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martyr is the Greek word for witness, and surely no martyr was a mere "spectator". We
find the word in Heb. 10: 28, "two or three witnesses". Rev. 1: 5 speaks of "Jesus Christ
the faithful Witness", and Rev. 2: 13 uses the same words of "Antipas, My faithful
martyr". Heb. 10: 15 says, "the Holy Ghost is a witness", and 11: 4 tells us that Abel
"obtained witness".
It may be of service if we give all the occurrences of martus, martureo, and marturion
in the epistle to the Hebrews.
"For a testimony of those things" (3: 5).
"Of whom it is witnessed that he liveth" (7: 8).
"For he testifieth, Thou art a priest" (7: 17).
"The Holy Ghost also is a witness to us" (10: 15).
"Died under two or three witnesses" (10: 28).
"The elders obtained a good report" (11: 2).
"He obtained witness that he was righteous" (11: 4).
"God testifying of his gifts" (11: 4).
"He had this testimony" (11: 5).
"These all having obtained a good report" (11: 39).
"So great a cloud of witnesses" (12: 1).
CLOUD (nephos).--The word does not occur elsewhere in Scripture, the usual word
for cloud being the related nephale. It is a word in use among Greek writers for a great
company. Homer, in the Iliad, has the line: "With him followed a cloud of foot-men."
So Herodotus, Euripides and others. The figure was used likewise by Latin writers; Livy
has the line peditum equitumque nubes, "a cloud of horse and foot".
PATIENCE (hupomone).--The only references of this word in Hebrews are 10: 36
and 12: 1. The word literally means "to remain under". We take note of it here because
of its cognates that are not so obvious in the English translation. The verbal form
(hupomeno) comes in Heb. 10: 32, "Ye endured"; 12: 2, "He endured a cross"; 12: 3,
"endured contradiction"; 12: 7, "If ye endured chastening".
Closely allied, and having a very definite bearing upon the theme, is the simple form
from meno, "to remain". It occurs six times in Hebrews:--
"Abideth a priest continually" (7: 3).
"He continueth ever" (7: 24).
"An enduring substance" (10: 34).
"Those things that cannot be shaken may remain" (12: 27).
"Let brotherly love continue" (13: 1).
"We have here no continuing city" (13: 14).
RACE (agon). The word means a contest, a race, a conflict, and the accompanying
imagery is borrowed from the Greek games.
"I have fought a good fight . . . . . henceforth a crown" (II Tim. 4:7).
"Everyone that striveth for mastery is temperate . . . . . they do it for a crown. So run
that ye may obtain" (I Cor. 9: 24, 25).