The heirs of promise - All the believing posterity of Abraham, and the nations of the earth or Gentiles in general. The immutability of his counsel - His unchangeable purpose, to call the Gentiles to salvation by Jesus Christ; to justify every penitent by faith; to accept faith in Christ for justification in place of personal righteousness; and finally to bring every persevering believer, whether Jew or Gentile, to eternal glory. read more
Verse 13 13.For when God made a promise to Abraham, etc. His object was to prove, that the grace of God is offered to us in vain, except we receive the promise by faith, and constantly cherish it in the bosom of our heart. And he proves it by this argument, that when God promised a countless offspring to Abraham, it seemed a thing incredible; Sarah had been through life barren; both had reached a sterile old age, when they were nearer the grave than to a conjugal bed; there was no vigor to... read more
Verse 16 16.For men, etc. It is an argument from the less to the greater; if credit is given to man, who is by nature false, when he swears, and for this reason, because he confirms what he says by God’s name, how much more credit is due to God, who is eternal truth, when he swears by himself? Now he mentions several things to commend this declaration; and first he says that men swear by the greater; by which he means that they who are wanting in due authority borrow it from another. He adds... read more
Verse 17 17.God, willing, etc. See how kindly God as a gracious Father accommodates himself to our slowness to believe; as he sees that we rest not on his simple word, that he might more fully impress it on our hearts he adds an oath. Hence also it appears how much it concerns us to know that there is such a certainty respecting his goodwill towards us, that there is no longer any occasion for wavering or for trembling. For when God forbids his name to be taken in vain or on a slight occasion,... read more
Another exhortation to steadfastness. Each stage in the argument of the Epistle is relieved by a hortatory passage intended to confirm and cheer the Hebrews in their Christian faith. Indeed, the one duty upon Which the whole book lays stress is that of believing steadfastness. I. THE EXHORTATION . It assumes various forms. 1. " Be not sluggish. " ( Hebrews 6:12 ) The Hebrews, in the perplexity of their situation by reason of the temptations of Judaism, had begun to sink... read more
The influence of hope on Christian steadfastness. The third part of the parenthesis. To the solemn warning against apostasy he hastens to add how they can be delivered from the evil, and tells them of the power of hope on Christian steadfastness. I. THE WRITER ENCOURAGES THE CULTIVATION OF CHRISTIAN HOPE . He says he is full of hope with regard to them, and desires that they would cherish that hope for themselves. (Note: It is remarkable, if the previous verses are... read more
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so , having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Abraham—the ancestor of the Hebrews, the first recipient of the promises, the father of the faithful—is now appropriately adduced as an example. He ( Genesis 22:16 ), as is the case with you ( Psalms 110:1-7 ), was assured of his inheritance by the... read more
The encouragements to cherish the hope of eternal life. These assume that there is a strong disposition in men to doubt the veracity of the Divine promise, and in adorable condescension God gives us ample evidence to justify our faith and perseverance. It must be confessed that the abandonment of the Jewish Law, separation from the synagogue, the surrender of earthly pleasure, and submission to manifold trials, require varied reasons to convince and to maintain the conviction of the claims... read more
For men swear by the greater: and of every dispute of theirs (literally, to them), the oath is final (literally, an end ) for confirmation ( εἰς βεβαίωσιν being connected with πέρας , not, as in the A.V., with ὅρκος ) . Here begins the explanation of the meaning and purpose of the Divine oath, already cursorily touched on in Hebrews 6:13 . God thus, for full assurance, condescends to the form of confirmation most binding among men when they promise to each other. ... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 6:16
Men verily swear by the greater - One who has greater authority; who can take cognizance of the obligation, and punish the breach of it. An oath for confirmation - " This observation teaches us," says Dr. Macknight, "that both promissory oaths concerning things lawful and in our power, and oaths for the confirmation of things doubtful, when required by proper authority, and taken religiously, are allowable under the Gospel." read more