Heb 2:17
So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people's sins.
Hebrews 2:17
Wherefore in all things - In respect to His body; His soul; His rank and character. There was a propriety that He should be like them, and should partake of their nature.
The meaning is, that there was a fitness that nothing should be wanting in Him in reference to the innocent propensities and sympathies of human nature.
It behoved Him - It became Him; or there was a fitness and propriety in it. The reason why it was proper, the apostle proceeds to state.
Like unto His brethren - Like unto those who sustained to Him the relation of brethren; particularly as He undertook to redeem the descendants of Abraham, and as He was a descendant of Abraham Himself, there was a propriety that He should be like them.
He calls them brethren; and it was proper that He should show that He regarded them as such by assuming their nature.
That He might be a merciful and faithful high priest -
(1) That He might be “merciful;” that is, compassionate.
That He might know how to pity us in our infirmities and trials, by having a nature like our own.
(2) that He might be “faithful;” that is, perform with fidelity all the functions pertaining to the office of high priest. The idea is, that it was needful that He should become a man; that He should experience as we do the infirmities and trials of life, and that by being a man, and partaking of all that pertained to man except His sins, He might feel how necessary it was that there should be “fidelity” in the office of high priest. Here was a race of sinners and sufferers. They were exposed to the wrath of God. They were liable to everlasting punishment. The judgement impended over the race, and the day of vengeance hastened on. “All now depended on the great high priest.”
All their hope Was in His “fidelity” to the great office which He had undertaken. If He were faithful, all would be safe; if He were unfaithful, all would be lost. Hence, the necessity that He should enter fully into the feelings, fears, and dangers of man; that He should become one of the race and be identified with them, so that He might be qualified to perform with faithfulness the great trust committed to Him.
High priest - The Jewish high priest was the successor of Aaron, and was at the head of the ministers of religion among the Jews. He was set apart with solemn ceremonies - clad in his sacred vestments - and anointed with oil; Exo_29:5-9; Lev_8:2. He was by his office the general judge of all that pertained to religion, and even of the judicial affairs of the Jewish nation; Deu_17:8-12; Deu_19:17; Deu_21:5; Deu_33:9-10.
He only had the privilege of entering the most holy place once a year, on the great day of expiation, to make atonement for the sins of the whole people; Lev_16:2, etc.
He was the oracle of truth - so that when clothed in his proper vestments, and having on the Urim and Thummim, he made known the will of God in regard to future events.
The Lord Jesus became in the Christian dispensation what the Jewish high priest was in the old; and an important object of this Epistle is to show that He far surpassed the Jewish high priest, and in what respects the Jewish high priest was designed to typify the Redeemer.
Paul, therefore, early introduces the subject, and shows that the Lord Jesus came to perform the functions of that sacred office, and that he was eminently endowed for it.
In things pertaining to God - In offering sacrifice; or in services of a religious nature. The great purpose was to offer sacrifice, and make intercession; and the idea is, that Jesus took on Himself our nature that He might sympathize with us; that thus He might be faithful to the great trust committed to Him - the redemption of the world.
Had he been unfaithful, all would have been lost, and the world would have sunk down to wo.
To make reconciliation - By his death as a sacrifice. The word used here - ἱλάσκομαι hilaskomai - occurs but in one other place in the New Testament Luke_18:13, where it is rendered “God be merciful to me a sinner;” that is, reconciled to me.
The noun (ἱλασμός hilasmos - “propitiation”) is used in 1Jo_2:2; 1Jo_4:10.
The word here means properly to “appease,” to reconcile, to conciliate; and hence, to “propitiate” as to “sins;” that is, to propitiate God in reference to sins, or to render Him propitious. The Son of God became a man, that He might so fully enter into the feelings of the people as to be faithful, and that He might be qualified as a high priest to perform the great work of rendering God propitious in regard to sins. How He did this, is fully shown in the subsequent parts of the Epistle.
Hebrews 2:17
Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren,.... The adopted sons of God, who were brethren before Christ's incarnation, being from all eternity predestinated to the adoption of children: Christ's incarnation was in time, and after that many of the brethren existed; and it was only for their sakes that He assumed human nature; and therefore it was proper he should be like them in that nature, in all things: in all the essentials of it; it was not necessary that He should have it by natural generation; nor that it should have a subsistence in itself as theirs: and in all the properties and affections of it, that are, not sinful; for it did not behove Him to be like them in sin, nor in sickness, and in diseases of the body: and in all temptations; though in some things His differ from theirs; none of His arose from within; and those from without could make no impression on Him: and in sufferings, that there might be a conformity between the head and members; though there is in some things a difference; His sufferings were by way of punishment, and were attended with wrath, and were meritorious, which cannot be said of theirs; but that He should have an human nature, as to its essence and perfection, like to theirs, was necessary: it was proper He should be truly and really man, as well as truly God,
that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest; He could not be an high priest, offer sacrifice for sin, and make intercession, unless He was man; nor could He be a "merciful" and compassionate one, sympathize with His people in their sorrows, temptations, and sufferings, unless He was like them in these; nor would He be a "faithful", that is, a true and lawful one otherwise, because every high priest is taken from among men:
in things pertaining to God; in things in which God has to do with His people, as to preside in His name over them, to declare is will unto them, and bless them; and in things in which the people have to do with God, to offer to God a sacrifice for their sins, to present this sacrifice to Him, to appear in His presence for them, to carry in their petitions, and plead their cause as their advocate:
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people; of God's covenant people, the people He has chosen for himself, and given to His Son; and whom Christ saves from their sins, by making satisfaction for them, to the law and justice of God, which is here meant by reconciliation: and in order to this, which could not be done without blood, without sufferings and death, it was proper He should be man, and like unto His brethren: the allusion seems to be to the two goats on the day of atonement, one of which was to be slain, and the other let go; which were to be, as the Jews say (p), שוין, "alike", in colour, in stature, and in price; and so were the birds to be alike in the same things, that were used at the cleansing of the leper (q): and the Jews tell us (r), that the high priest was to be greater than his brethren, in beauty, in strength, in wisdom, and in riches; all which is true of Christ.
(p) Misna Yoma, c. 6. sect. 1. (q) Misna Negaim, c. 14. sect. 5. (r) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 9. 1. Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 1.
So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people's sins.
Hebrews 2:17
Wherefore in all things - In respect to His body; His soul; His rank and character. There was a propriety that He should be like them, and should partake of their nature.
The meaning is, that there was a fitness that nothing should be wanting in Him in reference to the innocent propensities and sympathies of human nature.
It behoved Him - It became Him; or there was a fitness and propriety in it. The reason why it was proper, the apostle proceeds to state.
Like unto His brethren - Like unto those who sustained to Him the relation of brethren; particularly as He undertook to redeem the descendants of Abraham, and as He was a descendant of Abraham Himself, there was a propriety that He should be like them.
He calls them brethren; and it was proper that He should show that He regarded them as such by assuming their nature.
That He might be a merciful and faithful high priest -
(1) That He might be “merciful;” that is, compassionate.
That He might know how to pity us in our infirmities and trials, by having a nature like our own.
(2) that He might be “faithful;” that is, perform with fidelity all the functions pertaining to the office of high priest. The idea is, that it was needful that He should become a man; that He should experience as we do the infirmities and trials of life, and that by being a man, and partaking of all that pertained to man except His sins, He might feel how necessary it was that there should be “fidelity” in the office of high priest. Here was a race of sinners and sufferers. They were exposed to the wrath of God. They were liable to everlasting punishment. The judgement impended over the race, and the day of vengeance hastened on. “All now depended on the great high priest.”
All their hope Was in His “fidelity” to the great office which He had undertaken. If He were faithful, all would be safe; if He were unfaithful, all would be lost. Hence, the necessity that He should enter fully into the feelings, fears, and dangers of man; that He should become one of the race and be identified with them, so that He might be qualified to perform with faithfulness the great trust committed to Him.
High priest - The Jewish high priest was the successor of Aaron, and was at the head of the ministers of religion among the Jews. He was set apart with solemn ceremonies - clad in his sacred vestments - and anointed with oil; Exo_29:5-9; Lev_8:2. He was by his office the general judge of all that pertained to religion, and even of the judicial affairs of the Jewish nation; Deu_17:8-12; Deu_19:17; Deu_21:5; Deu_33:9-10.
He only had the privilege of entering the most holy place once a year, on the great day of expiation, to make atonement for the sins of the whole people; Lev_16:2, etc.
He was the oracle of truth - so that when clothed in his proper vestments, and having on the Urim and Thummim, he made known the will of God in regard to future events.
The Lord Jesus became in the Christian dispensation what the Jewish high priest was in the old; and an important object of this Epistle is to show that He far surpassed the Jewish high priest, and in what respects the Jewish high priest was designed to typify the Redeemer.
Paul, therefore, early introduces the subject, and shows that the Lord Jesus came to perform the functions of that sacred office, and that he was eminently endowed for it.
In things pertaining to God - In offering sacrifice; or in services of a religious nature. The great purpose was to offer sacrifice, and make intercession; and the idea is, that Jesus took on Himself our nature that He might sympathize with us; that thus He might be faithful to the great trust committed to Him - the redemption of the world.
Had he been unfaithful, all would have been lost, and the world would have sunk down to wo.
To make reconciliation - By his death as a sacrifice. The word used here - ἱλάσκομαι hilaskomai - occurs but in one other place in the New Testament Luke_18:13, where it is rendered “God be merciful to me a sinner;” that is, reconciled to me.
The noun (ἱλασμός hilasmos - “propitiation”) is used in 1Jo_2:2; 1Jo_4:10.
The word here means properly to “appease,” to reconcile, to conciliate; and hence, to “propitiate” as to “sins;” that is, to propitiate God in reference to sins, or to render Him propitious. The Son of God became a man, that He might so fully enter into the feelings of the people as to be faithful, and that He might be qualified as a high priest to perform the great work of rendering God propitious in regard to sins. How He did this, is fully shown in the subsequent parts of the Epistle.
Hebrews 2:17
Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren,.... The adopted sons of God, who were brethren before Christ's incarnation, being from all eternity predestinated to the adoption of children: Christ's incarnation was in time, and after that many of the brethren existed; and it was only for their sakes that He assumed human nature; and therefore it was proper he should be like them in that nature, in all things: in all the essentials of it; it was not necessary that He should have it by natural generation; nor that it should have a subsistence in itself as theirs: and in all the properties and affections of it, that are, not sinful; for it did not behove Him to be like them in sin, nor in sickness, and in diseases of the body: and in all temptations; though in some things His differ from theirs; none of His arose from within; and those from without could make no impression on Him: and in sufferings, that there might be a conformity between the head and members; though there is in some things a difference; His sufferings were by way of punishment, and were attended with wrath, and were meritorious, which cannot be said of theirs; but that He should have an human nature, as to its essence and perfection, like to theirs, was necessary: it was proper He should be truly and really man, as well as truly God,
that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest; He could not be an high priest, offer sacrifice for sin, and make intercession, unless He was man; nor could He be a "merciful" and compassionate one, sympathize with His people in their sorrows, temptations, and sufferings, unless He was like them in these; nor would He be a "faithful", that is, a true and lawful one otherwise, because every high priest is taken from among men:
in things pertaining to God; in things in which God has to do with His people, as to preside in His name over them, to declare is will unto them, and bless them; and in things in which the people have to do with God, to offer to God a sacrifice for their sins, to present this sacrifice to Him, to appear in His presence for them, to carry in their petitions, and plead their cause as their advocate:
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people; of God's covenant people, the people He has chosen for himself, and given to His Son; and whom Christ saves from their sins, by making satisfaction for them, to the law and justice of God, which is here meant by reconciliation: and in order to this, which could not be done without blood, without sufferings and death, it was proper He should be man, and like unto His brethren: the allusion seems to be to the two goats on the day of atonement, one of which was to be slain, and the other let go; which were to be, as the Jews say (p), שוין, "alike", in colour, in stature, and in price; and so were the birds to be alike in the same things, that were used at the cleansing of the leper (q): and the Jews tell us (r), that the high priest was to be greater than his brethren, in beauty, in strength, in wisdom, and in riches; all which is true of Christ.
(p) Misna Yoma, c. 6. sect. 1. (q) Misna Negaim, c. 14. sect. 5. (r) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 9. 1. Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 5. sect. 1.
