Hebrews 4

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:2

The gospel profitless to an unbelieving heart. With the Israelites their sin was not so much actual and active unbelief, a bold denial of Jehovah's truth, as the lack of an actual and active faith. There was no active spiritual energy in them to meet the abundant energy of their liberating and guiding God. The parable of the seed in the four kinds of ground may well be applied to them. The great bulk of them gave not the slightest real attention to any Divine word of promise or duty. Some... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3

For we do enter into the rest, we who have believed ( οἱ πιστεύσαντες , the historical aorist, pointing to the time when Christians became believers; with a reference also to τῇ πίστει in the preceding verse: but the emphasis is on the first word in the sentence, εἰσερχόμεθα : "For we Christian believers have an entrance into the rest intended") even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest; although the works were finished from the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3

Rest a present possession of the Christian believer. "For we which have believed do enter into rest." The use of the present tense here ("do enter") has caused some difficulty to some expositors. Alford explains the text thus, that they are to enter into the rest who at the time of the fulfillment of the promise shall be found to have believed. Stuart points out that in "the idiom of the Bible, the present tense is often used as a universal tense, embracing time past, present, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3-10

The course of Christian effort is justified by the certainty of a future rest. In these verses we have the gradual development of the idea of rest, which begins with the sabbath rest, in which God saw that all that he had made was very good, and he blessed the work of his hands. To keep this fact before the minds of Israel he ordained the celebration of the weekly sabbath, in which, as the Lord of time, he required his people to remit their daily labors, and acknowledge him as the Creator... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:4-5

For he hath said somewhere ( που cf. Hebrews 2:6 ) of the seventh day on this wise, And God rested the seventh day from all his works; and in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Here the argument is carried out. The first passage quoted shows what must be understood by the "rest of God;" the second shows that it still remains open, that "it remaineth that some should enter thereinto." This being the case— read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:6-7

Since therefore it remains that some should enter into it, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached entered not in because of disobedience, he again defineth a certain day, saying in David, after so long a time, Today; as it hath been before said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, etc. The continued openness of the rest, and the failure of the Israelites of old to enter it, are the reasons why a further day for entering was defined in the psalm. But here the thought is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:8-9

For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. The conclusion is now drawn: There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God; the true nature of the rest intended being beautifully denoted by the word σαββατισμὸς , which refers to the Divine rest "from the foundation of the world," while the offer of it to true believers always, and not to the Israelites only, is intimated by the phrase, "the people of God." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:9

Rest a future portion of the Christian believer. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." We have already spoken of the rest which is the present privilege of the Christian: "We which have believed do enter into that rest." But that does not satisfy all our desire and aspiration. We crave a deeper, fuller, more perfect rest than we enjoy here. The higher life at present is one of intense and, at times, almost painful longing. Without the prospect of something better than... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:9

The true sabbatic rest. Note here the word employed— σαββατισμὸς . This the only occurrence of the word. It is preceded and followed by another word for rest— κατάπαυσις . There must be something in the abrupt utterance for just once of this word in Hebrews 4:9 . The different word must emphasize difference of meaning. The difference seems to lie here, that there are two kinds of rest to be thought of—one the rest from toil and exertion, the rest to the weary; the other rest of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:10

For he that is entered into his rest (God's, as before) hath himself also rested from his works, as from his own God . There are two ways of understanding this verse. Its general intention is, indeed, clear. It accounts for the use of the word σαββατισμὸς which precedes, expressing that the true meaning of "God's rest" is not satisfied by any earthly rest, but only by one like his. The question is whether the verse is to be taken as a general proposition or as referring specifically to... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:3-10

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:4-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:6-7

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:8-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 4:10

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