Hebrews 3
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So then, holy brothers, you who share in the celestial calling, do contemplate the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus Christ!
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Notes
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To ‘confess’ is much more than to ‘profess’, it involves commitment.
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Here we have the first indication as to the addressees; the missive is addressed to Christians. Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts omit “Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
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who was faithful to the One who appointed Him, as also was Moses in all His[F] house.
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For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than was Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself
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—every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God—
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also, Moses was indeed faithful as a servant in all His house, providing evidence of those things that would later be spoken,
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Notes
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A curious statement—he provided evidence before it was called for, as it were. Of course Moses is referred to many times in the Scriptures written after his day.
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but Christ is faithful as a Son over His house, whose house are we, if, that is, we hold fast the confidence, even the boast, of the Hope firm to the end.
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Notes
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I suppose that a sincere boasting is an exaggerated form of confidence.
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I take it that the Hope has to do with eternal life. To still be part of the “house” at the end, one must never give up “the confidence”.
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Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “firm to the end” (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.).
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Therefore—just as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you would hear His voice,
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Notes
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The author is affirming that Psalm 95 was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, during the time of the testing in the desert,
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Notes
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In the context the people were testing God, not vice versa.
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where your fathers tested me, proved me and saw my works for forty years.
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In consequence I became very angry with that generation and said, ‘Their heart always leads them astray; they have not known my ways.’
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So I took an oath in my wrath, ‘As if they will ever enter my rest!’ ”
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Notes
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See Psalm 95:7-11.
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—take care, brothers, that there not be a malignant heart of unbelief in any of you, so as to go away from the living God;
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Notes
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Notice the direction. The term ‘malignant’ implies Satanic influence.
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rather, exhort yourselves every day, while it is called ‘today’, so that none of you be hardened through sin's deceitfulness.
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Notes
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The pronoun here is reflexive, not reciprocal, but being plural probably includes both ideas—each one should exhort himself, but we should also exhort each other.
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For we have become associates of the Christ, if, that is, we hold fast the beginning of the Endeavor firm to the end,
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Notes
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I take it that the Christian life or walk with God is called “the Endeavor” (much like ‘the Way’); people usually start with confidence and enthusiasm, but frequently slow down as the going gets rough.
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while it is still being said, “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
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Notes
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There comes a time when the window of opportunity is closed, and there are no more ‘todays’.
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So who were they who, upon hearing, rebelled? Really now, was it not all those who came out of Egypt by Moses?
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Notes
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Strictly speaking, since the Original Text did not use question marks, this verse could be translated as a statement: ‘For some, having heard, did rebel, but not all who came out of Egypt by Moses.’ However, since those who did not rebel were very few, a minuscule fraction of the people, most versions treat the verse as a question, as I have done.
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And with whom was He[F] angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert?
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Or to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, if not to those who disobeyed?
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So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
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Notes
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The implication is clear; if we disobey it is because we do not really believe—see 4:6 below.