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Heb_9:17. Confirmatory elucidation of Heb_9:16. The words of the verse are connected together as parts of a single statement. We have no right to break up the same, in such wise that διαθήκη γὰρ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς βεβαία is made a parenthesis, and ἐπεὶ κ . τ . λ . joined to Heb_9:16 (Hofmann).
ἐπὶ νεκροῖς ] in the case of dead persons, i.e. only upon condition that the author of the διαθήκη is dead, or has died.
βεβαία ] firm or inviolable (comp. Heb_2:2), inasmuch, namely, as, after the death of the testator has supervened, the abrogation or alteration of the testament on his part is no longer possible.
μήποτε ] never. The making of μήποτε equivalent to μήπω or nondum (Vulgate, Faber Stapulensis, Erasmus, Luther, Schlichting, Böhme) is linguistically inadmissible. Oecumenius, Theophylact, Lud. de Dieu, Heinsius, Bengel, Chr. Fr. Schmid, Lachmann, Hofmann (Schriftbew. II. 1, 2 Aufl. p. 429), Delitzsch, and Ewald regard the word as an interrogative particle, which does not alter the sense, and might appear the preferable course, since, on the supposition of an assertory statement, the objective οὔποτε might have been expected in place of the subjective μήποτε . Nevertheless, elsewhere too, with later authors, the placing of the subjective negation is not at all rare after ἐπεί , when it introduces an objectively valid reason. See Winer, Gramm., 7 Aufl. p. 447; Buttmann, Gramm. des neutest. Sprachgebr. p. 304.
ἰσχύει ] sc. διαθήκη , not ὁ διαθέμενος (Peirce).