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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadHeinrich Meyer Commentary - Hebrews 11:40 - 11:40
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Heb_11:40. The ground for the οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν lay in the decree of God, that those believers should not apart from us attain to the consummation.
τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένον ] God having, with regard to us, foreseen (predetermined) something better.
προβλέπειν ] in the N. T. only here.
On account of the emphatically preposed περὶ ἡμῶν , which forms the contrast to οὗτοι πάντες , Heb_11:39, κρεῖττόν τι cannot be placed absolutely: “Something better than would otherwise have been our portion” (Schlichting, Seb. Schmidt, Huët). With this thought, moreover, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν would not have been in keeping, since, instead thereof, ἵνα σὺν αὐτοῖς τελειωθῶμεν must have been written. The sense can only be: in regard to us something better than in regard to them. In regard to us something better, inasmuch as when they lived the appearing of the Redeemer as yet belonged to the distant future, and was an object of longing desire (Mat_13:16 f.; Luk_10:23 f.); but now Christ has in reality appeared, has accomplished the redemption, and presently after a brief interval will return, to bring to full realization the Messianic kingdom with all its blessings of salvation. Comp. Heb_10:25; Heb_10:36 f.
ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν ] Declaration of the divine design: that they not without us should attain to the consummation. Without us, i.e. without our having entered into the joint participation in the consummation, they would have attained to the consummation, if Christ had already appeared in their time, and so they had already attained during their lifetime to the possession of the promised Messianic bliss. For then we should not have been born at all; since, according to the declaration of the Lord (Mat_22:30; Mar_12:25; Luk_20:35 f.), in the consummated kingdom of God a marrying and being given in marriage will no longer take place.