Hebrews 12:15 - Exposition

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many (or, according to the more probable reading, the many , i.e. the general community) be defiled. In this, the usual rendering of the verse, ᾗ is supplied, so as to make μήτις ὑστερῶν mean "lest there be any one that fails." But this is not necessary; the verb ἐνοχλῇ ("trouble you") may be common both to the first μήτις and to μήτις ῥίζα , thus: "Lest any one failing … lest any root … trouble you. " The sentence may have been broken off after its first clause in order to bring in the appropriate quotation from Deuteronomy 29:18 , which in our A.V. runs thus: "Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood." The Vatican text of the LXX . has ΄ήτις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν ῥίζα ἄνω φύουσα ἐν χολῇ καὶ πικρίᾳ : the Alexandrian, which seems to be followed here, has ΄ήτις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν δίζα πικοίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐκογλῆ καὶ πικρίᾳ . The reference in the speech of Moses is to the future possibility of any "man, or we man, or family, or tribe" turning from the LORD to go and serve the gods of the nations, and so involving, not only themselves, but even the whole people in a curse. The figure is that of a plant being allowed to grow of such a nature at its root as to bear bitter and pernicious fruit. There is no special allusion in the word "bitterness" to disturbance of "peace" by dissensions; for this is not the idea in the original passage, nor is it carried out in the following verses of the Epistle. (Cf. Acts 8:23 , "Thou art in the gall of bitterness ( εἰς χολὴν πικρίας )")