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Heb 2:9. Δὲ, but) The antithesis is between that in the psalm, which we do not yet see, and that which we already perceive fulfilled in Jesus. But what do we perceive? We perceive, as regards Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, that He, on account of the suffering of death, has been crowned with glory and honour. In this paragraph, ἠλαττωμένον (διὰ-ἐστεφανωμένον) ὅπως, κ.τ.λ., is a Chiasmus, such as Paul has, Gal 4:4-5 : and in the present clause, διὰ, κ.τ.λ. (which clause requires no point before δόξῃ), that for (on account of) which Jesus was crowned, namely, the suffering of death, is mentioned according to the natural order of the subject, and not without emphasis, before the actual crowning. The apostle takes away from the Jews the offensive scandal (stumbling-block) of the cross: and so refutes the argument, which might be drawn from the sufferings of Christ against His glory, and that glory the source of glory to us also, as that he even inverts it [turns it into an argument for, instead of against Christ]. He shows that the suffering of death is so far from obstructing the glory and honour of the Messiah, that it rather confirms them to us. Whence he infers, that the fact of Jesus being “made lower than the angels,” which was only for a little, did not refer to the circumstance that He should continue under the power of death, but that, after He had once suffered death to the utmost, He should have everything made subject to Him. It is Jesus to whom the humbling and crowning, as described in the psalm, apply. It is therefore the same Person, to whom also the power over all appropriately belongs, which (power) follows close after, in the gradation of the psalm.-βραχύ τι, for some little time [a little]) Some hours on the cross, days of suffering, years of toils, how little are they all, when compared with eternity!-παρʼ ἀγγέλους, than the angels) who are incapable of suffering and dying.-ἠλαττωμένον) made lower, less, a worm: comp. Luk 22:43. The participle implies, that Jesus of Himself, and for His own sake, might have entered upon glory without suffering; but the good of His brethren was likewise to be regarded.-Βλέπομεν, we perceive) The act of looking, saith he, speaks (of itself). The same word occurs, ch. Heb 3:19, Heb 10:25. The fact and the issue agree with the faith of the previous testimony; Heb 2:6, at the beginning.-τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου, the suffering of death) The suffering of death is the main feature [in His sufferings, and so is put for all the rest]: ch. Heb 5:7.-δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ, with glory and honour) becoming the Son of God. [Glory presupposes death; honour, suffering.-V. g.]-ἐστεφανωμένον, crowned) after death.-ὅπως, that) This ought to be connected with being made lower, and therefore denotes the end (the final cause).-χάριτι Θεοῦ, by the grace of God) Some formerly read χωρὶς[16] Θεοῦ, except God. Both readings give a good sense; let us look at each. The clause with χωρὶς, except, stands thus: Christ tasted death for every one except God. This sentence is to be explained by its members. I.) Πάντος, as the πάντα, occurring five times in Heb 2:8; Heb 2:10, is neuter, which is acknowledged by Orig. Theod. Ambros., quoted in Estius; for in the masculine it is wont to be plural, ὑπὲρ πάντων, 2Co 5:15; 1Ti 2:6 : and the plural, πάντων and πᾶσι, is generally masc., sometimes neuter; but παντὸς, παντὶ, put without a substantive or a participle, are always neut. [but Engl. Vers. “for every man”]. See above, at 2Co 11:6; Mar 9:49. The apostle shows the glory of Christ from the eighth Psalm, and especially from the clause, Thou hast put כל, everything, under His feet; and he supplies the emphasis of the singular number (He put everything), which is contained in that significant syllable כל, and was omitted by the LXX. transl., when he says, and only in this place, which is the leading strength (sinew) of his argument, ΠΑΝΤΌς. For ΠΑΝΤΌς, neut., without the article, is good Greek, since it is used by Hesiod, ΠΛΈΟΝ ἭΜΙΣΥ ΠΑΝΤΟς, the half (obtained by fair means) is more than the whole (obtained unfairly). This ΠᾶΝ, this all, to which οὐδὲν, nothing, likewise in the neuter, is opposed, Heb 2:8, and in which all, in the masc., are included, Joh 3:35-36, chiefly comprehends angels, than whom Christ had been made a little (or for a little) lower; and thus the Protasis and Apodosis correspond to each other, We do not yet see all things subject to Him, but yet that for which He tasted death is ALL (ΠᾶΝ), ‘Omne.’ II.) To taste death, implies the reality, and yet in this place also the shortness, of death; as Chrysostom, Sedulius, Haymo, Flacius, on this passage, acknowledge. III.) Hence we at length gather the meaning of ὙΠῈΡ, for all (παντὸς, omni); Germ, um alles, not für alle: ὑπὲρ denotes here the thing to be obtained, as in Joh 11:4; 2Co 1:6; 2Co 12:8; 2Co 12:19; 2Th 1:5. He tasted death for all (omni), that He might claim all (‘omne’) for Himself, that He might obtain power over all things: or in other words, for this, that what was written might be fulfilled to Him, Thou hast put ALL (OMNE) under His feet. IV.) That All has a very manifest and proper exception. Paul, 1Co 15:27, treating of the same psalm, the same verse, and the same word, כל, all, adds, it is manifest that He is excepted, who put all things under Him. The same exception therefore is made in this place, ΧΩΡῚς ΘΕΟῦ ὙΠῈΡ ΠΑΝΤΌς, all, but God, is subject to Christ: χωρὶς is used to express an exception. So Epiphanius, διὰ παντὸς, χωρὶς πεντηκοστῆς, at all times except Pentecost: hæres. lxxv. Thomas Magister writes, ΤῸ ΠΛῊΝ ΚΑῚ ΤῸ ἘΚΤῸς, ΤῸ ΧΩΡΊς ΔΗΛΟῦΣΙ; ΧΩΡῚς is explained by πλὴν and ἘΚΤῸς, except. Theodoritus acknowledges that χωρὶς in this passage expresses an exception; and the parallelism of the psalm shows us what the exception is. And the exception itself very significantly, and yet, lest the discourse should he interrupted, very briefly, points out the vast extent of the things subject to Christ, which are absolutely all but God; and the exception is properly put before the subject, from which the exception is made. The same clause, if ΧΆΡΙΤΙ, by grace, be retained, will be thus explained: that by the grace of GOD He might taste death for everything. By the grace of GOD in regard to us, Gal 2:21; Rom 5:8, and to Jesus Himself. His enemies thought that Jesus suffered and died in consequence of the wrath of GOD, Psa 22:8-9; Psa 69:27; Isa 53:4; Joh 19:7. But it was altogether by the grace of God, that He suffered and died, of which grace the gift is honour and glory: Php 2:9, ἐχαρίσατο, “God hath given Him,” etc.; Luk 2:40; Luk 2:52; Rom 5:15. And this noun, ΧΆΡΙΤΙ, expresses the same idea as the verbs, ΜΙΜΝΉΣΚῌ, ἘΠΙΣΚΈΠΤῌ, rememberest (“art mindful”), visitest, Heb 2:6, from that eighth Psalm. In this interpretation, ὙΠῈΡ ΠΑΝΤῸς might be equivalent to for all (men), Germ. für alle, so far as the preposition is concerned, but the neuter, παντός, is an objection [therefore it must be for everything: in order that everything may be subject to Him]. We now inquire which reading is genuine. I am not ignorant that ΧΆΡΙΤΙ is more favourably received than ΧΩΡῚς, and I would be disposed, without any trouble, to dismiss the latter and adopt the former. But when the question concerns the word of GOD, even one little word of GOD, we ought to settle nothing merely to gain time. The over-officiousness of the transcribers, which seeks after all things plain, more easily changed ΧΩΡῚς into ΧΆΡΙΤΙ, than ΧΆΡΙΤΙ into ΧΩΡῚς; and yet ΧΩΡῚς remains in ancient, numerous, and important documents. The list is given in App. Crit. To them may be added the book of the Abbot Anastasius against the Jews, who flourished in Palestine in the eighth century, directly exhibiting this reading. Nor will any one, I hope, call in question this reading, nor the interpretation which has been here proposed by us; yet it is open to the reader to consider the matter more fully. La Croze, lib. 3., de Christianismo Indico, c. iii, § 64, shows the consistency (unanimous agreement) of the Syriac copies in joining both readings.-ΓΕΎΣΗΤΑΙ, might taste) The reality of death is implied in this phrase, as everywhere else; and here, as we have said, at the same time the shortness (τὸ βραχὺ) of its duration, for denoting which the gen. θανάτου is well fitted; comp. ch. Heb 6:4, note. To taste a part of death is one thing; a part or the shortness of the time, in which the whole of death is tasted, is another.[17] Mat 16:28 does not present any objection to the signification of shortness of duration; for there the expression is negative, as in Luk 14:24. Moreover, Psalms 34 :(8) 9, gives weight to this view, γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε, i.e. Only taste and you will see; otherwise taste would not be put before sight.
[16] ABCD(Δ)f Vulg. read χάριτι. Orig. 4, 41c, 392b, 393c, 450b, reads χωρὶς: but in the two first places quoted he mentions the reading χάριτι, but evidently not as the generally received one.-ED.
[17] It is the latter, not the former, that is true of Jesus; for He tasted the whole of death, though its duration was short.-ED.