 |  |
Luke 20: 20, 26.
"Take hold of His words."
Luke 23: 26.
"They laid hold upon one Simon."
Acts 9: 27.
"And Barnabas took him."
Acts 16: 19.
"They caught Paul and Silas."
Acts 17: 19.
"They took him."
Acts 18: 17.
"The Greeks took Sosthenes."
Acts 21: 30, 33.
"They took Paul."
Acts 23: 19.
"Took him by the hand."
I Tim. 6: 12, 19.
"Lay hold on eternal life."
Heb. 2: 16.
"The passage under consideration."
Heb. 8: 9.
"I took them by the hand."
An impartial examination shews that the word is colourless. There is no moral
meaning inherent to it. The same word can be used when Christ takes a man by the hand
to heal him, as when the Roman soldiers take hold on Simon to compel him to bear the
cross. The same word can be used for Barnabas' kindly act in taking hold of Paul to
bring him to the apostles, as for the mob who took Paul with the intent to kill him. This
characteristic of the word precludes the idea of "assisting, helping, succouring". It also
seems to preclude the idea of assuming, as in the rendering "assuming the nature of
angels". It simply means to take hold upon, whether for good or evil motives and
objects.
We have already observed that the A.V. italics make Heb. 2: 16 a somewhat needless
repetition. May there not be some meaning which has been on the surface all the while?
We believe there is. There is a footnote in the Emphatic Diaglott which reads, "For truly
it", i.e., the fear of death, or death itself, "does not lay hold of, or seize on angels, but of
the seed of Abraham it does lay hold" (Theolog Ref. and Kneeland). Those of our readers
who are not conversant with the original must know that the "He" or the "it" is contained
within the verb epilambanomai, and epilambanetai, means equally it, as well as He, takes
hold. Let us look at the structure again, verses 14-16 are included together there under
one member (wrongly shown on page 60 as verses 14, 15).
C
|
14-16.
Oneness in death and deliverance.
This member is made up of parts, and we can test the congruity of this new suggestion
here.
C
|
14-16.
A1 | The death of Christ.
| The destruction of the Devil who had the strength of death.
A2 | The deliverance of those subject to bondage of fear of death.
| The seed of Abraham laid hold of by fear of death.
With the exception of the fourth line, the emphatic word is death. If the A.V. reading
be retained it introduces a discordant note. If the idea of "assisting" be adopted it
harmonizes with "deliverance", but has no relation with the emphatic word "death".
What has Scripture to say about angels and death? Luke 20: 35, 36 says:--
"But they which are accounted worthy to obtain that age (the very pith and marrow of
Hebrews) and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage
NEITHER CAN THEY DIE ANY MORE, FOR THEY ARE EQUAL TO THE
ANGELS."