for the time · καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ‘an evil heart of unbelief’ — what kind of genitive, the text does not say · ἀποστῆναι ‘falling away’ (as fixed at Luke 4:13) — a later church word grows from it, but here it is a verb · παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτούς says ‘one another’ with a reflexive pronoun, not with ἀλλήλους · ἀπάτη τῆς ἁμαρτίας ‘the deceit of sin’ — the construction of Mark 4:19, ‘the deceit of riches’ · μέτοχοι … γεγόναμεν, perfect, ‘we have become companions’ · ὑπόστασις comes a second time after 1:3, and here ‘assurance’ stands without strain · ἀρχή ‘beginning’ and τέλος ‘end’ face each other in one clause · βεβαίαν ‘firm’ (as fixed at Rom 4:16) · ἐάνπερ is ἐάν with an intensive particle.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The article turns the word into a noun, so the quotation marks show it is the psalm’s word · leaving it unmarked would blur the link to the quotation above.
Basis The reflexive here stands for the reciprocal — ‘exhort yourselves’ would say something else · that a reflexive is doing the work is not carried over (recorded).
Basis What was paid for at 1:3 by keeping one word is repaid here — at this place ‘assurance’ stands without strain.
Lost in translation
τὸ Σήμερον (v.13) — the article makes it a noun. The quotation marks show the word; the article does not carry over.
ἀρχή / τέλος (v.14) — beginning and end in one clause. ‘Beginning … to the end’ keeps the pair.
παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτούς (v.13) — a reflexive doing reciprocal work. ‘One another’ keeps the sense, not the form.
καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας (v.12) — the genitive is unsettled. ‘An evil heart of unbelief’ leaves it open.
ἐάνπερ (v.14) — ἐάν with an intensive. ‘If indeed’ carries the emphasis.
ἀπάτη τῆς ἁμαρτίας (v.13) — the construction of Mark 4:19. ‘The deceit of sin’ joins the two.
Why this rendering
Heb.3.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
τίνες γὰρ ἀκούσαντες παρεπίκραναν; ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντες οἱ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μωϋσέως; τίσιν δὲ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη; … Three questions follow one another, each answered by another question — this is how the book works a quotation out · τίνες is accented by the base text as the interrogative, so ‘who’ (the other accent would give ‘some’) · παρεπίκραναν ‘embittered’ is once in the New Testament and shares the root of the noun in vv.8 · 15 · κῶλον ‘limbs’ is once in the New Testament; the Greek Old Testament uses this word for the bodies of those who died in the wilderness — ‘corpse’ belongs to πτῶμα, so the word’s own picture is kept · v.18 is where the author himself resolves the broken oath of v.11 — there ‘if they shall enter —’, here μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι ‘that they would not enter’ · ἀπειθέω ‘disobey’ (as fixed at John 3:36 — not ‘not believe’) · the last line turns it into ἀπιστία ‘unbelief’ — disobedience and unbelief overlap in one place · βλέπομεν ‘we see’ in v.19 is the verb of 2:9.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text accents it as the interrogative — the other accent would make it a statement, ‘some, when they heard, embittered him’, and the three answering questions would fall apart.
Basis The word itself means a limb, and the Greek Old Testament uses it of the dead · ‘corpse’ belongs to πτῶμα and ‘body’ to σῶμα, so neither can be borrowed.
Basis Reading by the sense.
Rejected Takes the rendering that belongs to πτῶμα.
Lost in translation
τίνες (v.16) — one accent divides the interrogative from the indefinite. Both renderings must choose.
κῶλον (v.17) — a word for a limb used of the dead. ‘Limbs’ keeps the picture and leaves the sense to the note.
ἀπειθήσασιν (v.18) / ἀπιστίαν (v.19) — disobedience then unbelief. The two stay apart.
παρεπίκραναν (v.16) — one root with the noun of vv.8 · 15. ‘Embittered’ keeps it.
εἰ μή (v.18) — ‘if not’ supplies the answer to the question. Kept as a question.
μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι (v.18) — the author resolves the broken oath of v.11. The two stand differently, so the resolving shows.