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consequences of their want of faith when on earth they refused him that dealt with them, much less shall we escape who are turning away from him that dealeth with us from heaven. The long sufferings in the wilderness witnessed to the punishment of that unbelief which made the people rescued from Egypt unfit and unwilling to hold converse with God. Their sin was not in the request that Moses only should speak to them (Deut. 5:28), but in the temper which made the request necessary (Deut. 5:29).

The position of ejpi; gh'" , when tovn is transferred according to the true reading, makes it impossible to take the words exclusively with to;n crhmativzonta (as in to;n ejpi; gh'" crhmativzonta ). They qualify the whole clause which follows: If they escaped not when on earth (having their position on earth) they refused (begged no longer to hear) him that dealt with them ....
The scene and the conditions of the revelation, the trial and the failure, were earthly, on earth.

The corresponding phrase ajpj oujranw'n expresses only the position of the revealer and not that of those to whom the revelation is given. Hence it is limited by its place to Him ( to;n ajpj oujr. ). For ejkei'noi see Heb. 4:2. The word paraithsavmenoi ( when they refused ...) takes up parh/thvsanto in 12:19. The object then was not the voice of Moses but the voice of God. It seems to follow necessarily therefore that the object here ( to;n crhmativzonta ) must be God and not the minister of God. Thus the contrast is not between the two mediators Moses and Christ, but between the character of these two revelations which God made, ‘on earth’ and ‘from heaven.’

For crhmativzonta compare Heb. 8:5 ( kecr. Mwush'" ); 11:7. The word appears to be specially chosen to describe the manifold circumstances connected with the giving of the Law.
p. m. hJmei'" (sc. oujk ejkfeuxouvmeqa ) oiJ to;n ajpj oujr. ajpostr. ] The form in which this supposition is expressed is remarkable. The writer does not say ‘if we turn away from him’ ( to;n ajpj oujr. ajpostr. ), nor yet ‘after turning away from’ ( ajpostrafevnte" 2 Tim. 1:15). He looks upon the action as already going on, and does not shrink from including himself among those who share in it:
we who are turning away ,’ if indeed we persevere in the spirit of unfaithfulness.

The phrase to;n ajpj oujranw'n ( him that dealt and dealeth with us from heaven ) is left in an undefined and general form as including the work of the Son on earth and after He was glorified, through Whom the Father speaks. His revelation was ‘from heaven’ in both cases.

In one sense God ‘spake from heaven’ when He gave the Law (Ex. 20:22; Deut. 4:36), but His voice even then was ‘of earth.’

For ajpostrefovmenoi compare Tit. 1:14; Matt. 5:42; 2 Tim. 1:15. The tense stands in marked contrast with that used in the former clause ( paraithsavmenoi, ajpostrefovmenoi ). The action if commenced was not yet completed.

Heb. 12:26. ou| hJ fwnhv ...] The words go back to v. 25 to;n lalou'nta Ex. 19:18 f. (Heb.). JOra'/" o{ti tovte oJ lalw'n aujto;" h\n oJ nu'n ajpj oujranou' crhmativzwn hJmi'n (Theophlct.).

For ejsavleusen compare Ex. 19:18 (Heb.); Judges 5:4 f. gh' ejseivsqh ... o[rh ejsaleuvqhsan . Ps. 114:7 (LXX.) ajpo; proswvpou kurivou ejsaleuvqh hJ gh' .


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