How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? which having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

“"For if the word spoken by Angels" (saith he) "was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken to us by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?" Next, when he had said, "For if the word which was spoken by Angels was steadfast" - he did not add, much more that by Christ: but letting this pass, he said what is less, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" And see how he makes the comparison. "For if the word which was spoken by Angels," saith he. There, "by Angels," here, "by the Lord" - and there "a word," but here, "salvation." Then lest any man should say, Thy sayings, O Paul, are they Christ's? he proves their trustworthiness both from his having heard these things of Him, and from their being now spoken by God; since not merely a voice is wafted, as in the case of Moses, but signs are done, and facts bear witness. But what is this, "For if the word spoken by Angels was steadfast"? For in the Epistle to the Galatians also he saith to this effect, "Being ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator." And again, "Ye received a law by the disposition of Angels, and have not kept it." And everywhere he saith it was given by angels. Some indeed say that Moses is signified; but without reason. For here he says Angels in the plural: and the Angels too which he here speaks of, are those in Heaven. What then is it? Either he means the Decalogue only (for there Moses spake, and God answered him), - or that angels were present, God disposing them in order, - or that he speaks thus in regard of all things said and done in the old Covenant, as if Angels had part in them. But how is it said in another place, "The Law was given by Moses," and here "by Angels"? For it is said, "And God came down in thick darkness." "For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast." What is "was steadfast"? True, as one may say; and faithful in its proper season; and all the things which had been spoken came to pass. Either this is his meaning, or that they prevailed, and the threatenings were coming to be accomplished. Or by "the word" he means injunctions. For apart from the Law, Angels sent from God enjoined many things: for instance at Bochim, in the Judges, in [the history of] Samson. For this is the cause why he said not "the Law" but "the word." And he seems to me haply rather to mean this, viz., those things which are committed to the management of angels. What shall we say then? The angels who were entrusted with the charge of the nation were then present, and they themselves made the trumpets, and the other things, the fire, the thick darkness. "And every transgression and disobedience," saith he. Not this one and that one, but "every" one. Nothing, he saith, remained unavenged, but "received a just recompense of reward," instead of [saying] punishment. Why now spake he thus? Such is the manner of Paul, not to make much account of his phrases, but indifferently to put down words of evil sound, even in matters of good meaning. As also in another place he saith, "Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." And again he hath put "the recompense" for punishment, as here he calleth punishment "reward." "If it be a righteous thing," he saith, "with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you who are troubled rest." That is, justice was not violated, but God went forth against them, and caused the penalty to come round on the sinners, though not all their sins are made manifest, but only where the express ordinances were transgressed. "How then shall we," he saith, "escape if we neglect so great salvation?" Hereby he signified, that other salvation was no great thing. Well too did he add the "So great." For not from wars (he saith) will He now rescue us, nor bestow on us the earth and the good things that are in the earth, but it will be the dissolution of death, the destruction of the devil, the kingdom of Heaven, everlasting life. For all these things he hath briefly expressed, by saying, "if we neglect so great salvation." "Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord": that is, had its beginning from the fountain itself. It was not a man who brought it over into the earth, nor any created power, but the Only-Begotten Himself. "And was confirmed unto us by them that heard [Him]." What is "confirmed"? It was believed, or, it came to pass. For (he saith) we have the earnest; that is, it hath not been extinguished, it hath not ceased, but it is strong and prevaileth. And the cause is, the Divine power works therein. It means they who heard from the Lord, themselves confirmed us. This is a great thing and trustworthy: which also Luke saith in the beginning of his Gospel, "As they delivered unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word." How then was it confirmed? What if those that heard were forgers? saith some one. This objection then he overthrows, and shows that the grace was not human. If they had gone astray, God would not have borne witness to them; for he subjoined, "God also bearing witness with them." Both they indeed bear witness, and God beareth witness too.”

“Since the message was proclaimed in former times by angels but now by the Son, he draws [this] logical and obvious conclusion.… And, just as though you had asked, "what salvation?" he replied as follows, in order to show that he was referring to the salvation of the New Testament, that is, to the word not spoken by the angels but by the Lord.”

“Above, the Apostle showed in many ways the superiority of Christ over the Angels; here from this he concludes that the teaching of Christ, namely the New Testament, must be obeyed more than the Old Testament. And concerning this he does three things. For first he sets down the intended conclusion; second he brings forward a reason for the intended conclusion; third he confirms the consequence of the reason. The first, at the beginning; the second, where he says "For if that which through Angels"; the third, where he says "For not to Angels." Concerning the first it must be known that in Ex. 23:20, after the judicial and moral precepts of the law had been given, he adds: "Behold, I send my Angel," etc., and there follows: "Observe therefore and hear his voice," etc. If therefore the command of the Angel, through whom the law was given, were kept, entrance would be prepared to the homeland. Whence also in Matt. 19:17 it is said: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." It is necessary therefore to keep those commandments of the law; therefore it is necessary all the more to obey the commandments of him who is greater than the Angels, through whom the law was given. And this is what he says: "Therefore we ought more abundantly to observe the things which we have heard." Abd. 1:1: "We have heard a hearing from the Lord." Hab. 3:2: "Lord, I have heard thy hearing, and I feared." It is necessary therefore to observe more abundantly. And he says "more abundantly" on account of three things: first, on account of the authority of the one speaking, because this one is creator and Son of God, and that one a creature and minister of God. Acts 5:29: "We ought to obey God rather than men," and also than Angels. Second, on account of the usefulness of the things said, because they are words of eternal life. John 6:69: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of life," etc.; those others are of temporal goods. Is. 1:19: "If you be willing and hearken to me, you shall eat the good things of the land," etc. Third, on account of the sweetness of observance, because these things are sweet: 1 John 5:3: "His commandments are not heavy," and Matt. 11:30: "My yoke is sweet," etc.; those others are heavy: Acts 15:10: "This is a burden which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear." Second, he shows the same thing from the imminent danger, when he says "lest perhaps we should flow utterly away," that is, be eternally damned. Here it must be known that one flows away through bodily punishments — 2 Kings 19:14: "We slide away like waters upon the ground" — one flows out through fault, but one flows utterly away, bodily, through eternal damnation, because not even a shard remains. Is. 30:14: "It shall be broken as the potter's vessel is broken with a mighty destruction, and there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd." Next he brings forward a reason for this, which contains a single conditional containing a comparison of the New and the Old Testament. In the antecedent is set down the condition of the Old Testament; in the consequent, the condition of the New Testament. Concerning the Old, however, he sets down three things: namely, the authority of the law; second, the firmness of its truth, where he says "which was made firm"; third, the necessity of observing it, where he says "and every transgression." First he sets down the authority, because the law was not given by human reason, but through Angels. Gal. 3:19: "ordained by Angels," etc. Acts 7:38: "This is that Moses who was in the church in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on mount Sinai," etc. Nor is this to be wondered at, because, as Dionysius proves, revelations of divine illuminations come to us by the mediation of Angels. The firmness of the truth, however, he shows when he says "which was made firm," because everything that was foretold in the old law was entirely fulfilled. Matt. 5:18: "One iota or one tittle shall not pass from the law till all things be done"; and Prov. 12:19: "The lip of truth shall be firm for ever"; and the Psalm: "The things that proceed from my lips I will not make void." It was made firm, therefore, because it was not made void. He shows the necessity by which transgressors are punished. Whence he says "and every transgression and disobedience," etc. Where he sets down one thing which corresponds to a twofold fault, namely the sin of omission and of transgression. The first corresponds to affirmative precepts, the other to negative ones. The first is signified by the name of disobedience. But is disobedience a general sin? And it seems that it is, from what is said here. To which it must be said that a sin is called special from the intention of a special end. Whence when someone does not keep a precept with this intention, that he may despise the precept, thus it is a special sin; but when it is from some other cause, for instance when it is from concupiscence, then it is a condition following upon sin, but not however a special sin. The other, however, is called transgression. Ps. 118:115: "I have accounted transgressors," etc. Likewise he sets down another thing on the part of the punishment, when he says "received a just recompense of reward." For recompense regards the quantity of the fault, so that he who has sinned more is punished more. Reward, however, regards the quality, so that he who has sinned by the fire of lust may be tormented by fire. He will receive, therefore, a good reward for good things, and a bad one for bad things. And thus "reward" is taken both in a good and in a bad sense, insofar as it implies the justice of distributing. He says "just" on account of the equality of the punishment, namely that the measure of the stripes should be according to the measure of the sin. Concerning the punishments, it is found in Lev. 26 and Deut. 28. The Gloss says: "just," lest it be thought that justice perishes on account of mercy. Next, when he says "how shall we escape," etc., he sets down the consequent of his conditional, in which he describes the condition of the New Testament, where he does three things. For first he shows the necessity of observing it; second, the origin of the New Testament; third, the firmness of its truth. The second, where he says "which having taken its beginning." The third, where he says "God also bearing witness." He says therefore: If the word given through Angels punishes transgressors and the disobedient, how shall we escape, etc. In which he denotes the danger that threatens those who do not observe it. Above, however, he called the Old Testament "salvation." The reason for this is that the word is ordered only to knowledge, for this is what the Old Testament does, because through it there is knowledge of sin. Rom. 3:20: "Through the law, knowledge of sin." Likewise, knowledge of God. Ps. 147:9: "He hath not done in like manner to every nation." And elsewhere, 75:1: "In Judea God is known," etc. It did not, however, confer grace, but in the New Testament grace is conferred. John 1:17: "Grace and truth were made through Jesus Christ," which leads to eternal salvation. John 6:69: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Ps. 118:140: "Thy speech is exceedingly inflamed." Likewise, he commends it from its quantity. And he says "so great," that is, very great. And certainly it is very great, if you consider from what dangers it frees: because it frees not only from the dangers of bodily death, but also of spiritual death. Matt. 1:21: "For he shall save his people from their sins." Likewise it is great, because it is universal, that is, not of one people only, nor from one danger, but it is of all men and from all enemies. 1 Tim. 4:10: "Who is the savior of all, but especially of the faithful." Luke 1:74: "That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, without fear," etc. Likewise it is great, because it is eternal. Is. 45:17: "Israel is saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation." And therefore it is not to be neglected, but we ought to be solicitous to obtain it. Judges 18:9: "We have seen a land exceedingly rich and fruitful." And there follows: "Do not neglect, do not cease," etc. And truly we ought not to neglect it, because if we shall have been negligent, we will be punished, not only by the loss of the good, but we shall also incur an evil, namely of eternal damnation, which we shall not be able to escape. Therefore he says, "How shall we escape?" Matt. 3:7: "Who will show you to flee from the wrath to come?" Job 11:20: "Flight shall perish from them." Ps. 138:6: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy face?" He shows the origin of the teaching of the New Testament, when he says "which having taken its beginning," etc. Where he sets down its twofold origin. The first was not through Angels, but through Christ himself. Above, 1:2: "He hath spoken to us by his Son." John 1:18: "The only-begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." And therefore he says "which, having taken its beginning of being declared through the Lord" — because it has a twofold beginning: one simply, and that is from eternity, and this is through the Word itself. Eph. 1:4: "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world." The other is the beginning of the declaring, and this was in time, through the Word incarnate. The second origin was through the apostles who heard from Christ. Whence he says "by them that heard," that is, through their preaching. 1 John 1:1: "That which was from the beginning, which we have seen and have heard," etc. Luke 1:2: "As they related to us, who from the beginning themselves saw." Then he sets down its firmness, which is greater than the firmness of the Old Testament, which he shows from the testimony of God, who cannot lie. Whence he says "it was confirmed, God bearing witness," etc. It must be known, however, that testimony is through speech: speech is a sensible sign. God, however, bore witness by a twofold sensible sign, namely by miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As to the first, he says that it was confirmed, God bearing witness, by "signs," with respect to lesser miracles, such as the healing of a lame man, or of a fever. Of the first, Acts 3:6 and 14:7; of the second, however, the last chapter of Acts. By "wonders," as to the greater things, such as the raising of the dead. Acts 9:40: "Tabitha, arise," etc. Now "portent" is so called as if "stretched forth" or "stretched afar," namely because it shows something at a distance. 2 Par. 32:31: "In the embassy of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him, to inquire concerning the wonder, namely that the sun had gone backward," etc. The chief wonder, however, is that God was made man. Is. 8:18: "I and my children, whom God hath given me for a wonder" — namely, that I am man, and that my children would believe this. For it was a wonder that the human heart could believe this. He says "by various powers" so that signs and wonders may be referred to those things which exceed the power of nature. So that a "sign" is called what is beyond and above nature, yet not contrary to it; but a "wonder" is what is contrary to nature, such as the childbirth of a virgin, the raising of the dead. But "power" is referred to those things which are according to nature as to the substance of the deed, but not as to the manner of its being done, as the healing of a fever, which indeed physicians can do, though not instantly. Or "powers" may be referred to the powers of the mind, which the Lord gave to his preachers, namely faith, hope, and charity. But as to the second, namely as to the gifts, he says "and by distributions of the Holy Spirit." But on the contrary, as it is said in Wisdom 7: "the Holy Spirit is one." How then is he distributed? It must be said that he is not distributed according to essence, but insofar as his gifts are distributed. 1 Cor. 12:4: "There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit." Now all graces are attributed to the Holy Spirit, because they are given out of love. Love, however, is appropriated to the Holy Spirit. Gregory: "Surely the Holy Spirit is love." Or "by distributions," that is, through the distributions which are made by the Holy Spirit, because to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, and so of the others. And all this not according to merits, nor from the necessity of nature, but through his own will. John 3:8: "The spirit breathes where he wills," etc., and 1 Cor. 12:11: "All these things one and the same spirit works," etc. Mark, last chapter: "The Lord cooperating, and confirming the word with signs that followed."”

“God also bearing them witness,.... The apostles of Christ; God testifying to their mission and commission, and the truth of the doctrine they preached: both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles; such as taking up serpents without hurt, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, and raising the dead, and casting out devils, and the like; all which were for the confirmation of the Gospel preached by them: a sign, wonder, or miracle, for these signify the same thing, is a marvellous work done before men, by the power of God, to confirm a divine truth; God is the sole author of miracles; and they were done in the first ages of Christianity, when they were necessary, to give evidence of the truth of it, and to establish men in it; and these were various, as before observed: and gifts of the Holy Ghost; such as besides gifts of healing and working miracles, gifts of foretelling things to come, discerning of spirits, speaking with divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, Co1 12:8 according to his own will; either according to the will of God, who bore testimony by these miracles and gifts; or according to the will of the Holy Spirit, who distributed them to men severally as he pleased, Co1 12:11.”

“How shall we escape - If they who had fewer privileges than we have, to whom God spoke in divers manners by angels and prophets, fell under the displeasure of their Maker, and were often punished with a sore destruction; how shall we escape wrath to the uttermost if we neglect the salvation provided for us, and proclaimed to us by the Son of God? Their offense was high; ours, indescribably higher. The salvation mentioned here is the whole system of Christianity, with all the privileges it confers; properly called a salvation, because, by bringing such an abundance of heavenly light into the world, it saves or delivers men from the kingdom of darkness, ignorance, error, superstition, and idolatry; and provides all the requisite means to free them from the power, guilt, and contamination of sin. This salvation is great when compared with that granted to the Jews: 1. The Jewish dispensation was provided for the Jews alone; the Christian dispensation for all mankind. 2. The Jewish dispensation was full of significant types and ceremonies; the Christian dispensation is the substance of all those types. 3. The Jewish dispensation referred chiefly to the body and outward state of man - washings and external cleansings of the flesh; the Christian, to the inward state - purifying the heart and soul, and purging the conscience from dead works. 4. The Jewish dispensation promised temporal happiness; the Christian, spiritual. 5. The Jewish dispensation belonged chiefly to time; the Christian, to eternity. 6. The Jewish dispensation had its glory; but that was nothing when compared to the exceeding glory of the Gospel. 7. Moses administered the former; Jesus Christ, the Creator, Governor, and Savior of the world, the latter. 8. This is a great salvation, infinitely beyond the Jewish; but how great no tongue or pen can describe. Those who neglect it, αμελησαντες, are not only they who oppose or persecute it, but they who pay no regard to it; who do not meddle with it, do not concern themselves about it, do not lay it to heart, and consequently do not get their hearts changed by it. Now these cannot escape the coming judgments of God; not merely because they oppose his will and commandment, but because they sin against the very cause and means of their deliverance. As there is but one remedy by which their diseased souls can be saved, so by refusing to apply that one remedy they must necessarily perish. Which at the first began to be spoken - Though John the Baptist went before our Lord to prepare his way, yet he could not be properly said to preach the Gospel; and even Christ's preaching was only a beginning of the great proclamation: it was his own Spirit in the apostles and evangelists, the men who heard him preach, that opened the whole mystery of the kingdom of heaven. And all this testimony had been so confirmed in the land of Judea as to render it indubitable; and consequently there was no excuse for their unbelief, and no prospect of their escape if they should continue to neglect it.”

“we--who have received the message of salvation so clearly delivered to us (compare Heb 12:25). so great salvation--embodied in Jesus, whose very name means "salvation," including not only deliverance from foes and from death, and the grant of temporal blessings (which the law promised to the obedient), but also grace of the Spirit, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of heaven, glory, and eternal life (Heb 2:10). which--"inasmuch as it is a salvation which began," &c. spoken by the Lord--as the instrument of proclaiming it. Not as the law, spoken by the instrumentality of angels (Heb 2:2). Both law and Gospel came from God; the difference here referred to lay in the instrumentality by which each respectively was promulgated (compare Heb 2:5). Angels recognize Him as "the Lord" (Mat 28:6; Luk 2:11). confirmed unto us--not by penalties, as the law was confirmed, but by spiritual gifts (Heb 2:4). by them that heard him--(Compare Luk 1:2). Though Paul had a special and independent revelation of Christ (Gal 1:16-17, Gal 1:19), yet he classes himself with those Jews whom he addresses, "unto us"; for like them in many particulars (for example, the agony in Gethsemane, Heb 5:7), he was dependent for autoptic information on the twelve apostles. So the discourses of Jesus, for example, the Sermon on the Mount, and the first proclamation of the Gospel kingdom by the Lord (Mat 4:17), he could only know by the report of the Twelve: so the saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Act 20:35). Paul mentions what they had heard, rather than what they had seen, conformably with what he began with, Heb 1:1-2, "spake . . . spoken." Appropriately also in his Epistles to Gentiles, he dwells on his independent call to the apostleship of the Gentiles; in his Epistle to the Hebrews, he appeals to the apostles who had been long with the Lord (compare Act 1:21; Act 10:41): so in his sermon to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia (Act 13:31); and "he only appeals to the testimony of these apostles in a general way, in order that he may bring the Hebrews to the Lord alone" [BENGEL], not to become partisans of particular apostles, as Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, and James, the bishop of Jerusalem. This verse implies that the Hebrews of the churches of Palestine and Syria (or those of them dispersed in Asia Minor [BENGEL], Pe1 1:1, or in Alexandria) were primarily addressed in this Epistle; for of none so well could it be said, the Gospel was confirmed to them by the immediate hearers of the Lord: the past tense, "was confirmed," implies some little time had elapsed since this testification by eye-witnesses.”