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related to the world which will be subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and closely
associated with that city Whose builder and maker is God.
No.14.
Confirmed Covenants and their Responsibilities (2: 1-4)
pp. 205 - 208
If we look at Heb. 1: and 2: as a whole, we shall see that chapter 2: goes back
beyond the intervening revelation and argument to the one outstanding fact--
"God . . . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us IN SON . . . . . therefore we
ought to give the more earnest heed . . . . ."
and immediately we are involved in an argument that revolves around the superiority of
the Saviour to angels.
Hebrews 1:, 2:
A | 1: 1, 2. God once spoke by prophets. Now by His Son.
B | 1: 2-14. The Son. His Glories.
God and Lord, better than angels.
A | 2: 1-4. God once spoke by angels. Now by the Lord.
B | 2: 5-18. The Son. His humiliation.
Man and Abraham's seed. Lower than angels.
The "therefore" of 2: 1 is dia touto, "on this account", or "for this reason". We must
not look for the prime reason in the preceding verse which speaks of the ministry of
angels, but to the preceding clause which speaks of the superior testimony of the Son
(1: 1, 2). "On this account it behooves us to give more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard, lest at any time we should let slip." We differ from the A.V. in the
rendering of this verse, agreeing more with the R.V. which reads, "drift away from them".
Rotherham renders the word, "drift away"; J. N. Darby renders it "we should slip away".
A great deal of controversy has arisen over this word, one set of interpreters taking the
passage to mean "lest we should fall or stumble", the other taking it to mean "lest we
forget". The one makes the passage teach that we should give earnest heed lest WE slip
away; the other that we should give earnest heed so that we do not let the WORDS slip
away. Both sides refer to Prov. 3: 21 to prove their point. J. N. Darby says:
"Proverbs is a free translation, for the Hebrew is plural "let them not slip away from
thine eyes", that is, what is spoken of in the end of the verse; but it shows the sense of the
word."
Moses Stuart says:
"This is the very proverb to which Chrysostom and Theophylact appeal as an
illustration of the word in question: but the true sense of this word in Proverbs 3:21