Hebrews 3
3
Jesus, Greater than Moses
1And so, dear brothers and sisters, you are now made holy, and each of you is invited to the feast # 3:1 Or “sharers of the feast.” of your heavenly calling. # 3:1 Or “you participate as partners in the heavenly calling.” The Greek phrase, “heavenly calling” implies an invitation to a celestial feast. It could also be translated “you are called to share the life of heaven.” This calling originates in heaven and draws us into heaven. However, in the Aramaic this phrase can be translated “called with a calling [from heaven],” which is the Aramaic title of the third book of the Torah, Leviticus, and refers to the calling of the Levites as priests. So fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus, # 3:1 Or “you have discovered this Jesus.” The Aramaic can be translated “Jesus, the Messiah.” whom we embrace # 3:1 Or “with whom is our legally binding agreement.” as our Apostle and King-Priest. # 3:1 God joins the apostolic and priestly ministries together in Christ. An apostle will always release God’s people into their priestly calling of entering into the holy of holies without going through a system, a church or a person. The word “King-Priest” is from the Aramaic, which uses a word for a priest not of the Levitical order. Jesus could not be a “High Priest” for he was not born in the tribe of Levi, or a descendant of Aaron, but was of the tribe of Judah. So the word here for priest is not cohen, but the Aramaic word kumrea, the word used for Jethro and Melchizedek. See Gen. 14:18; Ex. 2:16; 3:1; 18:1. 2For he was faithful to the Father who appointed him, in the same way that Moses was a model of faithfulness in what was entrusted to him. # 3:2 Or “who was faithful in all his house.” See Num. 12:7. 3But Jesus is worthy to receive a much greater glory than Moses, for the one who builds a house deserves to be honored more than the house he builds. 4Every house is built by someone, but God is the Designer and Builder of all things.
5Indeed, Moses served God faithfully in all he gave him to do. # 3:5 Or “in all God’s house.” His work prophetically illustrates # 3:5 Or “to testify.” The Aramaic can be translated “he believed all the evidence in the house” (or “tabernacle”). That is, Moses saw and believed that the tabernacle and all its furnishings were an illustration of something greater that God would unveil later on. things that would later be spoken and fulfilled. # 3:5 Or “to give testimony to things that would be spoken.” 6But Christ is more than a Servant, he was faithful as the Son in charge of God’s house. And now we are part of his house if we continue courageously to hold firmly to our bold confidence and our victorious hope. # 3:6 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “the pride [rejoicing] of our hope.”
Secrets from Psalm 95
7This is why the Holy Spirit says, # 3:7 See Ps. 95:7–11. Notice the truth that the Bible is the Holy Spirit of God speaking to us.
“If only you would listen to his voice this day! # 3:7 The Aramaic can be translated “the echo of his voice.” See also v. 15.
8Don’t make him # 3:8 As translated from the Aramaic. angry by hardening your hearts,
like your ancestors did during the days of their rebellion, # 3:8 The Aramaic could be translated “just like the bitterness at Marah.”
when they were tested in the wilderness.
9There your fathers tested me and tried my patience # 3:9 This refers to incidents that took place at Massah [testing] and Meribah [strife]. See Ex. 17:7; Num. 20:13. The Septuagint, instead of transliterating those names, translates their meanings and includes them here in the text. A Hebrew reader would have no difficulty in understanding the obvious inference of the rebellion that took place in the desert.
even though they saw my miracles # 3:9 Or “works,” however, these works are miracles, when considering the plagues of Egypt, the Passover miracle, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna falling from the sky, water from the rock, etc. for forty years
they still doubted me! # 3:9 The Greek is taken from the Septuagint and is literally “There they tested me by trial.” That is, they continually doubted God’s faithfulness to them. We must never doubt God, even in a season of difficulty.
10This ignited my anger with that generation
and I said about them, ‘They wander in their hearts
just like they do with their feet,
and they refuse to learn my ways.’
11My heart grieved # 3:11 The Greek word orge is used for any emotion of extreme passion, usually anger. over them so I decreed:
‘They will not enter into my rest!’ ”
12So search your hearts every day, # 3:12 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “Take care.” my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, # 3:12 Or “rebel against.” and make you unresponsive to the living God. 13This is the time to encourage # 3:13 Or “warn.” each other to never be stubborn or hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. # 3:13 The Aramaic can be translated “the sin of the deceiver.” The deceiver could be referring to the devil, or to our own ability to be self-deceived. 14For we are mingled with the Messiah, # 3:14 Or “We are all business partners of Christ.” The Aramaic can be translated “We are all sewn [together] with Christ.” if we will continue unshaken in this confident assurance # 3:14 The Aramaic can be translated “we are joined [leavened] in the resurrection through him.” from the beginning until the end.
15For again, the Scriptures say, # 3:15 See Ps. 95:7–8.
If only today you would listen to his voice.
Don’t make him angry # 3:15 As translated from the Aramaic. by hardening your hearts,
as you did in the wilderness rebellion.
16The same people who were delivered from bondage and brought out of Egypt by Moses, were the ones who heard and still rebelled. 17They grieved God for forty years # 3:17 See Num. 14:33–34. by sinning in their unbelief, until they dropped dead in the desert. 18So God swore an oath that they would never enter into his calming place of rest all because they disobeyed him. 19It is clear that they could not enter into their inheritance because they wrapped their hearts in unbelief.
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Hebrews 3: TPT
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