( diakonhvsante" ). A present ejndeivknusqe is spontaneously supplied with diakonou'nte" . The name (compare Heb. 13:15) is specially mentioned (rather than towards Him) because the sonship of believers is included in it; and the Hebrews had satisfied the claim on Christian love which lay in that common tie.
The false translation of eij" to; o[noma of the Latin ( in nomine ), which obscures, if it does not wholly alter, the sense, is the uniform Latin translation of eij" to; o[noma . In some places it leads (as here) to very serious misunderstanding; and it commonly influenced the A. V., as in the rendering of the most important phrases:
(1)
baptivzein eij" to; o[noma
, Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:16; 19:5; 1 Cor. 1:13,
15.
(2)
sunavgesqai eij" to; o[noma
, Matt. 18:20 (so R. V.).
(3)
pisteuvein eij" to; o[n
., John 1:12; 2:23; 3:18; 1 John 5:13. Compare Matt. 10:41 f.
diakonhvsante" toi'" aJgivoi"
] See Heb. 10:32 ff. Compare Rom. 15:25. The thought is of service to Christians as Christians, Heb. 13:24 (3:1); and not to Christians as men. Love of the brethren (Heb. 13:1) is crowned at last by love (2 Pet. 1:7).
There is nothing in such passages as Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:1 to show that the Christians at Jerusalem had the title oiJ a{gioi specially. Comp. Rom. 12:13.
The title is used again of Christians in the Epistle: Heb. 13:24, who are elsewhere addressed as ajdelfoiv (3:12; 10:19; 13:22), ajgaphtoiv (v. 9, ajdelfoi; a{gioi (3:1).
( b ) The Apostle's wish. 6:11, 12. The activity of practical love among the Hebrews fills the Apostle with the desire that the spirit from which this springs may find a wider work among them in the strengthening of hope and faith, through which alone the divine promises can be realised.
6:11. ejpiqumou'men dev ...] Action alone is not sufficient, nor can it be sustained without the inspiration of hope.
The word of strong personaleven passionatedesire, coveting (
ejpiqumou'men
), is expressive of the intense longing of the writer. There is no exact parallel. Compare 1 Pet. 1:12; (1 Tim. 3:1). Chrysostom dwells on the expression:
ejpiqumou'men fhsivn
:
oujk a[ra mevcri rJhmavtwn tou'to boulovmeqa movnon
; and again
oujk ei\pe qevlw o{per h\n didaskalikh'" aujqentiva", ajllj o} patrikh'" h\n filostorgiva" kai; plevon tou' qevlein
; and so later Fathers.
e{kaston uJmw'n
] The desire is individual, while the expression of confidence is general (Heb. 6:9). In this way the force of
ejpiqumou'men
is strengthened. The writer's wish goes beyond the general character of the body, or the perfection of some of the members of it.
Kai; megavlwn kai; mikrw'n oJmoivw" khvdetai
(Chrys.).
th;n aujth;n ejnd. sp.
...
tevlou"
] The desire of the writer is that the
Hebrews should shew the same zeal in other directions as they shewed in works of love. Their hope was chilled. It was essential that this should be rekindled in regard to, with a view to securing
the fulness of hope even to the end
(Vulg.
ad expletionem
[d e
confirmationem
]
spei
).
For the phrase hJ plhroforiva th'" ejlpivdo" compare Heb. 10:22