Hebrews 4:2

4:1-10 The privileges we have under the gospel, are greater than any had under the law of Moses, though the same gospel for substance was preached under both Testaments. There have been in all ages many unprofitable hearers; and unbelief is at the root of all unfruitfulness under the word. Faith in the hearer is the life of the word. But it is a painful consequence of partial neglect, and of a loose and wavering profession, that they often cause men to seem to come short. Let us then give diligence, that we may have a clear entrance into the kingdom of God. As God finished his work, and then rested from it, so he will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest. It is evident, that there is a more spiritual and excellent sabbath remaining for the people of God, than that of the seventh day, or that into which Joshua led the Jews. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. The rest, or sabbatism, which is the subject of the apostle's reasoning, and as to which he concludes that it remains to be enjoyed, is undoubtedly the heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to a state of labour and trouble in this world. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven.

But those who do not believe, shall never enter into this spiritual rest, either of grace here or glory hereafter. God has always declared man's rest to be in him, and his love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in his promises, through his Son, to be the only way of entering that rest.

{1} For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being {a} mixed with faith in them that heard it. (1) By these words His voice he shows that David meant the preaching of Christ, who was then also preached, for Moses and the prophets honoured no one else. (a) He compares the preaching of the gospel to drink, which being drunk, that is to say, heard, profits nothing, unless it is mixed with faith.

For unto us was the gospel preached (καὶ γὰρ ἐσμεν εὐηγγελισμένοι) Lit. we have had good tidings proclaimed to us. The translation of the A.V. is unfortunate, since it conveys the technical and conventional idea of preaching the gospel, which is entirely out of place here. The reference is to the special announcement of the rest of God; the glad tidings that God has provided a rest for his people. This announcement was made to the fathers, and signified to them the promise of the rest in Canaan. It has been proclaimed to us, and to us is the announcement of the heavenly rest. The emphasis is on the entire statement, "we have had the good tidings proclaimed to us," rather than on we as contrasted with they. The word preached (ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς) Lit. the word of the message. See on 1 Thessalonians 2:13. Not being mixed with faith in them that heard it (μὴ συνκεκερασμένους τῇ πίστει τοῖς ἀκούσασιν) Rend. because not incorporated by faith in them that heard. A body of obedient hearers with whom the erring Israelites were not incorporated would be an idea foreign to the discussion. Moreover, in Hebrews 3:16, the writer has declared that there were practically no believing hearers. He says that although the good tidings were announced to them, they did not profit them. The word did not profit them because it (the word) was not assimilated by faith in those that heard. They did not make the promise of rest their own.

Hebrews 4:2 . Γὰρ , for ) This refers to φοβηθῶμεν , let us fear .— εὐηγγελισμένοι , to us was the Gospel preached [we have had the Gospel preached to us]) We should think that this expression is spoken especially to us, who are called Evangelical: Hebrews 4:6 .— κᾀκεῖνοι [as well as they], as well as to them ) The promise of the land of Canaan had been proclaimed to those men of old, Hebrews 4:6 .— οὐκ ὠφέλησεν , did not profit ) There is less said here than is intended (Meiosis). On the contrary [so far was it from profiting them], the unbelievers incurred the greatest guilt and punishment. Supply, nor will it be profitable to us without faith.— μὴ συγκεκραμένος , not being mixed with ) The word is entirely mixed with and insinuated into the believing soul; and when it is thus mingled, it makes its way wonderfully, as a health-giving draught, and something more powerful even than that, Hebrews 4:12-13 .— τῇ πίστει ) with faith , the dative.— τοῖς ἀκούσασιν ) So far as concerns them that heard it . Comp. Romans 4:12 , note. To these are opposed οἱ πιστεύσαντες , those who believed , in the following verse.

2 . For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them ] We should have expected rather “For unto them , as well as unto us,” if this had been the right translation. The better version however is “For indeed we too, just as they, have had a Gospel preached unto us.” The “Gospel” in this instance means the glad tidings of a future rest. the word preached ] Lit. “the word of hearing.” The function of the hearer is no less necessary than that of the preacher , if the spoken word is to be profitable. not being mixed with faith in them that heard it ] There is an extraordinary diversity in the MS. readings here. The best supported seems to be “because they were not united (lit. ‘tempered together’) by faith with them that heard (i.e. effectually listened to) it.” This would mean that the good news of rest produced no benefit to the rebellious Israelites, because they were not blended with Caleb and Joshua in their faith. They heard , but only with the ears, not with the heart. But there is probably some ancient corruption of the text. Perhaps instead of “with them that heard,” the true reading may have been “with the things heard .” The reading of our A. V. gives an excellent sense, if it were but well supported. The verb “to mingle” or “temper” occurs in 1 Corinthians 12:24 .

2. gospel preached … unto them—in type: the earthly Canaan, wherein they failed to realize perfect rest, suggesting to them that they should look beyond to the heavenly land of rest, to which faith is the avenue, and from which unbelief excludes, as it did from the earthly Canaan. the word preached—literally, "the word of hearing": the word heard by them. not being mixed with faith in them that heard—So the Syriac and the Old Latin Versions, older than any of our manuscripts, and Lucifer, read, "As the world did not unite with the hearers in faith." The word heard being the food which, as the bread of life, must pass into flesh and blood through man's appropriating it to himself in faith. Hearing alone is of as little value as undigested food in a bad stomach [Tholuck]. The whole of oldest extant manuscript authority supports a different reading, "unmingled as they were (Greek accusative case agreeing with 'them') in faith with its hearers," that is, with its believing, obedient hearers, as Caleb and Joshua. So "hear" is used for "obey" in the context, Heb 4:7, "To-day, if ye will hear His voice." The disobedient, instead of being blended in "the same body," separated themselves as Korah: a tacit reproof to like separatists from the Christian assembling together (Heb 10:25; Jude 19).

(2) For unto us was. —Rather, for we have had glad tidings preached unto us, even as they had. The object of these words is to support Hebrews 4:1 , “a promise being left.” How fitly the good news of the promise might, alike in their case and in ours, be designated by the same word as the “gospel,” will afterwards appear. The word preached.—Literally, the word of hearing, i.e., the word which was heard (1Thessalonians 2:13). But this does not mean the word heard by them. As in Isaiah 53:1 (where the same word is found in the Greek version) the meaning is “our message,” “that which we have heard from God,” so here the words signify what was heard by those who declared the promise to the people, especially the message which Moses received from God. Not being mixed with faith.—A change of reading in the Greek, which rests on the strongest authority, compels us to connect these words, not with the message, but with the people: “since they had not been united (literally, mingled) by faith with them that heard.” That the word of Moses and those associated with him in declaring God’s promise (perhaps Aaron, Joshua, Caleb) might benefit the people, speakers and hearers must be united by the bond of faith. Here the margin of the Authorised version preserves the true text, following the Vulgate and the earliest of the printed Greek Testaments (the Complutensian).

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: the reason enforcing the former counsel is, their having mutually the same means, the one as the other, and if they fear not, may be guilty of the same sin; for the Hebrews and the whole church were evangelized by the outward publishing to them, and their professed reception of, the glad tidings of salvation by God the Son incarnate, who was to lead them in the way to God’s eternal rest; which if they had been truly evangelized and transformed by, they could never have been shut out of God’s rest; the same gospel being preached to both their forefathers and them, though more gloriously revealed to the latter, 2 Corinthians 3:10,11 . For the gospel was preached to Abraham and to his offspring, that in his eminent Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ all nations should be blessed, Genesis 22:18 ; compare John 8:56 . He was the Angel of the covenant that was Lord of God’s hosts, and was to lead them into the literal and heavenly Canaan, Exodus 23:20 Joshua 5:13-15 Isaiah 11:10 . So that none entered into either of God’s rests but by him alone, who so testifieth by himself, John 5:39,46 , and by his Spirit, Acts 15:11 .

But the word preached did not profit them: the gospel was so preached to them, that they did or might hear it, Romans 10:14,15 ; compare Psalm 92:4 Isaiah 52:7 ; yet did it not prove effectual to many of those Hebrews, to bring them either into the literal or heavenly Canaan, but they came short of God’s rest in both; they not performing what he required, he by an irreversible sentence excluded them: see Hebrews 3:17,19 . Not being mixed with faith in them that heard it; sugkekramenov a metaphor taking from mixing things in the stomach, as meat and drink, without the concoction of which there can be no nourishing the body; setting forth the sin of these Hebrews, who never received nor mixed this gospel which they heard with a sincere faith in their souls, so as, being digested thereby, it might be united with it. Thus that which was the mighty power and wisdom of God to salvation to those who believed, was a word of condemnation and eternal death to unbelievers, 1 Corinthians 1:18 1 Peter 2:2,3 .

Verse 2. - For truly we have had good tidings (or, a gospel ) preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, not being mingled by faith with those that heard it . The meaning and purpose of the first part of this verse is plain, as is also the general intention of the second; viz. to account parenthetically for the gospel to the Israelites under Moses having failed of its purpose, and at the same time to renew the warning of their example with respect to the gospel now preached to Christians. But the passage is still one of singular difficulty, on account both of the various readings of it, and of the peculiarity of the language used whatever reading be adopted. With respect to the various readings, the main and indeed only important question is between (1) συγκεκραμένος agreeing with λόγος ἀκοῆς , and (2) συγκεκραμένους , agreeing with ἐκείνους . The variation between συγκεκραμ and συγκεκερασμ , being only different forms of the participle, does not affect the meaning. Then the readings τῶν ἀκουσάντων and τοῖς , ἀκούσθεισιν for τοῖς ἀκούσασι rest on such slight authority, and are so likely to have been substitutions (the latter to make the reading συγκεκραμένους intelligible), that they need not be considered. (1) The reading of the Textus Receptus, following the Vulgate, is μὴ συγκεκραμένος τῇ πίστει τοῖς ἀλούσασιν .