Hebrews 5
A high priest is taken from among men and set over the things toward God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Encompassed with weakness himself, he can be measured in feeling toward those who do not know and are led astray, and because of that weakness he must offer for himself as well as for the people. No one takes the honour for himself but is called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ did not give himself the glory of becoming a high priest; the one who said “You are my Son” did, and in another place, “You are a priest to the age according to the order of Melchizedek” — the first appearance of Melchizedek in this book. In the days of his flesh he offered supplications and entreaties with strong crying and tears, and was heard because of his devoutness. Though a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and having been brought to completion he became the cause of eternal salvation to all who obey him, addressed by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Then the argument stops: there is much to say and it is hard to explain, because the hearers have grown dull. By this time they ought to be teachers, yet they need the first elements again, and need milk rather than solid food. Whoever partakes of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is an infant; solid food is for the complete, whose organs of perception are trained by practice to distinguish good and evil.
Why this rendering
Heb.5.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν … ἐξ ἀνθρώπων … ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων — the same word twice, once for where he is taken from and once for whom he stands for · τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν ‘the things toward God’ is the phrase of 2:17 · δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας ‘gifts and sacrifices’ — the gift of Matt 5:23 and the sacrifice of Acts 7:41 come as a pair · μετριοπαθέω is once in the New Testament, the adjective meaning ‘measured’ joined to πάθος, and it names feeling that is neither too much nor too little — ‘have compassion’ would take the place of σπλαγχνίζομαι · τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι καὶ πλανωμένοις ‘those who do not know and are led astray’ (as fixed at Mark 9:32 and Matt 22:29) · περίκειται ἀσθένειαν takes an accusative, ‘he has weakness lying around him’; at Acts 28:20 it is a chain that lies around the man — here the man wears the weakness · ⸂δι’ αὐτήν⸃ ‘because of it’ · ⸀αὑτοῦ carries the rough breathing and is reflexive · the ‘must offer’ of v.3 has no object — what he offers, the text does not say.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The piece meaning ‘measured’ and the movement of feeling are both inside the word · ‘have compassion’ belongs to σπλαγχνίζομαι (Mark 1:41) and ‘suffer with’ to συμπαθέω at 4:15.
Basis The familiar reading.
Rejected Loses both the measure and the feeling.
Basis At Acts 28:20 the chain lies around the man; here the man wears the weakness — one verb with two grains, kept as one word in Korean and split in English.
Lost in translation
ἐξ ἀνθρώπων … ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων (v.1) — the same word twice. ‘From among men … on behalf of men’ keeps the pair.
μετριοπαθεῖν (v.2) — measure and feeling in one word. Both must unpack it.
περίκειται (v.2) — the verb of Acts 28:20 with the wearing reversed. English must change words.
προσφέρειν (v.3) — no object. Neither supplies one.
τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν (v.1) — the phrase of 2:17. ‘The things toward God’ joins the two.
δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας (v.1) — two different words as one pair. ‘Gifts and sacrifices’ keeps them apart.
Why this rendering
Heb.5.6 Observation
Syntactic observation
καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμήν, ἀλλὰ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ⸀καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών … Two quotations are paired, one already used in chapter 1 and one new — Ps 2:7 came at 1:5; Ps 110:4 comes here for the first time · the second limb of v.5 has no verb — after ‘the one who said to him’ the text does not repeat ‘gave him the glory’ · ⸀καθώσπερ ‘just as’ is once in the New Testament, καθώς with ὥσπερ folded in, where the Received Text reads the ordinary word · ἐν ἑτέρῳ ‘in another place’ — what it is other than, the text does not say · Melchizedek appears here for the first time in this book, and chapter 7 stands wholly on the name · τάξις ‘order’ (as fixed at Luke 1:8), here the priestly course, the same word as ‘order’ at 1 Cor 14:40 · εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ‘to the age’ · ἱερεύς ‘priest’ and ἀρχιερεύς ‘high priest’ stand side by side in vv.5-10.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Give glory’ is this verb as fixed, here with a reflexive object · ‘exalt himself’ would borrow the place of ὑψόω.
Basis The ‘priestly order’ of Luke 1:8 and ‘according to order’ of 1 Cor 14:40 are one word — another rendering would cut this from them.
Basis The base text prints καθώς with ὥσπερ folded in, where the Received Text has the ordinary word — the doubling is kept by ‘just’.
Lost in translation
ἀλλ’ ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν (v.5) — the second limb has no verb. Both must carry one over.
ἱερεύς / ἀρχιερεύς (vv.5-10) — two words on one root, side by side. ‘Priest / high priest’ keeps it.
καθώσπερ (v.4) — two words folded into one. ‘Just as’ keeps only the emphasis.
τάξις (v.6) — one word with Luke 1:8 and 1 Cor 14:40. ‘Order’ joins the three.
Υἱός μου εἶ σύ (v.5) — the quotation of 1:5 returns. Kept word for word.
ἐν ἑτέρῳ (v.6) — what it is other than is unsaid. ‘In another place’ adds nothing.
Why this rendering
Heb.5.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὃς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ δεήσεις τε καὶ ἱκετηρίας … προσενέγκας καὶ εἰσακουσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας, καίπερ ὢν υἱός, ἔμαθεν ἀφ’ ὧν ἔπαθεν τὴν ὑπακοήν — προσενέγκας is the same verb as ‘offer’ in vv.1 and 3 — as a high priest offers gifts and sacrifices, he offers supplications · ἱκετηρία is once in the New Testament, from the olive branch a suppliant held out — it stands beside δέησις ‘supplication’ in one verse, so the two must be kept apart · μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων ‘with strong crying and tears’ (Matt 25:6 ‘cry’, Luke 7:38 ‘tears’) · σῴζειν ἐκ θανάτου is ‘out of death’, not ‘from dying’ — the text does not settle which · εὐλάβεια ‘devoutness’ stands twice in Hebrews (5:7 · 12:28) and is the noun of ‘devout’ at Acts 2:5 · ἔμαθεν ἀφ’ ὧν ἔπαθεν is a sound-pair (ἔμαθεν/ἔπαθεν), a play long settled in Greek — neither rendering can carry the sound · καίπερ ὢν υἱός ‘though he was a son’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis δέησις ‘supplication’ was fixed at Luke 1:13, and ἱκετηρία stands only here — a different word is needed for the two to be seen side by side.
Basis ‘Save him from dying’ keeps only rescue before death, ‘raise him out of death’ only after — the text’s ‘out of’ leaves both.
Basis Learning and suffering chime in Greek, and neither language can make the chime · the sense is kept and the sound recorded as lost.
Lost in translation
ἔμαθεν / ἔπαθεν (v.8) — the two verbs chime. The sense stays, the sound does not.
προσενέγκας (v.7) — the ‘offer’ of vv.1 · 3. The word of sacrifice used of prayer shows.
δέησις / ἱκετηρία (v.7) — two different words in one verse. ‘Supplications / entreaties’ keeps them apart.
ἱκετηρία (v.7) — from the branch a suppliant held out. That picture survives in neither rendering.
σῴζειν ἐκ θανάτου (v.7) — from dying or out of death. ‘Out of death’ leaves both.
εὐλάβεια (v.7) — the noun of ‘devout’ at Acts 2:5. ‘Devoutness’ keeps the root, but shares ground with εὐσέβεια ‘piety’.
Why this rendering
Heb.5.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
καὶ τελειωθεὶς ἐγένετο ⸂πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ⸃ αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου, προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ — τελειωθείς is the passive of the verb of 2:10 — there God brings him to completion, here he is brought to it · ‘obedience’ in v.8 (ὑπακοή) and ‘those who obey’ in v.9 (ὑπακούω) share a root, so the obedience he learned becomes the obedience he receives · αἴτιος ‘cause’ has a different grain at Luke 23:4 (‘guilt’); here it is the ‘cause’ of Acts 19:40 · προσαγορεύω is once in the New Testament, a word for naming aloud, kept apart from καλέω ‘call’ · vv.5-10 are one sentence (the base text’s full stop falls only at the end of v.10) · ⸂⸃ marks the place of ‘to all’ · ‘according to the order of Melchizedek’ from v.6 returns whole at v.10, so quotation and exposition close on the same words.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Since 2:10 took ‘bring to completion’, the passive only changes voice · ‘made perfect’ would cut the two places apart.
Basis καλέω ‘be called’ already stands at v.4, so the two must not merge in one chapter · this word is the naming aloud.
Basis One word with ‘cause’ at Acts 19:40 · ‘source’ would run together with ἀρχηγός, ‘originator’, at 2:10.
Lost in translation
ὑπακοή (v.8) / ὑπακούουσιν (v.9) — noun and verb on one root. ‘Obedience / obey’ keeps it.
τελειωθείς (v.9) / τελειῶσαι (2:10) — the voice of one verb changes. ‘Brought to completion / bring to completion’ keeps it.
vv.5-10 are one sentence — the base text’s full stop falls only at v.10. Both must divide it.
κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ (vv.6 · 10) — the quotation’s words return as the exposition’s. Both stand alike.
προσαγορευθείς (v.10) — a word for naming aloud. It stands apart from ‘called’ in v.4.
αἴτιος (v.9) — the word rendered ‘guilt’ at Luke 23:4. The two places take different words.
Why this rendering
Heb.5.14 Observation
Syntactic observation
Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν, ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς … This is the first place where the book stops arguing and rebukes its hearers — chapter 6 takes it up, and chapter 7 returns to Melchizedek · δυσερμήνευτος is once in the New Testament, δυσ- joined to ‘interpret’ · νωθρός ‘dull’ stands twice in Hebrews (5:11 · 6:12) · ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ‘in hearing’ — the word of 4:2, there ‘what is heard’, here the hearing itself · the comparison of milk and solid food is the picture of 1 Cor 3:2 · ἄπειρος ‘unskilled’ is once in the New Testament, ἀ- with ‘experience’, ‘one who has not been through it’ · λόγου δικαιοσύνης ‘the word of righteousness’ — the grain of the genitive is unsaid · τέλειος ‘complete’ (as fixed at Matt 5:48) shares the root of τελειόω in this chapter, so ‘brought to completion’ in v.9 and ‘the complete’ in v.14 interlock · ἕξις ‘practice’ and αἰσθητήριον ‘organ of perception’ are each once in the New Testament, words the Greek philosophers used · γεγυμνασμένα ‘trained’ (as fixed at 1 Tim 4:7) comes from exercise done naked · διάκρισις ‘distinction’ (as fixed at Rom 14:1).
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Complete’ as fixed at Matt 5:48, sharing a root with ‘brought to completion’ in v.9 · ‘mature’ would erase the interlocking.
Basis The word names the organ that receives perception, and ‘trained’ just before is a bodily word · ‘discernment’ would double the ‘distinction’ in the same verse.
Basis The familiar reading.
Rejected Doubles διάκρισις ‘distinction’ in the same verse.
Lost in translation
τελειωθείς (v.9) / τελείων (v.14) — one root at the chapter’s two ends. ‘Brought to completion / the complete’ keeps it.
ἀκοή (4:2 · 5:11) — what is heard and the hearing itself. The two places take different words.
ἄπειρος (v.13) — ἀ- joined to ‘experience’. ‘Unskilled’ does not carry the not-having-been-through-it.
γεγυμνασμένα (v.14) — from exercise done naked. ‘Trained’ keeps the bodily grain only.
γάλα / στερεὰ τροφή (vv.12-14) — milk against solid food. Both stand.
λόγου δικαιοσύνης (v.13) — the genitive is unsettled. ‘The word of righteousness’ leaves it open.