Hebrews 12:7-8 - Exposition

For chastening ye endure ; i.e. It is for chastening that ye endure. The reading εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε , supported by almost the whole weight of manuscripts (including all the uncials that contain the text), of ancient versions, and commentators (Theophylact being the only certain exception), is decidedly to be accepted instead of the εἰ παιδείαν ὑπομένετε (equivalent to "if ye endure chastening") of the Textus Receptus. Moreover, it is required for the sense of the passage in regard to the proper meaning of the verb ὑπομένετε ("endure"), which is to "submit to," or "endure patiently," not simply "to undergo." For to say, "if ye endure chastisement patiently, God dealeth with you as sons," has no meaning; our being treated as sons depends, not on the way we take our chastisement, but on our being chastised at all. The use of the preposition εἰς to express purpose is common in this Epistle (cf. Hebrews 1:14 , εἰς διακονίαν : Hebrews 3:5 , εἰς μαρτύριον : Hebrews 4:16 , εἰς βοήθειαν : Hebrews 6:16 , εἰς βεβαίωσιν ): and the essential sense of παιδεία is discipline or education. The drift is the same, whether we take ὑπομένετε as an indicative or an imperative. Thus the next clause of the verse follows suitably: God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there (or, who is a son ) whom his father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastening, whereof all (i.e. all God's children, with reference to Hebrews 11:1-40 ) have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons (ye are not your father's real children whom he cares for as such).