Humanitext Reader

New Testament · Hebrews §3.1-3.19

Christ's Superiority to Moses and a Warning Against Unbelief

Passage 3 of 13 · Greek

Summary

The author compares the faithfulness of Moses and Christ, establishing Christ's superiority, and references Israel's historical disobedience in the wilderness to warn the readers against falling away from God due to unbelief.

§3.1Ὅθεν, ἀδελφοὶ ἅγιοι, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν, §3.2"πιστὸν" ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ "Μωυσῆς ἐν [ὅλῳ] τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. " §3.3πλείονος γὰρ οὗτος δόξης παρὰ Μωυσῆν ἠξίωται καθʼ ὅσον πλείονα τιμὴν ἔχει τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν·
Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was "faithful" to him who appointed him, just as "Moses also was in all God's house." For this man has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as the builder of the house has more honor than the house itself.
§3.4πᾶς γὰρ οἶκος κατασκευάζεται ὑπό τινος, ὁ δὲ πάντα κατασκευάσας θεός.
For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
§3.5καὶ "Μωυσῆς" μὲν "πιστὸς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ" ὡς "θεράπων" εἰς μαρτύριον τῶν λαληθησομένων, §3.6Χριστὸς δὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ "τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· " οὗ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς, ἐὰν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἐλπίδος [μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν] κατάσχωμεν.
Now "Moses" was indeed "faithful in all God's house" as a "servant," for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken afterward; but Christ was faithful as a son over "his house"—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boasting of our hope [firm until the end].
§3.7Διό, καθὼς λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον "Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε," §3.8"μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ," "κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ," §3.9"οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ" " καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου " §3.10"τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη· " διὸ "προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ" "καὶ εἶπον Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ· " "αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου· " §3.11"ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου" "Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου· " §3.12βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μή ποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος,
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice," "do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness," "where your fathers tested me by trial and saw my works" "for forty years." Therefore "I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; and they have not known my ways.'" "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter into my rest.'" Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
§3.13ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τό "Σήμερον" καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ "σκληρυνθῇ" τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας·
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "Today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
§3.14μέτοχοι γὰρ τοῦ χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν, ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ὑποστάσεως μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν.
For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm until the end.
§3.15ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι " Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ. " §3.16τίνες γὰρ ἀκούσαντες "παρεπίκραναν;
As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled?
" ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντες οἱ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μωυσέως;
Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?
§3.17τίσιν δὲ "προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη;
And with whom was he provoked for forty years?
" οὐχὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, ὧν "τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; "
Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
§3.18τίσιν δὲ "ὤμοσεν μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ" εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἀπειθήσασιν;
And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
§3.19καὶ βλέπομεν ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν "εἰσελθεῖν" διʼ ἀπιστίαν.
So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Notes

  1. 3.2τῷ ποιήσαντι — The verb ποιέω is used here in the sense of "appoint" or "constitute" rather than "create" or "make." This usage parallels passages in the Septuagint, such as 1 Samuel 12:6 ("the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron").
  2. 3.6Χριστὸς δὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ — By ellipsis, the adjective "faithful" (πιστός) from the previous verse (3.5) is understood here in contrast to Moses. The preposition ἐπί followed by the accusative case denotes supervision or authority over the household ("over his house").
  3. 3.11Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται — A literal translation of a Hebrew oath formula (אם-יבאון). By stating only the conditional clause and omitting the self-imprecatory consequence (e.g., "if they shall enter, may I not be God"), it functions as a strong negative assertion ("they shall never enter").
  4. 3.12μή ποτε ἔσται — The construction uses the future indicative (ἔσται) after the conjunction of negative apprehension μή ποτε, rather than the expected subjunctive. This indicates a vivid concern that the feared event is highly likely to actually occur.

Cite this passage

New Testament, Hebrews §3.1-3.19. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0031.tlg019.humanitext-grc2:3.1-3.19

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