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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb_13:1-6
1Let love of the brethren continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 4Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will Judges 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, 6"so that we confidently say,
"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?"
Heb_13:1
NASB "Let love of the brethren continue"
NKJV "Let brotherly love continue"
NRSV "Let mutual love continue"
TEV "Keep on loving one another as Christians"
NJB "Continue to love one another like brothers"
This is a present active imperative (not a subjunctive, as NASB translates), meaning "abide" or "continue." The thing the readers are to continue is "brotherly love" (philadelphia, cf. Rom_12:10; 1Th_4:9; 1Pe_3:8). They have done this in the past (cf. Heb_6:10; Heb_10:32-35) and are encouraged to continue. It is a clear sign that one knows God (cf. Joh_13:34-38; Joh_15:12; Joh_15:17; 1Jn_2:10; 1Jn_3:11; 1Jn_3:14; 1Jn_3:17-24; 1Jn_4:7-21; 2Jn_1:5, see hyperlink.).
There are several philoô compounds.
1. brother love, Heb_13:1
2. stranger love, Heb_13:2
3. money love, Heb_13:5
Heb_13:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers" This is a present middle (deponent) imperative. It is a compound of "phileô" and "stranger" i.e., "love of strangers." There were no motels in those days except immoral inns and they were very expensive. Christians are called on to open their homes to itinerant ministers (cf. Mat_25:35; Rom_12:13; 1Ti_3:2; Tit_1:8; 1Pe_4:9; 2 John; Didache 11:4-6).
▣ "entertained angels without knowing it" This is an allusion to Genesis 18, where Abraham meets three angels who looked like men (cf. also Tobit chapters 4-7). Angels also appeared to Gideon (Judges 6); Manoah (Judges 13); Lot (Genesis 19); Hagar (Genesis 21). This does not mean that Christians may have angels visit; as men of old helped strangers and received a blessing, so too, are believers to do.
Heb_13:3 "Remember the prisoners" This is a present middle (deponent) imperative. These readers had followed Christ's words of Mat_25:44-45, for in Heb_10:32-36 they had helped other believers. Their imprisonment was not for evil deeds, but for their faith in Christ (cf. 1Pe_4:14-15). Imprisonment was a real possibility for all early believers, as it is for many believers in today's world also.
▣ "since you yourselves also are in the body" This could refer to (1) the physical body (cf. 2Co_12:2, same Greek structure), susceptible to persecution and imprisonment or (2) the body of Christ (although the text does not have the expected Greek article), the Church, which was the object of persecution.
Heb_13:4 "Marriage is to be held in honor among all" There is no verb. If one supplies an indicative, "is," then the statement is against false teaching (cf. 1Co_7:38, which made marriage morally inferior to celibacy or 1Ti_4:3). If one supplies an imperative, "Let. . .be. . .," as in NASB of Heb_13:1, then it is an encouragement against the immoral tendencies of pagan culture (Heb_13:4 favors this option).
▣ "the marriage bed is to be undefiled" Marriage is a gift from God and the norm for all (cf. Gen_1:28; Gen_9:1; Gen_9:7). It is not sinful or shameful. The Greek philosophical concept of asceticism, the view that the body is evil and that to deny its wants and needs show a superior spirituality, affected the early church! And still does! The term "undefiled" is used in Heb_7:26 to describe the sexual purity of Jesus, our high priest. It was used in the Septuagint to refer to adultery.
This warning against sexual promiscuity is surprising if this book is written to Jewish people. The Gentile culture of the first century was characterized by sexual exploitation, but not the Jewish community. There is so much about the historical setting and recipients of Hebrews that is uncertain.
▣ "fornicators" The term in the OT means sexual relations between two unmarried people, but in the NT it has the wider connotation of sexual immorality of any kind. We get the English word "pornography" from this Greek term.
▣ "adulterers"This refers to sexual relations between people, one or both of whom are married to other people. Sexual sins were a major concern of the early church because of the rampant immorality and worship practices of pagan culture (cf. Gal_5:19-21).
▣ "God will judge" God's judgment of improper human sexuality can be seen in Rom_1:24-32; Gal_5:19-21; Eph_4:19; Col_3:5; Rev_21:8; Rev_22:15. However, there are other passages like 1Co_5:5 and 1Ti_1:9-11, which relate to believers who commit these immoral acts. The early church had to face immorality in the lives of believers and try to draw some guidelines.
1. they need to repent
2. other believers are to help them (cf. Gal_6:1; Jas_5:16; Jas_5:19-20)
3. believers are not to be "best" friends with immoral believers (cf. 1Co_5:9-13).
The Christian witness of morality, strong marriages, hospitality, and brotherly love are as crucial today as in the first century.
Heb_13:5
NASB "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money"
NKJV "Let your conduct be without covetousness"
NRSV, TEV "keep your lives free from the love of money"
NJB "Put avarice out of your lives"
There is no verb, again an imperative is implied. The noun is a compound of
1. an alpha privative
2. phileô ( the third compound with phileô since Heb_13:1), to love
3. a silver coin
It means "not a lover of money." The problem is not the money, but the love of money (cf. Luk_12:15; Luk_16:14; 1Ti_3:3; 1Ti_6:10; 1Ti_6:17-19; 2Ti_3:2).
▣ "being content with what you have" This is a present passive participle used in an imperatival sense. This is a key issue for happiness. It is a worldview that does not focus on the physical and the immediate. Contentment is a wonderful gift from God that must be accepted by faith and lived out daily (cf. 2Co_9:8; Php_4:11-12; 1Ti_6:6-10).
▣ "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" This is a loose quote with two emphatic double negatives, taken from God's promises to His leaders and people. God is with us and for us (cf. Deu_31:6-7; Jos_1:5; 1Ch_28:20; Isa_41:10; Isa_41:13-14; Isa_41:17). Believers do not have to fear for daily provisions (cf. Mat_6:19-34).
Heb_13:6 "The Lord" This is a quote from the Septuagint of Psa_118:6, but this same truth is also found in Psa_56:4; Psa_56:11.
▣ "The Lord is my helper" Psalms 118 is a powerful word of confidence in God's love, forgiveness, presence, and help.
The noun "helper" is used only here in the NT (but the verb is in Heb_2:18), but is used often in the LXX. It means "to give aid," "to come to one's rescue."
▣ "What will man do to me" This great truth (cf. Psa_56:4; Psa_56:11; Psa_118:6) is also stated in slightly different terms in Rom_8:31 b and then illustrated in Heb. 8:32-39.