Hebrews 3:1 - Exposition

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus ( χριστὸν before ἰησοῦν is ill supported, and to be rejected from the text). Reference to what has gone before is perceptible throughout this verse. The persons addressed are "holy," as being among the "sanctified" ( Hebrews 2:11 ); "brethren," as being, with the writer, in this relation to Christ ( Hebrews 2:11 , Hebrews 2:12 , Hebrews 2:13 , Hebrews 2:17 ); their calling is a heavenly one, being from heaven ( Hebrews 1:1 ) and to heaven ( Hebrews 2:10 ). Jesus is their" Apostle," as having been sent into the world, as above set forth, from God; their "High Priest," as implied, though not distinctly expressed, at the end of Hebrews 2:1-18 ., which led up to the idea. "Jesus" is added at the end in apposition, so as to fix attention on him, as the bearer of these titles, who was known by that name in the flesh. On the title "Apostle," we may observe that, though it is nowhere else in the New Testament applied to Christ, yet its idea with respect to him is frequent both in flits Epistle and elsewhere (cf. Luke 4:43 ; Luke 9:48 ; Luke 10:16 ; John 17:3 , John 17:18 , etc). The word ὁμολογία (translated "confession;" in the A.V., "profession") is generally used for the Christian's avowal of his faith before men (cf. Hebrews 4:14 ; Hebrews 10:23 ; 2 Corinthians 9:13 ; 1 Timothy 6:12 ). The genitive here depends on both the preceding substantives, its force probably being that Jesus, as Apostle and High Priest, is the object of our confession of faith. On Jesus, then, being such, the readers are called to fix earnestly their mental gaze, and in doing so take further note of his superiority to Moses, which is the subject of what follows.