Hebrews 5:11

5:11-14 Dull hearers make the preaching of the gospel difficult, and even those who have some faith may be dull hearers, and slow to believe. Much is looked for from those to whom much is given. To be unskilful, denotes want of experience in the things of the gospel. Christian experience is a spiritual sense, taste, or relish of the goodness, sweetness, and excellence of the truths of the gospel. And no tongue can express the satisfaction which the soul receives, from a sense of Divine goodness, grace, and love to it in Christ.

{6} Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. (6) A digression until he comes to the beginning of the seventh chapter; Heb 5:11-6:20: in which he partly holds the Hebrews in the diligent consideration of those things which he has said, and partly prepares them for the understanding of those things of which he will speak.

From this point the comparison of Christ with Melchisedec would naturally be developed; but the author digresses into a complaint of the imperfect spiritual attainment of his readers, and a remonstrance and admonition extending to the end of ch. 6. Of whom (περὶ οὗ) Rend. concerning which. Not Melchisedec, but the topic that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchisedec, a topic to which great importance is attached. Can it be imagined that the discussion of such a topic would appeal to a Gentile audience as a reason for not relapsing into paganism? We have many things to say (πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος) Lit. the discourse is abundant unto us. We refers to the writer himself. Hard to be uttered (δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν) Lit. hard of interpretation to speak. The A.V. entirely misses the idea of interpretation. Rev. better, hard of interpretation. Δυσερμήνευτος N.T.o. olxx. oClass. Ye are dull of hearing (νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς) Rend. ye have grown dull in your hearing. For ἀκοὴ hearing see on 2 Timothy 4:3. The verb implies a deterioration on the hearers' part. Νωθροὶ only here and Hebrews 6:12. From νη not and ὠθεῖν to push. Hence slow, sluggish. Mostly in later Greek, although Plato uses it much in the same sense as here. "When they have to face study they are stupid (νωθροί) and cannot remember." Theaet. 144 B. In lxx, Proverbs 22:29; Sir. 4:29; 11:12. Sometimes equals low, mean, obscure. So in Proverbs, but in Sirach slack, slow.

Hebrews 5:11-14 . Of whom, &c. — The apostle here begins an important digression, wherein he reproves, admonishes, and exhorts the believing Hebrews; we — Apostles and other ministers of the word; have many things to say — And things of great importance, in order to your full illumination, and perfect acquaintance, with that Christianity which you profess; and hard to be uttered — Interpreted or explained, as δυσερμηνευτος signifies; though not so much from the subject matter, as because ye are dull of hearing — Careless as to giving attention, slothful in considering, and dull in apprehending the things of God. For when, for the time — Since ye first professed Christianity; ye ought to be teachers — Able to teach others less informed than yourselves; ye have need that one teach you again which be the nature of the first principles of the oracles of God — Accordingly these are enumerated in the first verse of the ensuing chapter. And are become such as have need of milk — The first and plainest doctrines. See on 1 Corinthians 3:2 . For every one that useth milk — That is, that neither desires nor can digest any thing else; (otherwise strong men use milk, but not that chiefly, much less that only;) is unskilful in the word of righteousness — Makes it appear that he is unacquainted (through want of exercise and experience) with the sublimer truths of the gospel. Such are all they who desire and can digest nothing but the doctrine of justification and imputed righteousness.

For he is a babe — See on 1 Corinthians 14:20 . The apostle compares these Hebrews to babes, not on account of their innocent simplicity and teachableness, qualities which Christ recommended to all his disciples; but on account of their weakness and ignorance; for which, considering the advantages they had so long enjoyed, they were deserving of censure. But strong meat — The sublimer truths relating to a perfect acquaintance with, experience in, and the practice of, the whole gospel, chap. Hebrews 6:1 ; belongeth to them that are of full age — Τελειων , the perfect, or perfectly instructed: see on 1 Corinthians 2:6 , where the same expression seems to be used in the same sense; even those who, by reason of use — Or habit, as εξιν signifies, implying strength of spiritual understanding, arising from maturity of spiritual age; have their senses exercised — Though the word αισθητηρια , here used, properly signifies the outward senses, as the eyes, ears, &c.; yet it is evidently here put for the inward senses, the senses of the mind; to discern both good and evil — Grown Christians, by exercising their spiritual faculties, become able to distinguish truth from error, in the various branches of Christian doctrines, having attained the full assurance of understanding in the mystery of God and of Christ, ( Colossians 2:2 ,) as also to distinguish duty from sin, or moral and spiritual good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11 . Περὶ οὗ , of whom ) οὗ , masc., comp. ὅς , who , Hebrews 5:7 . He now enters upon that very long anticipatory or precautionary[34] preface or preparation, which consists of rebuke, admonition, exhortation, and consolation. The Rhetoricians call it the securing (Captatio) of the kindly feeling of the reader or hearer. The preparation of the heart [of the hearer by the teacher], to which the doctrine is committed, often requires greater exertion than the teaching of the doctrine itself.— πολὺς ) רב , much, i.e. too much:[35] comp. ch. Hebrews 13:22 .— ἩΜῖΝ , to us ) Paul includes, as usual, Timothy or others: comp. ch. Hebrews 6:1 ; Hebrews 6:3 ; Hebrews 6:9 ; Hebrews 6:11 , Hebrews 2:5 , Hebrews 13:18 .— δυσερμήνευτος , hard to interpret ) not from any fault in the writer, but in yourselves.— λέγειν ) a correlative to ἈΚΟΑῖς . ΛΈΓΕΙΝ is not redundant, speaking is opposed to writing , as ch. Hebrews 13:22 . Hard to be uttered, harder to be written, and yet the more necessary to be written on that account.— νωθροὶ ) ch. Hebrews 6:12 .

The root implies ΣΤΈΡΗΣΙΝ ΤΟῦ ΘΕῖΝ , the negation of running [36]) verlegen “to loiter ” on the road.— γεγόνατε , ye have become ) The state of the Jews needed to be noticed, as well in so far as it was good, as also in so far as it was bad, Hebrews 5:12 , Hebrews 6:10 , Hebrews 10:25 ; Hebrews 10:32-33 , Hebrews 12:4-5 ; Hebrews 12:12 . [34] See Append. on προθεραπέια .—ED. [35] More than it would be expedient now to say.—ED. [36] An improbable derivation. Rather akin to νωθής and νόθος .—ED.

11–14 . Complaint that his readers were so slow in their spiritual progress 11 . Of whom ] i.e. of Melchisedek in his typical character. There is no need to render this “of which matter” or to refer it to Christ. The following argument really centres in the word Melchisedek, and its difficulty was the novel application of the facts of his history to Christ. hard to be uttered ] Rather, “respecting whom what I have to say is long, and hard of interpretation.” The word “being interpreted” ( hermçnenomenos , whence comes the word “hermeneutics”) occurs in Hebrews 7:2 . ye are ] Rather, “ye are become,” as in Hebrews 5:12 , Hebrews 6:12 . They were not so sluggish at first, but are become so from indifference and neglect. dull of hearing ] Comp. Matthew 13:14-15 . Nothros “dull” or “blunted” is the antithesis to ὀξὺς “sharp.”

11. Here he digresses to complain of the low spiritual attainments of the Palestinian Christians and to warn them of the danger of falling from light once enjoyed; at the same time encouraging them by God's faithfulness to persevere. At Heb 6:20 he resumes the comparison of Christ to Melchisedec. hard to be uttered—rather as Greek, "hard of interpretation to speak." Hard for me to state intelligibly to you owing to your dulness about spiritual things. Hence, instead of saying many things, he writes in comparatively few words (Heb 13:22). In the "we," Paul, as usual, includes Timothy with himself in addressing them. ye are—Greek, "ye have become dull" (the Greek, by derivation, means hard to move): this implies that once, when first "enlightened," they were earnest and zealous, but had become dull. That the Hebrew believers AT Jerusalem were dull in spiritual things, and legal in spirit, appears from Ac 21:20-24, where James and the elders expressly say of the "thousands of Jews which believe," that "they are all zealous of the law"; this was at Paul's last visit to Jerusalem, after which this Epistle seems to have been written (see on [2551]Heb 5:12, on "for the time").

(11) Of whom. —Or, of which (subject), “Christ made High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.” Hard to be uttered.—Rather, hard of interpretation, seeing ye have become sluggish in hearing. Their faculty of “hearing” had once been acute, and then few words and little explanation, even on such a subject as this, would have sufficed; now there has come upon them a lack of interest, and with this a want of power.

The Spirit here digresseth from discoursing further of the priesthood of Christ, that he may fit these Hebrews to apprehend and improve it when he shall return to it, Hebrews 5:7 . He beginneth with a reproof, which takes up the remainder of the chapter, and enters on it artificially from the doctrine delivered of Christ’s priesthood, insinuating the difficulty of its reception by them. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered: ou, of whom, some would make to refer to Melchisedec, but by what followeth in this and Hebrews 5:7 , it can be spoken of none but of Christ the truth of that type, who was made a High Priest after that order. And of him the apostle was filled by the Spirit with the matter, as Elihu speaks, Job 32:18 . Much he had to say of this mystery, which was most excellent and weighty, and which a few words could not express; for it was dusermhneutov, not unutterable in itself, or difficult for him to open and interpret, but for them to understand. Seeing ye are dull of hearing; because the ears of their mind were not created nor proportioned to it: they were babes and children in understanding; the difficulty was in themselves, not in the word or mystery; their intellective faculty was slow to discern, perceive, and judge of this doctrine, and their hearts were averse to it, being so conceited concerning the Levitical priesthood: such were the apostles at the first, John 16:12 .