Hebrews 10:39

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition,.... There is a drawing back which is not unto perdition; persons may be attended with much unbelief, may be very cold and indifferent to Gospel

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. A Pauline elegant turning-off from denunciatory warnings to charitable hopes (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The conclusion is a hopeful assertion of their condition, or a sweet intimation of what they ought to be, even like himself; and so the apostle removes all jealousy of his reflecting on them, as . But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; the adversative, but, is an exception of them to whom he writes from the apostate state, and so joins himself with them, hoping they were such de facto as he was, and as they ought to be de jure; and so intimates their duty, and that of all Christians: We are not sons of defection, persons withdrawing and backsliding from Christ, his gospel, or duties; apostates from the truth, whose end is destruction, an utter separation from all good, life, and glory, and full subjection of body and soul to eternal torments in hell, by the righteous sentence of God, : who are sons of defection, are sons of perdition, . But of them that believe to the saving of the soul; sons of faith, true and sincere believers, cleaving to Christ and his body, rooted in his faith, and persevering in it to the end, : which faith acquiring, purchasing, or obtaining, according to the gospel covenant, the soul for salvation, and glory for the soul, ,16,36 5:40 . Faith realizing, applying, and keeping fast the price which Christ himself paid to God for the purchasing of these for them on their souls.

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Ver. 39. Who draw back unto] Apostates have martial law, they run away but into hell’ s mouth. A worse condition they cannot likely choose onto themselves; for they are miserable by their own election, Jonah 2:8, and are wholly destined to utter destruction. Transfugas arboribus suspendunt, saith Tacitus of the old Germans; they hang up run-a-ways. And transfugas, ubicunque inventi fuerint, quasi testes interficere licet, saith the civil law. Run-a-ways are to be received as enemies, and to be killed wherever they be found. To the saving of the soul] Gr. ειςπεοιποιησινψυχης, to the giving of the soul. A metaphor from merchants, who either get more or lose what they have; or else haply from gamesters, who keep a stake in store, however the world go with them.

(39) Of them who draw back.—Literally, But we are not of drawing (or shrinking) back unto perdition, but of faith unto the gaining of the soul. On the last words (which are nearly identical with those of Luk 17:33, though deeper in meaning) see the Note on Hebrews 10:34. The exhortation thus closes with words of encouragement and hope.

Verse 39. But we are not of them who draw back] Ουκεσμενὑποστολης - , αλλαπιστεως· "We are not the cowards, but the courageous." I have no doubt of this being the meaning of the apostle, and the form of speech requires such a translation; it occurs more than once in the New Testament. So, Galatians 3:7: οιεκπιστεως, they who are of the faith, rather the faithful, the believers; Romans 3:26: οεκπιστεως, the believer; Romans 2:8: οιεξεπιθειας, the contentious; in all which places the learned reader will find that the form of speech is the same. We are not cowards who slink away, and notwithstanding meet destruction; but we are faithful, and have our souls saved alive. The words περιποιησιςψυχης signify the preservation of the life. See the note, "Ephesians 1:14". He intimates that, notwithstanding the persecution was hot, yet they should escape with their lives. 1. IT is very remarkable, and I have more than once called the reader's attention to it, that not one Christian life was lost in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Every Jew perished, or was taken captive; all those who had apostatized, and slunk away from Christianity, perished with them: all the genuine Christians escaped with their lives. This very important information, which casts light on many passages in the New Testament, and manifests the grace and providence of God in a very conspicuous way, is given both by Eusebius and Epiphanius. I shall adduce their words: "When the whole congregation of the Church in Jerusalem, according to an oracle given by revelation to the approved persons among them before the war, κατατιναχρησμοντοιςαυτοθιδοκιμοιςδι' αποκαλυψεωςδοθενταπροτουπολεμου, μεταναστηναιτηςπολεως, καιτινατηςπεραιαςπολινοικεινκεκελευσμενου, Πελλαναυτηνονομαζουσιν, were commanded to depart from the city, and inhabit a certain city which they call Pella, beyond Jordan, to which, when all those who believed in Christ had removed from Jerusalem, and when the saints had totally abandoned the royal city which is the metropolis of the Jews; then the Divine vengeance seized them who had dealt so wickedly with Christ and his apostles, and utterly destroyed that wicked and abominable generation." EUSEB. Hist. Eccles, l. iii. c. v. vol. i. p. 93. Edit. a Reading. St. Epiphanius, in Haeres. Nazaren, c. 7, says: "The Christians who dwelt in Jerusalem, being forewarned by Christ of the approaching siege, removed to Pella." The same, in his book De Ponderibus et Mensuris, says: "The disciples of Christ being warned by an angel, removed to Pella; and afterwards, when Adrian rebuilt Jerusalem, and called it after his own name, AElia Colonia, they returned thither." As those places in Epiphanius are of considerable importance, I shall subjoin the original: ΕκειθενγαρἡαρχηγεγονεμετατηναποτωνἹεροσολυμωνμεταστασιν, παντωντωνμαθητωντωνενΠελλῃῳκηκοτων, ΧριστουφησαντοςκαταλειψαιταἹεροσολυμα, καιαναχωρησαι, επειδηημελλεπασχεινπολιορκιαν. EPIPH. adver. Haeres., l. i. c. 7, vol. i. p. 123. Edit. Par. 1622. The other place is as follows: ἩνικαγαρεμελλενἡπολιςἁλισκεσθαιὑποτωνῬωμαιων, προεχρηματισθησανὑποΑγγελουπαντεςοἱμαθηταιμεταστηναιαποτηςπολεως, μελλουσηςαρδηναπολλυσθαι. ΟἱτινεςκαιμετανασταιγενομενοιῳκησανενΠελλῃ - περαντουΙορδανου, ἡτιςεκΔεκαπολεωςλεγεταιειναι. Ibid. De Pon. et Mens., vol. ii. p. 171. These are remarkable testimonies, and should be carefully preserved. Pella, it appears, was a city of Coelesyria, beyond Jordan, in the district of Decapolis.

39. But we are not of them who draw back] More tersely in the original, “But we are not of defection unto perdition, but of faith unto gaining of the soul.” “Faith,” says Delitzsch, “saves the soul by linking it to God … The unbelieving man loses his soul; for not being God’s neither is he his own.” He does not possess himself. The word for “gaining” is found also in Ephesians 1:14. In these words the writer shews that in his awful warnings against apostasy he is only putting a hypothetical case. “His readers,” he says, “though some of them may have gone towards the verge, have not yet passed over the fatal line.” The word Faith is here introduced with the writer’s usual skill to prepare for the next great section of the Epistle.

But we are not of them ... - We who are true Christians do not belong to such a class. In this the apostle expresses the fullest conviction that none of those to whom he wrote would apostatize.

39. But, etc.—See note on Hebrews 6:9. Saving of the soul—The Greek word may signify either soul or life.