Hebrews 11:34-35

῎Εσβεσαν δύναμιν πυρὸς, ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας, ἐνεδυναμώθησαν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας, ἐγενη. θησαν ἰσχυροὶ ἐν πολέμῳ, παρεμβολὰς ἔκλιναν ἀλλοτρίων· ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν.

Hebrews 11:34. Quenched the violence [the power] of fire; escaped [fled from] the edge [edges] of the sword; out of weakness were made strong; waxed [were made] valiant [powerful, strong] in fight; turned to flight the armies of the aliens, [or, overthrew the tents or camps of the aliens.] Women received their dead [by a resurrection] raised to life again.

Six more instances of the power of faith are added unto those foregoing; and these taken from things of all sorts, to let us know that there is nothing of any kind whatever, wherein we may be concerned, but that faith will be useful and helpful in it.

1. The first instance is, that they “quenched the violence of fire.” He doth not say they quenched the fire, which may be done by natural means; but they took off, abated, restrained the power of fire, as if the fire itself had been utterly quenched. This, therefore, belongs unto the three companions of Daniel, who were cast into “the burning fiery furnace,” Daniel 3:23. The fire continued still, and had its burning power in it, for it slew the men that cast them into the furnace; but by faith they “quenched” or restrained the power and violence of it towards themselves, so as that “not an hair of their head was singed,” Hebrews 11:27.

And the faith of these men was considerable, in that it did not, consist in an assurance that they should be so miraculously delivered, but only in committing themselves unto the omnipotency and sovereignty of God in the discharge of their duty; as it is declared, Hebrews 11:16-18. A resolution to perform their duty, whatever was the event, committing the disposal of themselves unto the sovereignty of God, with a full persuasion of his power to do whatever he pleased, and that he would do whatever was for his own glory, was the faith whereby they “quenched the violence of fire.” And, As this faith is imitable in us (for though a miracle ensued on it, yet was it not the faith of miracles), so it will never fail of those blessed effects which tend unto the glory of God and good of the church.

2. They “escaped the edge of the sword; ” the edges of it, swords with two edges. In the Greek it is, “the mouths of the sword;” from the Hebrew, פִּי חֶרֶב : and a two-edged sword they call “a sword of mouths;” as in the Greek μάχαιρα δίστομος, Hebrews 4:12. “They escaped:” Vulg. Lat., “effugaverunt,” by an escape, for “effugerunt.” The way of their escape from death, when in danger of it by the sword, is intimated, namely, by flight from the danger; wherein God was present with them for their deliverance and preservation. So was it frequently with David when he fled from the sword of Saul, which was at his throat several times, and he escaped by flight; wherein God was with him. So did Elijah, when he was threatened to be slain by Jezebel, 1 Kings 19:3.

Now, this should seem rather to be the effect of fear than of faith; however, it had good success. But,

Obs. 1. It is the wisdom and duty of faith to apply itself unto all lawful ways and means of deliverance from danger. Not to use means, when God affords them unto us, is not to trust in him, but to tempt him. Fear will be in all cases of danger, and yet faith may have the principal conduct of the soul. And a victory is sometimes obtained by flight.

3. Some of them “out of weakness were made strong.” ᾿Ασθενεία is any kind of weakness or infirmity, moral or corporeal. In each of these senses it is used in the Scripture; to be without or to want strength in any kind. Frequently it is applied to bodily distempers, Luke 13:11-12; John 5:5; John 11:4; Acts 28:9. And so it is here used. For the conjecture of Chrysostom and others of the Greek scholiasts, that respect is had herein unto the Jews in the Babylonish captivity, who were weakened therein, and afterwards restored unto strength and power, hath no probability in it. They are the words in Isaiah that the apostle doth almost express: “The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness,” Isaiah 38:9. For this was through faith, as is evident in the story, and was in part miraculous.

Obs. 2. We ought to exercise faith about temporal mercies; as they are ofttimes received by it, and given in on the account of it. In the miraculous cure of many diseases by our Savior himself, there was a concurrence of the faith of them that were healed: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

4. Some of them through faith “waxed,” were made “valiant,” strong “in fight,” or battle. As this may be applied unto many of them, as Joshua, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, so David affirms of himself, that “God taught his hands to war, so as that a bow of steel was broken by his arms;” and, that “he did gird him with strength unto battle,” Psalms 18:34; Psalms 18:39; the same thing which is here affirmed.

5. Of the same kind is that which followeth: they “turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Erasmus renders these words, “incursiones averterunt exterorum,” they “turned away the incursions of the aliens;” mistaking both the words, as many have observed. Παρεμβολαὶ are the “camps,” the fortified tents of an army: but the word is used for an army itself; as Genesis 32:7; 1 Samuel 4:16; a host encamped, like that of the Midianites when Gideon went down unto it, Judges 7:10. And his overthrow of that host is here principally intended; for so it was signified in the dream, that the tents should be smitten and overturned, verse 13. But because the apostle useth the word in the plural number, it compriseth other enterprises of the like nature, as that of Barak, and of Jonathan against the Philistines, with the victories of Asa and Jehoshaphat; in all which there was an eminent exercise of faith, as the stories of them declare. And these “aliens” were those whom the Scripture calls זָריִם; that is, not only “foreigners,” but “strangers” from and “enemies” unto the church of God. And where this defense against foreign invasions is neglected, there can be no assured ground of security or deliverance, whatever the success may be.

6. It is added, “Women received their dead raised to life again.” These women were the widow of Zarephath, whose son Elijah raised from death, 1 Kings 17:22-24; and the Shunammite, whose son was raised by Elisha, 2 Kings 4:36. And it is said of them, that they received their children from the dead; for in both places the prophets, having raised them from the dead, gave them into their mothers'arms; who received them with joy and thankfulness. Their faith is not expressed; but respect is rather had unto the faith of the prophets, who obtained this miraculous operation by faith. However, at least one of them, namely, the Shunammite, seems to have exercised much faith in the whole matter. And it is said, “they received their dead,” their children which had been dead, ἐξ ἀναστάσεως, “out of” or “by a resurrection.”

These ten instances did the apostle choose out to give of the great things that had been done through faith, to assure the Hebrews, and us with them, that there is'nothing too hard or difficult for faith to effect, when it is set on work and applied according to the mind of God.