Hebrews 2:3 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hebrews 2:3
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
an interrogative particle of manner · particle — interrogative
shall
ἐκφευξόμεθαekpheuxometha
G1628
to flee out · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 1st person plural
we
ἡμεῖςhēmeîs
G2249
we (only used when emphatic)
escape
ἐκφεύγωekpheúgō
G1628
to flee out
neglect
ἀμελήσαντεςamelēsantes
G272
to be careless of · verb — aorist active participle, nominative plural masculine
great
τηλικαύτηςtēlikautēs
G5082
such as this · demonstrative pronoun — genitive singular feminine
salvation
σωτηρίας;sōtērias
G4991
rescue or safety (physically or morally) · noun — genitive singular feminine
which
ἥτιςhētis
G3748
which some · relative pronoun — nominative singular feminine
at
λαβοῦσαlabousa
G2983
while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent · verb — second aorist active participle, nominative singular feminine
first
ἀρχὴνarchēn
G746
(properly abstract) a commencement · noun — accusative singular feminine
began
λαμβάνωlambánō
G2983
while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent
spoken
λαλεῖσθαιlaleisthai
G2980
to talk · verb — present passive infinitive
by
διὰdia
G1223
through (in very wide applications · preposition
Lord
κυρίουkuriou
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
confirmed
ἐβεβαιώθηebebaiōthē
G950
to stabilitate (figuratively) · verb — aorist passive indicative, 3rd person singular
unto
εἰςeis
G1519
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
us
ἡμᾶςhēmâs
G2248
us
by
ὑπὸhupo
G5259
under · preposition
heard
ἀκουσάντωνakousantōn
G191
to hear (in various senses) · verb — aorist active participle, 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 10:28-29 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
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…
Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Ezekiel 17:15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall…
Romans 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
1 Peter 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not…
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvatio…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hebrews 2:1-4
The apostle proceeds in the plain profitable method of doctrine, reason, and use, through this epistle. Here we have the application of the truths before asserted and proved; this is brought in by the illative particle therefore, with which this chapter begins, and which shows its connection with the former, where the apostle having proved Christ to be superior to the angels by whose ministry the law was given, and therefore that the gospel dispensation must be more excellent than the legal, he now comes to apply this doctrine both by way of exhortation and argument.
I. By way of exhortation: Therefore we ought to give the more diligent heed to the things which we have heard, Heb 2:1. This i…
we--who have received the message of salvation so clearly delivered to us (compare Heb 12:25).
so great salvation--embodied in Jesus, whose very name means "salvation," including not only deliverance from foes and from death, and the grant of temporal blessings (which the law promised to the obedient), but also grace of the Spirit, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of heaven, glory, and eternal life (Heb 2:10).
which--"inasmuch as it is a salvation which began," &c.
spoken by the Lord--as the instrument of proclaiming it. Not as the law, spoken by the instrumentality of angels (Heb 2:2). Both law and Gospel came from God; the difference here referred to lay in the instrumentality by…
How shall we escape - If they who had fewer privileges than we have, to whom God spoke in divers manners by angels and prophets, fell under the displeasure of their Maker, and were often punished with a sore destruction; how shall we escape wrath to the uttermost if we neglect the salvation provided for us, and proclaimed to us by the Son of God? Their offense was high; ours, indescribably higher. The salvation mentioned here is the whole system of Christianity, with all the privileges it confers; properly called a salvation, because, by bringing such an abundance of heavenly light into the world, it saves or delivers men from the kingdom of darkness, ignorance, error, superstition, and idol…
The Church Fathers
I mean the fleshly and by "air' the spiritual. For if the mind is set free of evil thoughts and passions and through it we gaze upon the freedom which Christ and God gave to us, then we will no longer be bound by and brought down by our former slavery to sin and a fleshly mind. Instead, heeding the voice of the Lord we will watch and pray without ceasing, and we will go from that place and arrive at bliss and the promised good things, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all glory for ever. Amen
And then, demonstrating by plain consequence that as at that time the word was spoken by the angels, so now by the Son; "Therefore," he says, "we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" And then, as though you asked, What salvation?—in order to show that he is now speaking of the New Testament, that is, of the word which was spoken not by angels, but by the Lord, he says, "Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will."
Again he associated a comparison with the exhortation, showing the extent to which the gospel teaching surpasses the provisions of the law. The ministry of angels was involved in the giving of the law, whereas in this case the Lord in person was the first to propose the saving teaching, and those who were in receipt of the apostolic grace welcomed it. While the law gives us a glimpse of what has to be done, the Lord's teaching is the source of eternal salvation.… He also showed the new covenant to be resplendent with spiritual gifts: of old the inspired authors alone shared in the spiritual bounty, whereas now all the believers enjoy this grace.… While he said this to encourage them to give heed to the divine teaching more zealously, he brought out the difference between the former and the latter under the guise of exhortation. It was very wise of him to say God witnesses to the message through miracles: the demonstration is beyond question, and the reliability of the witness indisputable.
Dictionary and topics
Salvation — This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to…
Call Of God, The · Condemnation — Condemnation
Christ, The Prophet · God will severely visit our neglect of — God will severely visit our neglect of
Escape · NONE, FROM THE — NONE, FROM THE
Salvation · Described as: Great — Described as: Great
Sin · .No es — .No es
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).
How shall we escape,.... The righteous judgment of God, and eternal punishment:
if we neglect so great salvation? as the Gospel is, which is called salvation; in opposition to the law, which is the ministration of condemnation; and because it is a declaration of salvation by Christ; and is the means of bringing it near, and of the application of it in conversion, and so is the power of God unto it: and it is a "great" salvation; the Gospel which reveals it is great, for the author of it is Christ; it has been confirmed by miracles, and attended with great success; and has in it great things, great mysteries, and exceeding great and precious promises: and the salvation which it declares is g…
Hebrews 2:1-4
1. 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.
1. Quamobrem opertet nos magis attendere iis quae audimus, ne quando diffluamus.
2. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
2. Si enim quo per angelos enunciatus erat, sermo, firmus fuit, et omnis transgressio et inobedientia justam acceptit repensionem mercedis;
3. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
3. Quomodo nos effugiemus tanta neglecta…
So what makes us think we can escape? Here the author presses the full force of the danger of turning away from Christ and his salvation. There is no escape from punishment for those who walk away, and the punishment will be of the greatest severity (cp. 6:4-12; 10:26-31; 12:29; Rom 2:5; 1 Thes 2:16). • Salvation refers to God’s acts on behalf of his people. For example, God saved his people through the exodus from Egypt (Deut 26:5-9). In the New Testament, salvation primarily refers to Christ’s work of rescuing people from the penalty of sin and giving them new life by his sacrificial death on the cross (Heb 5:9-10). This salvation was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself (e.g., Matt 4…