John Gill

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word.

“Who being the brightness of his glory,.... Or "of glory"; of God the Father, the God of glory, and who is glory itself; so called on account of his glorious nature and perfections and because of the glorious manifestations of them in his works of…”

And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

“And thou Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth,.... The person here addressed, as the Lord or Jehovah, and as the Maker of the heavens and the earth, is the same with the Son spoken to, and of, before; for the…”

You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”

“And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up,.... In order to lay them aside, and make no use of them in the manner they now are; just as clothes, when they are grown old, or out of fashion, are folded up, and laid aside…”

Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

“Are they not all ministering spirits,.... Servants to God, to Christ, and to his people, and therefore must be inferior to the Son of God.”

For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,

“For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast,.... This is a description of the law, from whence the apostle argues to a stricter regard to the Gospel, as from the lesser to the greater: this is called "the word", and a terrible one it…”

You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor

“Thou madest him a little lower than the angels,.... In the Hebrew text it is, "than Elohim", which some render, "than God"; but it is rightly rendered by the apostle, "than angels"; and so the Targum, Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it.”

And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”

“These words are taken not from Isa 8:17 where, in the Septuagint version, is a like phrase; for they are not the words of the Messiah there, but of the prophet; and besides, the apostle disjoins them from the following words, which stand there, by…”

He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.

“Who was faithful to him that appointed him,.... Or "made him"; Christ, as man, was made, but not as God; nor is the apostle speaking of the divine nature of Christ, but of his offices: wherefore this phrase designs the constitution and settlement of him…”

Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’

“Wherefore I was grieved with that generation,.... דור המדבר, "the generation of the wilderness", as the Jews often call them; and which they say was more beloved than any generation (e); and yet they will not allow them a part in the world to come…”

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.

“For we are made partakers of Christ,.... Being loved by him, given to him, and chosen in him before the foundation of the world; and so participate of all spiritual blessings in him; for this respects something past, and may be rendered, "we have been…”

As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.”

“While it is said today,.... Exhort one another, and hold fast Christ and his Gospel, and faith and confidence therein; what follows is a repetition of the citation in Heb 3:7 in order to make a further improvement of it; which shows, that the words…”

So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.

“So we see that they could not enter in,.... To God's rest, the land of Canaan, for they died by the plague before the Lord, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness, before they came to it, Num 14:37 and the reason was, because of…”

And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.”

“And in this place again,.... In Psa 95:11 he speaks again of another rest distinct from that on the seventh day; which, and not the latter, is what believers under the Gospel dispensation enter into: if they shall enter into my rest: that is, unbelievers…”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

“For if Jesus had given them rest,.... That is, Joshua; for Hosheah, Joshua, and Jesus, are one and the same name; or Jesus himself, as two of Stephens's copies read; and so Joshua is called Jesus by the Septuagint interpreters on Exo 17:10 and other…”

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,.... The Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, "baptized"; and the word is thought to be so used in Heb 10:”

saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.”

“Saying, surely blessing I will bless thee,.... Which is expressive of the certainty of the blessings; the reality and substantiality of them; the abundance of them, and the continuance of the same: and of this nature are all spiritual blessings; as to be chosen of…”

And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise.

“And so, after he had patiently endured,.... He waited long for a son, from whom the Messiah was to spring, after he had had the promise of one; and he endured many afflictions with patience, in his journeys from place to place, throughout his life…”

Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.

“For men verily swear by the greater,.... These words contain a reason why God swore by himself, and why his promises, having an oath annexed to them, ought to be believed.”

For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well.

“For the priesthood being changed,.... Not translated from one tribe, family, or order, to another, but utterly abolished; for though it is called an everlasting priesthood, yet that is to be understood with a limitation, as the word "everlasting" often is, as relating to things…”

And none of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath,

“And inasmuch as not without an oath,.... Our version supplies as follows, he was made priest; which well agrees with what is said in the next verse; the Syriac version renders it, "and which he confirmed to us by an oath"; that is, the better…”

Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.

“And they truly were many priests,.... There were many common priests at a time; and though there was but one high priest at a time, yet there were many of them in a line of succession from Aaron down to the apostle's time.”

A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.

“For there was a tabernacle made,.... By the direction of Moses, according to the pattern showed him in the Mount: the first; that is, the first part of the tabernacle, called the holy place, in distinction from the holy of holies, which was the second…”

Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

“And over it the cherubim of glory,.... Or "glorious cherubim", where the Shechinah, or divine glory, dwelt, Psa 80:1.”

In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,

“For where a testament is,.... The covenant of grace, as administered under the Gospel dispensation, is a testament or will.”

That is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.

“Whereupon neither the first testament,.... Or the first administration of the covenant of grace under the law: was dedicated without blood; or "confirmed" without it, that dispensation being a typical one; and that blood was typical of the blood of Christ, by which the new…”