Hebrews 12:18-24

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:22

But ye are come unto mount Sion - In order to enter fully into the apostle's meaning, we must observe, That the Church, which is called here the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and mount Sion, is represented under the notion of a City. That the great assembly of believers in Christ is here opposed to the congregation of the Israelites assembled at Mount Sinai. That the innumerable company of angels is here opposed to, those angels by whom the law was ushered in, Acts... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:23

To the general assembly - Πανηγυρει . This word is joined to the preceding by some of the best MSS., and is quoted in connection by several of the fathers: Ye are come - to the general assembly of innumerable angels; and this is probably the true connection. The word πανηγυρις is compounded of παν , all, and αγυρις , an assembly; and means, particularly, an assembly collected on festive occasions. It is applied to the assembly of the Grecian states at their national games, Olympic,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:24

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant - The old covenant and its mediator, Moses, are passed away. See Hebrews 8:13 . The new covenant, i.e. the Gospel, is now in force, and will be to the end of the world; and Jesus, the Son of God, the brightness of the Father's glory, the Maker and Preserver of all things, the Savior and the Judge of all men, is its mediator. Both the covenant and its mediator are infinitely superior to those of the Jews, and they are very properly set down here... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:18

Verse 18 18.For ye are not come, etc. He fights now with a new argument, for he proclaims the greatness of the grace made known by the Gospel, that we may reverently receive it; and secondly, he commends to us its benign characters that he might allure us to love and desire it. He adds weight to these two things by a comparison between the Law and the Gospel; for the higher the excellency of Christ’s kingdom than the dispensation of Moses, and the more glorious our calling than that of the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:19

Verse 19 19.They that heard entreated, etc. This is the second clause, in which he shows that the Law was very different from the Gospel; for when it was promulgated there was nothing but terrors on every side. For everything we read of in the nineteenth chapter of Exodus 19:1 was of this kind, and intended to show to the people that God had ascended his tribunal and manifested himself as a strict judge. If by chance an innocent beast approached, he commanded it to be killed: how much heavier... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:22

Verse 22 22.Unto mount Sion, etc. He alludes to those prophecies in which God had formerly promised that his Gospel should thence go forth, as in Isaiah 2:1, and in other places. Then he contrasts mount Sion with mount Sinai; and he further adds, the heavenly Jerusalem, and he expressly calls it heavenly, that the Jews might not cleave to that which was earthly, and which had flourished under the Law; for when they sought perversely to continue under the slavish yoke of the Law, mount Sion was... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:23

Verse 23 23.The firstborn, etc. He does not call the children of God indiscriminately the firstborn, for the Scripture calls many his children who are not of this number; but for the sake of honor he adorns with this distinction the patriarchs and other renowned saints of the ancient Church. He adds, which are written in heaven, because God is said to have all the elect enrolled in his book or secret catalogue, as Ezekiel speaks. (267) The judge of all, etc. This seems to have been said to... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:24

Verse 24 24.And to Jesus the Mediator, etc. He adds this in the last place, because it is he alone through whom the Father is reconciled to us, and who renders his face serene and lovely to us, so that we may come to him without fear. At the same time he shows how Christ becomes our Mediator, even through his own blood, which after the Hebrew mode of speaking he calls the blood of sprinkling, which means sprinkled blood; for as it was once for all shed to make an atonement for us, so our souls... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 12:1-29

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 12:18

For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned, with fire, and unto blackness and darkness and tempest. The allusion is to the Israelites approaching Mount Sinai when the Law was given (see Deuteronomy 4:11 , whence still more than from Exodus 19:1-25 . the whole description is taken, "And ye came near [ προσήλθετε , the same word as is used supra, Hebrews 4:16 ; Hebrews 7:25 ], and stood under the mountain"). Though the word "mount" in the Received Text... read more

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:22

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:23

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:24

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:18

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:19

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:22

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:23

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Hebrews 12:24

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 12:1-29

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 12:18

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