Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Hebrews 3:14

μέτοχοι γὰρ.… In Hebrews 3:6 the writer had adduced as the reason of his warning (βλέπετε) that participation in the salvation of Christ depended on continuance in the confident expectation that their heavenly calling would be fulfilled; and so impressed is he with the difficulty of thus continuing that he now returns to the same thought, and once again assigns the same reason for his warning: “For we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm to the end”. Delitzsch, Rendall, Bruce and others understand by μέτοχοι, “partners” or “fellows” of Christ, as if the faithful were not only the house of Christ (Hebrews 3:6) but shared His joy in the house. It may be objected that μέτοχοι in this Epistle (Hebrews 2:14; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 5:13; Hebrews 6:4; Hebrews 7:13; Hebrews 12:8) is regularly used of participators in something, not of participators with someone. In Hebrews 1:9, however, it is not so used. The idea of participating with Christ finds frequent expression in Scripture. See Matthew 25:21; Revelation 3:21. τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the article may link this mention of Christ's name with that in Hebrews 3:6; and, if so, μέτοχοι will naturally refer to companionship with Christ in His house. This companionship we have entered into and continue to enjoy [γεγόναμεν] on the same condition as above (Hebrews 3:6) ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν … “if at least we maintain the beginning of our confidence firm to the end”. ὑποστάσεως is used by LXX twenty times and represents twelve different Hebrew words [Hatch in Essays in Bibl. Greek says eighteen times representing fifteen different words, but cf. Concordance]. In Ruth 1:12; Psalms 39:8; Ezekiel 19:5 it means “ground of hope” [its primary meaning being that on which anything is based], hence it takes the sense, “hope” or “confidence”. Bleek gives examples of its use in later Greek, Polyb., iv. 50, οἱ δὲ Ῥόδιοι θεωροῦντες τὴν τῶν Βυζαντίων ὑπόστασιν, so vi. 55 of Horatius guarding the bridge. It also occurs in the sense of “fortitude,” bearing up against pain, υ. Diod. Sic., De Virt., p. 557, and Josephus, Ant., xviii. 1. Confidence the Hebrews already possessed [ἀρχὴν]; their test was its maintenance to the end [τέλους], i.e., till it was beyond trial, finally triumphant, in Christ's presence.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Hebrews 3:14

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