Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Hebrews 12:9

ἐνετρεπόμεθα. In classical Greek this verb is found with the gen. but in later Greek with an acc. as here. Comp. Matthew 21:37, ἐντραπήσονται τὸν υἱόν μου, Luke 18:4, ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἐντρέπομαι.

τῷ πατρὶ τῶν πνευμάτων. God might be called “the Father of the spirits,” as having created Angels and Spirits; but more probably the meaning is “the Father of our spirits,” as in Numbers 16:22, “the God of the spirits of all flesh.” God made our bodies and our souls, but our spirits are in a yet closer relation to Him (Job 12:10; Job 32:8; Job 33:4; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Zechariah 12:1; Isaiah 42:5, &c.). If it meant “the Author of spiritual gifts,” the expression would be far-fetched, and would be no contrast to “the father of our flesh.” Here and in Hebrews 7:10 theologians have introduced the purely verbal, meaningless, and insoluble dispute about Creationism and Traducianism—i.e. as to whether God separately creates the soul of each one of us, or whether we derive it through our parents by hereditary descent from Adam.

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Hebrews 12:9

Old Testament

New Testament