apprehension. So St Paul heard the divine voice in Hebrew. The heavenly things on which Moses was allowed to look took for him a shape, under the divine guidance, which could be reproduced on earth.
The command is applied to Solomon in Wisd. 9:8. Philo dwells upon the subordinate position of Bezaleel in regard to
Moses and finds in the interpretation of his name ejn skia'/ qeou' ( lae lxeB] ) an
indication of the position which his work occupied: Leg. Alleg. iii. § 31 (i. p. 106 M.); De Somn. i. § 35 (1.652 M.) to;n touvtou tou' plevgmato" dhmiourgo;n oJ iJero;" lovgo" Beseleh;l ejkavlesen, o}" eJrmhneuqeiv" ejstin, ejn skia'/ qeou' : ta; ga;r mimhvmata ou|to", ta; de; paradeivgmata ajrcitektonei' Mwu>sh'" o[noma . De Plant. Noae § 6 (1.333 M.). See Additional Note.
Heb. 8:6.
nu'n de; diaf.
...]
But now, as it is
, as the case really stands,
he
hath obtained
(
iJerourgw'n th;n uJpe;r hJmw'n pro;" to;n patevra mesiteivan
, Euth. Zig.)....For
nu'n dev
see Heb. 11:16: so
nuni; dev
Heb. 9:26. The form
tevtucen
occurs, though rarely, in late writers.
diaforwtevra"
...
kreivttono"
...] Latt.
melius...melioris
... The two words are used again together in close juxtaposition in Heb. 1:4. Perhaps
kreivttwn
has regard to intrinsic superiority and
diaforwvtero"
to a superiority which is manifested directly. Moreover
diaf.
recognises an exceptional excellence in that which is surpassed. The name of angels and the ministry of the Levitical priests were both excellent.
The word
leitourgiva"
goes back to 8:2
leitourgov"
.
diaf. o{sw/ kai; kr.
...] Compare Heb. 7:20 ff. for the converse argument.
diaq. mesivth"
] Latt.
testamenti mediator.
For
diaq. mesivth"
see Heb. 9:15; 12:24.
Elsewhere in N. T. mesivth" is used with the genitive of the person: Gal. 3:19 f. oJ mesivth" eJno;" oujk e[stin , 1 Tim. 2:5 mesivth" qeou' kai; ajnqrwvpwn . Comp. mesiteuvw Heb. 6:17. The word, which belongs to late Greek, answering to the Attic mesevgguo" , is found once in the LXX. Job 9:33; and it is found in Philo and Josephus.
A covenant generally, and obviously a covenant between God and man, requires a mediator, one who standing between the contracting parties shall bring them duly into fellowship. Mesivth" describes the action of Christ at the establishment of the New Covenant, as e[gguo" (Heb. 7:22) describes the position which He holds towards men by assuring them of its validity.
The use of the term suggests a point of superiority in Christ over the Aaronic High-priests. Moses was the mediator of the Law (Gal. 3:19; Philo de vit. Mos. iii. § 19; 2.160 M.), but Christ who is the High-priest is also the Mediator of the new Law. He combines the offices of Moses and Aaron. Comp. Heb. 3:1.
The limited office of the Mediator of a Covenant suggests the thought of the wider work of a Mediator, which occupied the minds of early speculators on the relation of God to Creation. Philo, for example, gives a noble picture of the Word standing between the creature and the Father of all, the messenger of divine order and the inspirer of human hope: Quis rer. div. haer. § 42 (1.502 M.) oJ de; aujto;" iJkevth" mevn ejsti tou' qnhtou' khraivnonto" ajei; pro;" to; a[fqarton : presbeuth;" de; tou' hJgemovno" pro;" to; uJphvkoon : ajgavlletai de; ejpi; th'/ dwrea'/ kai; semnunovmeno" aujth;n ejkdihgei'tai favskwn kai; ejgw; eiJsthvkein ajna; mevson kurivou kai; uJmw'n (comp. Num. 16:48).... Perhaps there