Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hebrews 6:5
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
5. and have tasted the good word of God ] Rather, “that the word of God is good.” The verb “taste,” which in the previous verse is constructed with the genitive (as in classical Greek), is here followed by an accusative, as is more common in Hellenistic Greek. It is difficult to establish any difference in meaning between the constructions, though the latter may imply something which is more habitual “feeding on.” But possibly the accusative is only used to avoid any entanglement with the genitive “of God” which follows it. There is however no excuse for the attempt of Calvin and others, in the interests of their dogmatic bias, to make “taste of” mean only “have an inkling of” without any deep or real participation; and to make the preciousness of the “word of God” in this place only imply its contrast to the rigour of the Mosaic Law. The metaphor means “to partake of,” and “enjoy,” as in Philo, who speaks of one “who has quaffed much pure wine of God’s benevolent power, and banqueted upon sacred words and doctrines” ( De proem. et poen. Opp. i. 428). Philo also speaks of the utterance ( rhema) of God, and God, and of its nourishing the soul like manna (Opp. i. 120, 564). The references to Philo are always to Mangey’s edition. The names of the special tracts and chapters may be found in my Early Days of Christianity, 11. 541 543, and passim.
the powers of the world to come ] Here again it is not easy to see what is exactly intended by “the powers of the Future Age.” If the Future Age be the Olam habba of the Jews, i.e. the Messianic Age, then its “powers” may be as St Chrysostom said, “the earnest of the Spirit,” or the powers mentioned in Heb 2:4; Gal 3:5. If on the other hand it mean “the world to come” its “powers” bring the foretaste of its glorious fruition.
It will then be seen that we cannot attach a definitely certain or exact meaning to the separate expressions; on the other hand nothing can be clearer than the fact that, but for dogmatic prepossessions, no one would have dreamed of explaining them to mean anything less than full conversion.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And have tasted the good word of God – That is, either the doctrines which he teaches, and which are good, or pleasant to the soul; or the Word of God which is connected with good, that is, which promises good. The former seems to me to be the correct meaning – that the Word of God, or the truth which he taught, was itself a good. It was what the soul desired, and in which it found comfort and peace; compare Psa 119:103; Psa 141:6. The meaning here is, that they had experienced the excellency of the truth of God; they had seen and enjoyed its beauty. This is language which cannot be applied to an impenitent sinner. He has no relish for the truth of God; sees no beauty in it; derives no comfort from it. It is only the true Christian who has pleasure in its contemplation, and who can be said to taste and enjoy it. This language describes a state of mind of which every sincere Christian is conscious. It is that of pleasure in the Word of God. He loves the Bible; he loves the truth of God that is preached. He sees an exquisite beauty in that truth. It is not merely in its poetry; in its sublimity; in its argument; but he has now a taste or relish for the truth itself, which he had not before his conversion. Then he might have admired the Bible for its beauty of language or for its poetry; he might have been interested in preaching for its eloquence or power of argument; but now his love is for the truth; compare Psa 19:10. There is no book that he so much delights in as the Bible; and no pleasure is so pure as what he has in contemplating the truth; compare Jos 21:45; Jos 23:15.
And the powers of the world to come – Or of the coming age. The age to come was a phrase in common use among the Hebrews, to denote the future dispensation, the times of the Messiah. The same idea was expressed by the phrases the last times, the end of the world, etc. which are of so frequent occurrence in the Scriptures. They all denoted an age which was to succeed the old dispensation; the time of the Messiah; or the period in which the affairs of the world would be wound up; see the notes on Isa 2:2. Here it evidently refers to that period, and the meaning is, that they had participated in the special blessings to be expected in that dispensation – to wit, in the clear views of the way of salvation, and the influences of the Holy Spirit on the soul. The word powers here implies that in that time there would be some extraordinary manifestation of the power of God. An unusual energy would be put forth to save people, particularly as evinced by the agency of the Holy Spirit on the heart. Of this power the apostle here says they of whom he spake had partaken. They had been brought under the awakening and renewing energy which God put forth under the Messiah. in saving the soul. They had experienced the promised blessings of the new and last dispensation; and the language here is such as appropriately describes Christians, and as indeed can be applicable to no other. It may be remarked respecting the various expressions used here Heb 6:4-5,
(1) That they are such as properly denote a renewed state. They obviously describe the condition of a Christian; and though it may be not certain that any one of them if taken by itself would prove that the person to whom it was applied was truly converted, yet taken together it is clear that they are designed to describe such a state. If they are not, it would be difficult to find any language which would be properly descriptive of the character of a sincere Christian. I regard the description here, therefore, as what is clearly designed to denote the state of those who were born again, and were the true children of God; and it seems plain to me that no other interpretation would have ever been thought of if this view had not seemed to conflict with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
(2) There is a regular gradation here from the first elements of piety in the soul to its highest developments; and, whether the apostle so designed it or not, the language describes the successive steps by which a true Christian advances to the highest stage of Christian experience. The mind is:
(a)Enlightened; then.
(b)Tastes the gift of heaven, or has some experience of it; then.
(c)It is made to partake of the influences of the Holy Spirit; then.
(d)There is experience of the excellence and loveliness of the Word of God; and,
(e)Finally there is a participation of the full powers of the new dispensation; of the extraordinary energy which God puts forth in the gospel to sanctify and save the soul.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. And have tasted the good word of God] Have had this proof of the excellence of the promise of God in sending the Gospel, the Gospel being itself the good word of a good God, the reading and preaching of which they find sweet to the taste of their souls. Genuine believers have an appetite for the word of God; they taste it, and then their relish for it is the more abundantly increased. The more they get, the more they wish to have.
The powers of the world to come] . These words are understood two ways:
1. The powers of the world to come may refer to the stupendous miracles wrought in confirmation of the Gospel, the Gospel dispensation being the world to come in the Jewish phraseology, as we have often seen; and that is often taken for a mighty work or miracle, is plain from various parts of the gospels. The prophets had declared that the Messiah, when he came, should work many miracles, and should be as mighty in word and deed as was Moses; see De 18:15-19. And they particularly specify the giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the lame, and speech to the dumb; Isa 35:5; Isa 35:6. All these miracles Jesus Christ did in the sight of this very people; and thus they had the highest evidence they could have that Jesus was this promised Messiah, and could have no pretence to doubt his mission, or apostatize from the Christian faith which they had received; and hence it is no wonder that the apostle denounces the most awful judgments of God against those who had apostatized from the faith, which they had seen thus confirmed.
2. The words have been supposed to apply to those communications and foretastes of eternal blessedness, or of the joys of the world to come, which they who are justified through the blood of the covenant, and walk faithfully with their God, experience; and to this sense the word have tasted, is thought more properly to apply. But , to taste, signifies to experience or have full proof of a thing. Thus, to taste death, Mt 16:28, is to die, to come under the power of death, fully to experience its destructive nature as far as the body is concerned. See also Lu 9:27; Joh 8:52. And it is used in the same sense in Heb 2:9 of this epistle, where Christ is said to taste death for every man; for notwithstanding the metaphor, which the reader will see explained in the note on the above place, the word necessarily means that he did actually die, that he fully experienced death; and had the fullest proof of it and of its malignity he could have, independently of the corruption of his flesh; for over this death could have no power. And to taste that the Lord is gracious, 1Pet 2:3, is to experience God’s graciousness thoroughly, in being made living stones, built up into a spiritual house, constituted holy priests to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God; see 1Pet 2:5. And in this sense it is used by the purest Greek writers. See several examples in Schleusner.
It seems, therefore, that the first opinion is the best founded.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And have tasted the good word of God; so as to relish comfort and sweetness in the doctrine and promises of the gospel through self-flattery; for these hearing of pardon of sin, and crediting it, are filled with joy by it; as a condemned malefactor, hearing of a general pardon, believeth himself to be one of the pardoned, and rejoiceth in it: see Mat 13:20,21; Lu 8:13. So did many of the Jews rejoice in Johns doctrine, Joh 5:35.
And the powers of the world to come; thus some of them were affected with the powerful doctrines of the gospel, concerning the final judgment, as their natural conscience was wrought on by the Spirit in the word, that they feel it as it were begun in them, the sparks of the wrath of God having set their consciences in a light flame for their sins, as in a Felix, Act 24:25. As on the other hand, being acquainted by the Spirit in the word, of Christs being a Redeemer, to save them from the wrath to come, and to instate them into happiness, beyond what is attainable on earth; self-love doth externally close with the revelation and apply it to itself, as Balaam did, Num 23:10. All these five instances are the workings of the Holy Spirit on corrupt nature for its improvement, and in their falling from these supernatural operations, they do sin in tanto against the Holy Ghost.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. tasted the good word ofGoddistinct from “tasted OF(genitive) the heavenly gift”; we do not yet enjoy allthe fulness of Christ, but only have a taste OFHim, the heavenly gift now; but believers may taste the wholeword (accusative case) of God already, namely, God’s “good wordof promise.” The Old Testament promise of Canaan toIsrael typified “the good word of God’s” promise of theheavenly rest (Heb 4:1-16).Therefore, there immediately follows the clause, “the powers ofthe world to come.” As “enlightening” and “tastingof the heavenly gift,” Christ, the Bread of Life, answers toFAITH: so “madepartakers of the Holy Ghost,” to CHARITY,which is the first-fruit of the Spirit: and “tasted the goodword of God, and the powers of the world to come,” toHOPE. Thus the triad ofprivileges answers to the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Spirit, intheir respective works toward us. “The world to come,” isthe Christian dispensation, viewed especially in its futureglories, though already begun in grace here. The world to comethus stands in contrast to course of this world, altogetherdisorganized because God is not its spring of action and end. Byfaith, Christians make the world to come a present reality, thoughbut a foretaste of the perfect future. The powers of this newspiritual world, partly exhibited in outward miracles at that time,and then, as now, especially consisting in the Spirit’s inwardquickening influences are the earnest of the coming inheritanceabove, and lead the believer who gives himself up to the Spirit toseek to live as the angels, to sit with Christ in heavenly places, toset the affections on things above, and not on things on earth, andto look for Christ’s coming and the full manifestation of the worldto come. This “world to come,” in its future aspect, thuscorresponds to “resurrection of the dead and eternal life”(Heb 6:2), the firstChristian principles which the Hebrew believers had been taught, bythe Christian light being thrown back on their Old Testament fortheir instruction (see on Heb6:1,2). “The world to come,” which, as to its “powers,”exists already in the redeemed, will pass into a fully realized factat Christ’s coming (Col 3:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And have tasted the good word of God,…. Not the Lord Jesus Christ, the essential Word of God, who seems to be intended before by the heavenly gift; but rather, either the Scriptures of truth in general, which are the word of God, endited by him, and contain his mind and will; which he makes use of for conviction, conversion, instruction, and comfort; and which are preserved by him: and these are a good word; they come from him who is good; they are a revelation of good things; they make known things true, pleasant, and profitable: or else the Gospel in particular, of which God is the author; and in which is a wonderful display of his wisdom and grace; and which he owns and blesses for his own glory, and the good of others: and this is a “good word”, the same with , “good matter”, or “word”, in Ps 45:1 , “my good word”, or “the word of my goodness”, in the Targum on Isa 55:11 for it is the word of righteousness, reconciliation, peace, pardon, life, and salvation. And there is a special and spiritual taste of this good, word, which is delightful, relishing, and nourishing; and such who have it can never totally and finally fall away; because they who taste it, so as to eat and digest it, and be nourished by it, to them it becomes the ingrafted word, which is able to save them: but there is such a taste of this word as is disrelishing, as in profane sinners, and open opposers and persecutors of the word, or as in hypocrites and formal professors; which is only an assent to the Scriptures, as the revelation of God, or a superficial knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel without the experience of them, and a temporal faith in them, and a natural affection for them, and pleasure with them for a time; as the Jews, and Herod with John’s ministry, and the stony ground hearers.
And the powers of the world to come; meaning either the state of the church, and the glorious things relating to it, after the first resurrection, which they might have some notional apprehensions of; or the ultimate state of glory and happiness, the powers of which are the immortality, incorruption, and glory of the body, the perfect holiness and knowledge of the soul, entire freedom from all evils of every kind, full communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, and a complete enjoyment of all happiness for ever; which hypocrites may have a notional knowledge of, a natural desire after, and delight in the contemplation and hope of, as Balaam had; or rather the , miracles and mighty works in the former part of the Gospel dispensation, or times of the Messiah, the Jews’ world to come, [See comments on Heb 2:5], are intended; which many, as Judas and others, were able to perform, who were not sincere Christians, or true believers.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The good word of God [ ] . The gospel of Christ as preached. Comp. ch. Heb 2:3. To the word are attached life (Act 5:20); spirit and life (Joh 6:63); salvation (Act 11:14); cleansing (Eph 5:26); especially the impartation of the Spirit (John 3; 34; Act 5:32; Act 10:44; Eph 6:17; Heb 2:4).
Powers of the world to come [ ] . Not foretastes of heavenly bliss. The world to come is the world of men under the new order which is to enter with the fulfillment of Christ ‘s work. See on these last days, ch. 1 2. These powers are characteristic of that period, and in so far as that dispensation is inaugurated here and now, they assert and manifest themselves.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And have tasted the good word of God,” (kai kalon geusamenous theous hrema) “Have tasted (and, are tasting) the good word of God; or experiencing the indwelling engrafted word, Christ in them, the hope of glory, 1Pe 1:22-23; Jas 1:18; Jas 1:21; Col 1:27; He is the anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, Heb 6:18-19.
2) “And the powers of the world to come,” (dunameiste mellontos ainos) “And dynamic things of a coming age,” of both the millennial and heaven of heaven ages; We have had an experimental foretaste in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives, Eph 1:6-7; Eph 1:18-22; For those who have received him into their hearts and yielded to him lives of loving, committed service thru his church have riches and rewards undreamed awaiting in the ages to come, 1Co 2:9; Eph 3:16-21.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(5) Tasted the good word of God.There is a change of construction in the Greek which suggests that the words rather mean, tasted that Gods word is goodytasted the excellence of Gods word, and of the powers, &c. Gods word was spoken through the Lord (Heb. 2:3); the Hebrew Christians had heard and received this word, and had proved for themselves its excellence. (Comp. 1Pe. 2:3.)
Powers of the world to come.Literally, powers of a coming (or, future) age. As has been before remarked, the last word is different from that which we find in Heb. 2:5, the one relating to time, the other to the world as inhabited by man. Perhaps we may say that this is the only difference; the same future is contemplated in both places, namely, the age of the Messianic reign. We have seen (see Heb. 1:2) that in the earliest days of the Church little account was taken of the period separating the pre-Christian age from that of the full manifestation of the kingdom of God; the powers received from God by those who believed (Heb. 2:4) belonged to no earthly state, but were as truly anticipations of a future age of glory as was the heavenly gift an anticipation of the heavenly fatherland (Heb. 11:16).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. The last couplet connecting the word and the powers.
Tasted Implying again the rich enjoyment; and here without the of, because this now grown Christian may taste and enjoy not a part but the whole good word. Excellent is Whitby’s note on this good word: “So the promise of bringing the children of Israel into the land of Canaan is styled , , a good word, [English unliteral translation “thing,”] Jos 21:45; Jos 23:15. The word of God for bringing his people out of captivity is styled, , my good word. Jer 29:10. The words of consolation which the angel spake to Jerusalem are, , good words. Zec 1:13. The promise made to God’s people of remission of sins, and peace and truth in the days of the Messiah, is a good word. And the prophet, speaking of the Messiah, saith, My heart meditateth a good word. Psa 45:1.” The good word of our apostle here is, then, the evangelium, the good message, of the New Testament. A word, as spoken by the incarnate Son, (Heb 2:1-2😉 good, as revealing a heavenly Canaan, “glory, and honor, and immortality eternal life.” This blessed word this class had tasted enjoyed its rich flavor in its full entirety.
Powers of the world to come Closely coupled with the good word of the New Testament are the powers of the new dispensation. Note on Heb 2:5. The word and the powers go together. These Hebrews had witnessed and enjoyed these powers. For the word powers ( ) is often, in the Greek, put for miracles and mighty supernatural works. Mat 7:22; Mat 11:20-21; Mat 11:23; Mat 13:54; Mat 13:58; Mat 14:2; Mar 6:2; Mar 6:5; Mar 6:14; Mar 9:39; Luk 10:13; Luk 19:37; Act 2:22; Act 8:13; Act 19:11; 1Co 12:10 ; 2Co 12:12; Gal 3:5. An examination of these texts would show that the word is more frequently used for the supernaturalisms of Christ and the early Church in the upbuilding of Christianity than the English reader would imagine. Here it is used generically for every form of aggressive supernatural energy in the new dispensation. Of those in the apostolic age we seem to have a pretty full enumeration in 1Co 12:10. As these sensible powers disappeared there still remained the normal spiritual powers blended with the good word, the ordinary aggressive forces of Christianity. These are the energies of the Spirit in quickening the soul, in the active conversion of men, in the building of the kingdom of Christ, and the gathering of the world within its dominion.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Heb 6:5. Tasted the good word of God, That is, have been experimentally acquainted with the gospel, which through the spirit conveys to the believer remission of sins, justification, and sanctification here, and the promise to the faithful of a resurrection to eternal life hereafter. By the powers of the world to come, are meant, I believe, “the powerful or miraculous works ofthe Christian age;” God bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, ch. Heb 2:4. The world to come, or rather the age to come, signifies the age of the Messiah; which was to last till the finalconsummation of all things: it is the same with the world to come, ch. Heb 2:5. They who not only saw those great miracles whereby Christianity was confirmed, but were themselves empowered to work them, could not possibly have fuller evidence of the truth of it.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Heb 6:5 . ] and have tasted the refreshing word of God . That the author already makes use afresh in this place of the verb , after he has only just before employed it Heb 6:4 , Bleek ascribes, not wrongly, to a certain perplexity on the part of the writer about finding for the idea to be expressed another term of the same import. For the supposition of Delitzsch, that the repetition of the same expression is to be explained from the design of bringing out so much the more strongly the reality of the experiences made and of their objects, would be admissible only if the second , like the first, were placed emphatically at the beginning of its clause, and there were not already another verb inserted between the two . is here, as Joh 2:9 , construed with the accusative, which occurs only in the Hellenistic, never with the Greek classic writers. To assume, however, a different signification in the case of the two constructions,
Bengel: “alter (genitivus) partem denotat; nam gustum Christi, doni coelestis, non exhaurimus in hac vita; alter (accusativus) plus dicit, quatenus verbi Dei praedicati gustus totus ad banc vitam pertinet, quanquam eidem verbo futuri virtutes seculi annectuntur;” Bloomfield: “here (Heb 6:4 ) signifies to have experience of a thing, by having received and possessed it; whereas in the clause following it signifies to know a thing by experience of its value and benefit;” Delitzsch (comp. also Moll): “with . . is combined the conception that the heavenly gift is destined for all men, and is of inexhaustible fulness of intent; with , however, the conception that God’s precious word was, as it were, the daily bread of those thus described,” is already forbidden by the homogeneity of the statements, Heb 6:4 and Heb 6:5 .
The expression serves, LXX. Jos 21:45 ; Jos 23:15 , Zec 1:13 , for the rendering of the Hebrew and , and is used of words of consolation and promise spoken by God or the angel of God. In accordance therewith, we shall best also here refer to the gospel, inasmuch as God thereby gives promises, and fulfils the promises given. So Theodoret ( ), Estius, Schlichting, Grotius, Limborch, Owen, Whitby, Abresch, Bhme, Kuinoel, Klee, de Wette, Stengel, Tholuck, Ebrard, Bloomfield, Bisping, Delitzsch, Maier, Kurtz.
Others, as Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Theophylact, Primasius, Faber Stapulensis, Jac. Cappellus, Piscator, Bengel, Peirce, Heinrichs, Alford, understand the expression of the gospel in general; in connection with which some, as Calvin and Braun, see denoted in a contrast with the Mosaic law, the characteristic of which was judicial severity. According to Bleek, finally, we have to think of a personified attribute of God; which is supposed to be here mentioned because the gospel, with its consolatory message, is an efflux from the same, an interpretation, however, which finds no sort of support in the context.
] and powers of the world to come. What is intended is the extraordinary miraculous powers wrought by the Holy Ghost, as these were called forth by the new order of the world founded by Christ. The , namely (comp. , Heb 2:5 ), is for the author nothing purely future, so that we have not, with Jac. Cappellus, Schlichting, Bhme, Kurtz, and others, to think of the everlasting life, or of the glory coming in with the Parousia of Christ, of which believers have received a foretaste here upon earth, but already begins, according to his view, with the appearing of Christ upon earth, in that only its consummation still belongs to the future, namely, the time of Christ’s return.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Ver. 5. And have tasted the good word ] Catching at the promises, as children do at sweetmeats, rejoicing therein, as the stony ground hearers did, conceiving a rolling opinion, as Haman did, that they are the men whom the King of heaven will honour.
And the powers of the world to come ] i.e. The wonderful works of the world to come, as glorification, resurrection, last judgment, whereinto a hypocrite may see far, and have a glimpse of heaven, or a flash of hell upon his conscience, as Balaam, Spira.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
5 .] and have tasted (see above: . is not emphatic here, as before, but having once borne its emphatic meaning , carries it again, in its repetition. On the government, see below) the good word of God and the powers of the world to come (Bengel, al. wish to establish a distinction here between the senses of the accus. and gen. government by . “Alter partem denotat: nam gustum Christi, doni clestis, non exhaurimus in hac vita: alter plus dicit, quatenus verbi Dei prdicati gustus totus ad hanc vitam pertinet, quanquam eidem verbo futuri virtutes sculi annectuntur.” But thus even Bengel’s own account of the distinction halts on one foot; and moreover the distinction itself is untenable, witness , ref. John: this being merely as it would appear a Hellenistic impropriety, not found in good Greek. (Another distinction is made by Delitzsch, h. l., from Khner, 526, Anm. 3, al.; that words of bodily partaking take a gen. in a partitive sense, but an acc. where the object partaken is either considered as a whole, or is designated materially, or as an accustomed means of nourishment. But this also fails in the above instance, however true in general.) Here, as Bleek, after Bhme, suggests, the acc. perhaps was adopted to avoid the ambiguity which would have arisen, in , as to whether agreed with or with . But now, what are the things spoken of? What is ? The epithet is frequently applied to the word of God: see reff.: and usually with reference to its quickening, comforting, strengthening power, as sent or spoken by God to men. And in consequence it has been taken here to signify the comforting portion of the gospel, its promises: so Thdrt., : Est., Schlicht., Grot., Kuinoel, Thol., and many others. Others understand it more generally, as Chrys. ( ), Thl. ( ), c. ( ), Primas., Faber Stapul., Corn. a-Lap., Bengel, al. This latter, or that modification of it which understands by the wholesome and soul-preserving utterance of God in the gospel, seems to me better than the meaning taken by Bleek, who thinks to be a personified attribute of God, as . ch. Heb 4:12 , and the gospel, with its comforting message, an emanation from it, on which the soul feeds. Certainly the passage which he cites from Philo is much to the point: , , De Profug. 25, vol. i. p. 566, said of the Israelites in the wilderness. See also Allegor. iii. 60 f. p. 121 f., where the manna is said to be designated by the and , with reference to Exo 16:16 , and to Deu 8:3 . It certainly is not improbable that in using the expression , the Writer may have had in view this latter text, : but the supposed personification does not seem to suit the context.
Then it is a far more debated question, what is meant by . Some have said, those powerful foretastes of glory which belong indeed to the future state in their fulness, but are vouchsafed to believers here: so Schlichting, interpreting of this foretaste; so Primas., Seb. Schmidt, al. But most Commentators, and rightly, take as equivalent to ch. Heb 2:5 (where see note), and as designating the Christian times, agreeably to that name of Christ in ref. Isa., . Then the of this ‘world to come’ will be as in ch. Heb 2:4 , where we have enumerated with and , as God’s testimonies to the gospel. Thus they would mean the , given by the Spirit in measure to all who believed, “distributing severally to every man as He will.” We need not necessarily limit these to external miraculous powers, or even and the like: but surely may include in them spiritual powers bestowed in virtue of the indwelling Spirit to arm the Christian for his conflict with sin, the world, and the devil.
The ancients were very uncertain in their exegesis of the words: Chrys., ; , . And some way on, he says, . . . . ., , , , , , , . , ; , . . Thdrt., . . . . Photius, , , by catechesis, for so he interprets ),
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Heb 6:5 . “and tasted God’s word that it is good”. in LXX ( vide Jos 21:43 ) are the rich and encouraging promises of God, cf. Zec 1:13 , . Here it probably means the Gospel in which all promise is comprehended; cf. 1Pe 1:25 , . Persons then are here described who have not only heard God’s promise, but have themselves tasted or made trial of it and found it good. They have experienced that what God proclaims finds them, in their conscience with its resistless truth, in their best desires by quickening and satisfying them. The change from the genitive, , to the accusative, , after . is variously accounted for. Commonly, verbs of sense take the accusative of the nearer, the genitive of the remoter source of the sensation; but probably the indiscriminate use of the two cases in LXX and N.T. arises from the tendency of the accusative in later Greek to usurp the place of the other cases. Yet it is not likely that so careful a stylist as our author should have altered the case without a reason. That reason is best given by Simcox ( Gram. , p. 87), “ in Heb 6:4-5 , has the genitive, where it is merely a verb of sense, the accusative where it is used of the recognition of a fact being (as its position shows) a predicate”. With this expression may be compared Pro 31:18 , . Bengel’s idea that the genitive indicates that a part, while accusative that the whole was tasted, may be put aside. Also Hofmann’s idea, approved by Weiss, that the accusative is employed to avoid an accumulation of genitives. “and [tasted] the powers of the age to come” [that they were good, for may be supplied out of the of the preceding clause; or the predicate indicating the result of the tasting may be taken for granted]. is so frequently used of the powers to work miracle imparted by the Holy Spirit (see Heb 2:4 , 1Co 12:28 ; 2Co 12:12 ; and in the Gospels passim ) that this meaning is generally accepted as appropriate here. See Lunemann. is therefore here used not exactly as in Mat 12:32 , Eph 1:21 where it is contrasted with this present age or world, but rather as the temporal equivalent of the of chap. Heb 2:5 , cf. also Heb 9:11 , Heb 10:1 .; and Bengel’s note. It is the Messianic age begun by the ministry of Christ, but only consummated in His Second Advent. A wider reference is sometimes found in the words, as by Davidson: “Though the realising of the promises be yet future, it is not absolutely so; the world to come projects itself in many forms into the present life, or shows its heavenly beauty and order rising up amidst the chaos of the present. This it does in the powers of the world to come, which are like laws of a new world coming in to cross and by and by to supersede those of this world. Those “powers,” being mainly still future, are combined with the good word of promise, and elevated into a distinct class, corresponding to the third group above, viz .: resurrection and judgment (Heb 6:2 ).” The persons described have so fully entered into the spirit of the new time and have so admitted into their life the powers which Christ brings to bear upon men, that they can be said to have “tasted” or experienced the spiritual forces of the new era.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
word. Greek. rhema. See Mar 9:32.
powers. Greek. dunamis. App-172.
the . . . come = a coming age.
world. Greek. aion. App-129.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
5.] and have tasted (see above: . is not emphatic here, as before, but having once borne its emphatic meaning, carries it again, in its repetition. On the government, see below) the good word of God and the powers of the world to come (Bengel, al. wish to establish a distinction here between the senses of the accus. and gen. government by . Alter partem denotat: nam gustum Christi, doni clestis, non exhaurimus in hac vita: alter plus dicit, quatenus verbi Dei prdicati gustus totus ad hanc vitam pertinet, quanquam eidem verbo futuri virtutes sculi annectuntur. But thus even Bengels own account of the distinction halts on one foot; and moreover the distinction itself is untenable, witness , ref. John: this being merely as it would appear a Hellenistic impropriety, not found in good Greek. (Another distinction is made by Delitzsch, h. l., from Khner, 526, Anm. 3, al.; that words of bodily partaking take a gen. in a partitive sense, but an acc. where the object partaken is either considered as a whole, or is designated materially, or as an accustomed means of nourishment. But this also fails in the above instance, however true in general.) Here, as Bleek, after Bhme, suggests, the acc. perhaps was adopted to avoid the ambiguity which would have arisen, in , as to whether agreed with or with . But now, what are the things spoken of? What is ? The epithet is frequently applied to the word of God: see reff.: and usually with reference to its quickening, comforting, strengthening power, as sent or spoken by God to men. And in consequence it has been taken here to signify the comforting portion of the gospel, its promises: so Thdrt., : Est., Schlicht., Grot., Kuinoel, Thol., and many others. Others understand it more generally, as Chrys. ( ), Thl. ( ), c. ( ), Primas., Faber Stapul., Corn. a-Lap., Bengel, al. This latter, or that modification of it which understands by the wholesome and soul-preserving utterance of God in the gospel, seems to me better than the meaning taken by Bleek, who thinks to be a personified attribute of God, as . ch. Heb 4:12, and the gospel, with its comforting message, an emanation from it, on which the soul feeds. Certainly the passage which he cites from Philo is much to the point: , , De Profug. 25, vol. i. p. 566, said of the Israelites in the wilderness. See also Allegor. iii. 60 f. p. 121 f., where the manna is said to be designated by the and , with reference to Exo 16:16, and to Deu 8:3. It certainly is not improbable that in using the expression , the Writer may have had in view this latter text, : but the supposed personification does not seem to suit the context.
Then it is a far more debated question, what is meant by . Some have said, those powerful foretastes of glory which belong indeed to the future state in their fulness, but are vouchsafed to believers here: so Schlichting, interpreting of this foretaste; so Primas., Seb. Schmidt, al. But most Commentators, and rightly, take as equivalent to ch. Heb 2:5 (where see note), and as designating the Christian times, agreeably to that name of Christ in ref. Isa., . Then the of this world to come will be as in ch. Heb 2:4, where we have enumerated with and , as Gods testimonies to the gospel. Thus they would mean the , given by the Spirit in measure to all who believed, distributing severally to every man as He will. We need not necessarily limit these to external miraculous powers, or even and the like: but surely may include in them spiritual powers bestowed in virtue of the indwelling Spirit to arm the Christian for his conflict with sin, the world, and the devil.
The ancients were very uncertain in their exegesis of the words: Chrys., ; , . And some way on, he says, . . . . ., , , , , , , . , ; , . . Thdrt., . . . . Photius, , , by catechesis, for so he interprets ),
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Heb 6:5. , who have tasted) A new taste, likewise involving more than the knowledge of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment.- , the good word) Jer 33:14, , the Gospel.-, powers) of the most exquisite taste. The plural is highly significant. The same word occurs, ch. Heb 2:4; comp. Heb 11:34. Both passages show the emphasis of the word, .- , of the world to come) Eternal glory is principally intended; comp. Heb 6:2, at the end; as the city to come is spoken of, ch. Heb 13:14; but the present time is not excluded under the New Testament, for in this sense things to come are also mentioned, ch. Heb 9:11, Heb 10:1, Heb 2:5, note.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
tasted: Mat 13:20, Mat 13:21, Mar 4:16, Mar 4:17, Mar 6:20, Luk 8:13, 1Pe 2:3, 2Pe 2:20
the powers: Heb 2:5
Reciprocal: Job 6:6 – taste Psa 34:8 – taste Gal 1:4 – from Heb 9:10 – until
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Heb 6:5. Tasted the good word of God means to have “experienced” the help of that word enough to know what its benefits are. When a person knows by experience what effect for good the Gospel will have on one in preparing for the world to come, he may truly be said to have tasted of that coming power even in this life.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Every true Christian has tasted the Word of God and found it to be good to some extent. The original readers had also tasted the powers (lit. miracles) of the coming messianic age. They had observed the apostles perform miracles (cf. Heb 2:4). The five events listed in Heb 6:4-5 view salvation as involving different aspects; they do not present a succession of salvific events. [Note: Philip E. Hughes, "Hebrews 6:4-6 and the Peril of Apostasy," Westminster Theological Journal 35 (1973):143.]
"Together, the clauses describe vividly the reality of the experience of personal salvation enjoyed by the Christians addressed." [Note: Lane, p. 141.]
"The warnings are clearly not addressed to nominal Christians, but to those who have shared, as fully as it is possible to share in the present time, in the blessings which accompany and follow entry into the Christian life (Heb 6:4 f.)." [Note: Ellingworth, p. 75.]