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Heb_11:36. Others endured mockings and scourges, yea, moreover, bonds and prison. Ἕτεροι , in accordance with its verbal signification, introduces a heterogeneous class of heroes of the faith, i.e. a particular species of the ἄλλοι , mentioned as the genus Heb_11:35. As regards the subject itself, indeed, inexact, since, Heb_11:35, with ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν κ . τ . λ . reference was made not merely to 2 Maccabees 6., but—as the addition ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν clearly shows—at the same time to 2 Maccabees 7; the mention, however, of the scourging along with the mocking seems to admit of explanation only from the author’s referring to 2Ma_6:30 ( μαστιγούμενος ) and Heb_7:1 ( μάστιξι καὶ νευραῖς αἰκιζομένους ), as indeed the enduring of public mockery is expressly mentioned (in addition to 1Ma_9:26) at 2Ma_7:7 ( τὸν δεύτερον ἦγον ἐπὶ τὸν ἐμπαιγμόν ), and again 2Ma_7:10 ( μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ὁ τρίτος ἐνεπαίζετο ). On the other hand, however, it seems evident that it was the intention of the writer at Heb_11:36 in reality to draw attention to a dissimilar class of men; from the fact, even apart from the choice of the expression ἕτεροι , that in the case of the previous ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν κ . τ . λ . we are constrained to think of a death by martyrdom, while at Heb_11:36 the enhancing ἔτι δέ forbids our thinking of the martyr’s death, since, according to this, bonds and dungeon were a more severe trial than mocking and scourging. We must therefore suppose that the author designed further to refer to those, as forming a special category, who, without suffering actual death, were exposed to other kinds of tortures and miseries; that he still derived, however, the main colours for this new picture from the historic figure which but just now had been present to his mind in connection with the ἐτυμπανίσθησαν κ . τ . λ .
The enhancing ἔτι δέ is to be explained from the fact that ἐμπαιγμοὶ καὶ μάστιγες denotes the more transient suffering, in point of time more brief; δεσμοὶ καὶ φυλακή , on the other hand, the longer enduring sufferings.
πεῖραν λαμβάνειν ] here in the passive sense: to have experience of something. Otherwise Heb_11:29.
δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς ] Comp. 1Ma_13:12; 1Ki_22:27; Jeremiah 37, 38., al.