Hebrews 12:25 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hebrews 12:25
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
to beg off · verb — aorist middle deponent participle, nominative plural masculine
spake
χρηματίζοντα,chrēmatizonta
G5537
to utter an oracle (compare the original sense of G5530… · verb — present active participle, accusative singular masculine
on
ἐπὶepi
G1909
properly · preposition
earth
γῆςgēs
G1093
soil · noun — genitive singular feminine
much
πολὺpolu
G4183
(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — accusative singular neuter
more
μᾶλλονmallon
G3123
(adverbially) more (in a greater degree)) or rather · adverb
we
ἡμεῖςhēmeîs
G2249
we (only used when emphatic)
from
ἀποστρεφόμενοι,apostrephomenoi
G654
to turn away or back (literally or figuratively) · verb — present passive participle, nominative plural masculine
that
τὸνton
G3588
the (sometimes to be supplied · article — accusative singular masculine
from
ἀπ᾽ap᾽
G575
"off · preposition
heaven
οὐρανῶνouranōn
G3772
the sky · noun — genitive plural masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See,…
Deuteronomy 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Hebrews 2:1-3 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he c…
Exodus 20:22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
Exodus 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hebrews 12:18–end
Here the apostle goes on to engage the professing Hebrews to perseverance in their Christian course and conflict, and not to relapse again into Judaism. This he does by showing them how much the state of the gospel church differs from that of the Jewish church, and how much it resembles the state of the church in heaven, and on both accounts demands and deserves our diligence, patience, and perseverance in Christianity.
I. He shows how much the gospel church differs from the Jewish church, and how much it excels. And here we have a very particular description of the state of the church under the Mosaic dispensation, Heb 12:18-21. 1. It was a gross sensible state. Mount Sinai, on which that c…
refuse not--through unbelief.
him that speaketh--God in Christ. As the blood of sprinkling is represented as speaking to God for us, Heb 12:24; so here God is represented as speaking to us (Heb 1:1-2). His word now is the prelude of the last "shaking" of all things (Heb 12:27). The same word which is heard in the Gospel from heaven, will shake heaven and earth (Heb 12:26).
who refused him--Greek, "refusing as they did." Their seemingly submissive entreaty that the word should not be spoken to them by God any more (Heb 12:19), covered over refractory hearts, as their subsequent deeds showed (Heb 3:16).
that spake--revealing with oracular warnings His divine will: so the Greek.
if we t…
See - Βλεπετε· Take heed, that ye refuse not him - the Lord Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, who now speaketh from heaven, by his Gospel, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, having in his incarnation come down from God.
Him that spake on earth - Moses, who spoke on the part of God to the Hebrews, every transgression of whose word received a just recompense of reward, none being permitted to escape punishment; consequently, if ye turn away from Christ, who speaks to you from heaven, you may expect a much sorer punishment, the offense against God being so much the more heinous, as the privileges slighted are more important and glorious.
The Church Fathers
"do not deny the one speaking." This is due to disbelief or despair. Who is the one speaking and calling to his own kingdom? It is Christ, obviously. For if his blood speaks, much more he lives. "For if they did not escape." The danger, that is, the loss. The danger, that is, the loss.
"having refused the one warning on earth," or the one who engages in earthly matters, promising the earthly and temporary, flowing with milk and honey, the dominion of enemies, good upbringing, and a long life. "from the one from heaven," he speaks, promising the same heaven as an inheritance, granting the enjoyment of that overwhelming glory and eternity. It is possible to say: On earth, to engage in matters, since almost all of the physical purifications were found in the lawgiving through Moses. The new law given to us through Christ is a cleansing and illumination of the soul. Therefore, those things are said to be on earth, as they are humble and related to the material body. But these things are from heaven, as they are divine and lofty, purifying the soul and elevating it to the heavens.
"The one who warned them on earth" can be understood to mean the one promising them earthly things that will pass away: the land flowing with milk and honey, the conquest of enemies, goodly offspring and long life. But from heaven speaks the one who promises heaven itself as an inheritance, who graciously bestows the enjoyment of that unspeakable and eternal glory. Or "warned them on earth" can be said to mean that bodily purifications pervaded nearly everything of the law given through Moses. But the giving of the law that took place through Christ is a cleansing and illumination of the soul for us. Then "on earth" are the things proclaimed, because they are lowly and applied to the body made of dirt; and the things of the New Testament are "from heaven" because they are divine and exalted and cleanse the soul in a truly divine manner and bear it up into heaven.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Moses — Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years…
Call Of God, The · Condemnation — Condemnation
Escape · NONE, FROM THE — NONE, FROM THE
Unbelief · 5:12-14; — 5:12-14;
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Hebrews 12:25
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh,.... Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, whose blood speaks better things than Abel, or than his blood and sacrifice: he was the speaker in the council and covenant of grace, that spoke for the elect; in the creation of all things out of nothing, that said, and it was done; in giving the law to the Israelites, in the wilderness, for he is the angel which spake to Moses in Mount Sinai, he spoke to God for the Old Testament saints, and was the angel of God's presence to them; he spoke in his own person, as the prophet of the church, in the days of his flesh; and he now speaks in heaven, by appearing in the presence of God for his people, and by pre…
Hebrews 12:25-29
25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
25. Videte ne asperenemini loquentem; nam si illi, qui aspeernati sunt eum qui loquebatur in terra, non effugerunt, multo magic nos si aversemur loquentem e coelis;
26. Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
26. Cujus vox tune terram concussit, nunc autem denuntiavit, dicens, Adhuc semel ego moveo non solum terram, sed etiam coelum.
27. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of thos…
As the final warning in the book (see 2:1-4; 4:12-13; 6:4-8; 10:26-31), this passage plays off the image of God speaking in 12:18-24.
12:25 God is the One who is speaking his revealed word in his Son, Jesus (1:1-3). The author argues from lesser to greater (see study note on 9:14): Moses’ warning the people under the old covenant is the lesser situation, and God’s warning us from heaven is the greater situation. If people did not escape judgment when they were warned by Moses, those who reject the message of the Son of God will certainly not escape punishment.
