The Jewish Annotated New Testament (293 page)

40
:
Made perfect
, see 2.10; 5.8; 7.28; 10.14; 12.2.

12.1
–13:
Divine discipline.

1
:
Cloud
is a common metaphor for “crowd” in Greco-Roman literature.
Witnesses
, Gk “martyron,” origin of the term “martyr.”
Weight … sin
, an occasional comparison found in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Ps 38.4).
Race
, a common metaphor in NT exhortations ; see 1 Cor 9.24–27; Gal 2.2; Phil 2.16; 2 Tim 4.7.

2
:
Pioneer and perfecter
, see 2.10.
Seat at the right hand of the throne
, see Ps 110.1; also 1.3,13; 8.1; 10.12.

3
–4
:
Endured … hostility … resisted … shedding your blood
, continuing with the comparison between the audience and Jesus, the writer points out that Jesus endured mockery (Mk 15.16–20; cf. Isa 53.3; Ps 22.7) and was martyred by crucifixion.

5
–11
: Suffering is understood as instructional
discipline
administered by God; cf. 2 Macc 6.12–17;
Sifre Deut
. 311. This peripheral idea in the Hebrew Bible became mainstream in rabbinic literature, perhaps under the influence of the Hadrianic persecutions (132–135 CE), where it is called “yisurin shel ahavah,” “chastisements of love”;
Mek. Bahodesh
10;
b. Ber
. 5a;
b. Sanh
. 101a;
Gen. Rab
. 42.1; cf. Heb 5.8.

5
–6
: Prov 3.11–12.

8
:
Illegitimate
, bastards.

9
:
Human parents
, lit., “fathers of our flesh.”
Father of spirits
, God; father of human spirits, contrasts with “fathers of our flesh.”

12
: See Isa 35.3.

12.14
–29:
Final warnings.

14
:
Pursue peace
, a common exhortation; see Ps 34.14 (Heb v. 15); Rom 14.19;
m. Avot
1.12.
See the Lord
, achieve salvation.

15
:
Grace of God
, perhaps referring to God’s action through Jesus; cf. 2.9.
Root of bitterness
, possibly an allusion to Deut 29.17 LXX.

16
:
Birthright
, see Gen 25.29–34.
Immoral
, Gk “pornos,” meaning sexually
immoral
. Postbiblical traditions portray Esau as more wicked than depicted in the Tanakh, the opposite of his brother Jacob, though none describe him as “pornos”; see Philo,
Virtues
208;
Sacr
. 120;
b. Sanh
. 101b;
Gen. Rab
. 37, 40, 43, 45.

17
:
Inherit the blessing
, Gen 27.
Found no chance to repent
, see 6.4–8; 10.26–31.
With tears
, Gen 27.38.

18
–21
: Sinaitic imagery; see Ex 19; Deut 4.10–15.

19
:
Voice
, in contrast to Heb 12.19, Maimonides claimed that Israel’s experiencing of the divine voice guaranteed that the Torah was of divine origin (see
Mishneh Torah
,
Hilcot Yesodei ha-Torah
8.1), see also
Mek. Bahodesh
4, comment on Ex 19.19.

20
: Ex 19.12–13.

21
: Deut 9.19.

22
:
Mount Zion
, the mountain in Jerusalem where God dwells; the image is in contrast to descriptions of Sinai in vv. 18–21; cf. Gal 4.21–31.
Living God
, see 3.12; 9.14; 10.31.
Heavenly Jerusalem
, although
Jerusalem
is not earlier named explicitly, the heavenly city was mentioned; see 11.10,16.
Innumerable angels
, angels are often part of theophanies; see Deut 33.2 (referring specifically to Sinai); Dan 7.10; Rev 5.11;
1 En
. 13.8; 14.18–21; 20; 39.4–5; in 4QShirShabb
^a
angels singing God’s praise assemble in heaven for Sabbath worship.

23
:
Firstborn
, though possibly meaning the angels, it most likely refers to humans (cf. 1.5–6).
Enrolled
, in Greco-Roman cities, citizens were registered shortly after birth to record their status and thus insure their legal and social privileges; following a Mesopotamian model, Jewish tradition sometimes describes the righteous as “inscribed” in a heavenly book; see Ex 32.32; Ps 69.29; Dan 12.1. The image is ubiquitous in the Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur liturgy.

24
:
Mediator of a new covenant
, see chs 8–9.
Sprinkled blood
, see 9.11–28; Ex 24.4–8.
Blood of Abel
, see Gen 4.10; 11.4.

25
:
One who is speaking
, most likely God (not Christ); so 1.1.
They did not escape
, the wilderness generation.
One who warned them
, most likely Moses, so vv. 18–21.

26
–27
: Hag 2.6 LXX.
Yet once more
implies
removal
because Hebrews takes “once” to mean that God’s shaking of heaven and earth happens only once; cf. 6.4.

27
:
What cannot be shaken
, the heavenly realm, what remains once the material world passes away.

29
:
Consuming fire
, citing Deut 4.24 and 9.3, but here evoking burnt offerings.

13.1
–25:
Final exhortations.

1
:
Mutual love
, Gk “philadelphia,” most commonly used of affection between siblings.

2
:
Hospitality to strangers
(Gk “philoxenia”) was a virtue throughout the ancient Mediterranean; see Gen 19.1–3; Judg 19.19–21; Job 31.32; Rom 12.13; 1 Pet 4.9;
Did
. 12.1–2.
Entertained angels
, Gen 18.1–15.

3
:
Prison … tortured
, 10.32–34.

4
–5
:
Marriage … money
, commonplace moralisms among Jews and Christians; see Josephus,
Ag. Ap
. 2.199–203; Mt 19.4–5; Mk 10.6–8; Eph 5.22–23.
Never … forsake
, see Deut 31.6,8; Josh 1.5.

6
: Ps 118.6.
Lord
, God.

7
:
Leaders
, never named.
Imitate
, resembles Paul’s language; see 1 Cor 4.16; 11.1; Gal 4.12; Phil 3.17; 4.9; 1 Thess 1.6–7.

8
:
Same … forever
, intended as a reassurance that Christ’s redeeming power would never wane.

9
:
Strange teachings
, see Eph 4.14; Col 2.8; 1 Tim 1.3–7.
Regulations about food
, perhaps a reference to Jewish dietary laws or to the issue of meat offered to idols (see Acts 15; 1 Cor 8).

10
:
Altar
, site of Christ’s sacrifice in the heavenly temple.

11
: The Yom Kippur and red heifer sacrifices were
burned outside the camp
; see Lev 16.27; Num 19.2–3.

12
:
Outside the city gate
, see Jn 19.17–20.
Sanctify the people
, see 9.13–14; 10.10,14,29.

13
:
Bear the abuse he endured
, share in his sufferings by our own witness (including the possibility of death).

14
:
No lasting city
, see 11.13–16; 12.22–29.
City that is to come
, the heavenly Jerusalem; see 11.10,16; 12.22.

15
–16
: Prayer, hymns, and good works are described as forms of sacrifice in Ps 27.6; 50.14,23; 51.17 [Heb v. 19]; 107.22; Tob 4.11; Sir 3.3,20; Philo,
Spec. Laws
1.253, 271–72, 277, 289–90;
Avot de R. Natan
4. In rabbinic writings, the daily prayers replace the daily sacrifices; see 5.3n.

17
:
Obey your leaders
, see 13.7.

18
:
Clear conscience
, see 10.22.

19
–25
: The closing includes typical elements of letters: mention of travel plans, a benediction, final exhortations, and final greetings; cf. Rom 16; 1 Cor 16.13–24.

19
:
Restored to you
, reunited.

20
–21
: Concluding benediction.
God of peace
, similar language is found in Paul; see Rom 15.33; 16.20; 2 Cor 13.11; Phil 4.9; 1 Thess 5.23.

20
:
Great shepherd
, following ancient Mesopotamian and Jewish models, a popular epithet for Jesus as the ideal leader; see Mt 26.31; Jn 10.11; 1 Pet 5.4; Rev 7.17, building upon the idea that the Davidic king and God are called “shepherd” in the Hebrew Bible (e.g. Ezek 34; Ps 23).
Eternal covenant
, God’s covenant with Israel is described as eternal; see 2 Sam 7.13,16; Isa 55:13.