Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Sorer, [ cheironos (G5501) timoorias (G5098)] - 'worse vengeance' than any temporal punishment.

Suppose ye - an appeal to the Hebrews' conscience.

Thought worthy - by God at the judgment.

Trodden under foot the Son of God - and so God Himself, who 'glorified His Son as an High Priest;' by 'wilful' apostasy (Hebrews 5:5; Hebrews 6:6). Wherewith he was sanctified - for Christ died even for him (2 Peter 2:1). "Sanctified," in the full sense belongs only to the saved elect; but in some sense it belongs also to those who have gone far in Christian experience, yet fall away at last.

An unholy thing, [ koinon (G2839)] - 'common:' opposed to "sanctified:" as if Christ were a common man, and so, in claiming to be God, guilty of blasphemy, and deserving to die!

Done despite unto, [ enubrisas (G1796)] - 'insulted,' repelling in fact; as 'blasphemy,' in words (Mark 3:29). 'Of the Jews who became Christians and relapsed to Judaism, we find from the history of Uriel Acosta that a blasphemy was required against Christ. They applied to Him epithets used against Moloch, "the adulterous branch," etc. In their prayer Olenu they spit while they mention His name' (Tholuck).

The Spirit of (that confers) grace. 'He who does not accept the benefit insults the Bestower. He hath made thee a son: wilt thou become a slave? He has come to take up His abode with thee; but thou admittest evil into thyself' (Chrysostom). 'For him who profanes the Christ without him, and blasphemes the Christ within him, there is subjectively no renewal, and objectively no new sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26; Hebrews 6:6)' (Tholuck).

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