Nielsen’s Nook

Commentary

[a] δεῖ περισσοτέρως is a sort of emphatic comparative. In other words, based on the superlative position of Jesus Christ that has been argued in chapter 1, the reader is urged to take greater heed or pay greater attention to the tradition that has been circulated about Jesus. This is different than saying listening to everything said about Jesus. “What we have heard” seems to be very specific and related to chapter 1. In the metaphor of “drifting away” it should be noted that it is not Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father that is warned of drifting away from those who hear and are careless with their faith; rather, it is those who hear and are careless that drift from Jesus. It is no semantic game to say that the one who sits at the right hand of the Father, being our telos and celebration, is in fact the means by which we process and progress in life.

[b] The Byzantine Text (BT) and Textus Receptus (TR) has an inverted word order (ἡμᾶς προσέχειν) from the NA27 and UBS4 texts (προσέχειν ἡμᾶς), which does not change translation, but is noted here.

[c] μήποτε after verbs of fearing, being concerned, etc. that. . . not, lest (BAGD, 519).

[d] παραρρέω to flow by, slip away; figuratively: to be washed away, drift away (BAGD, 621). Proverbs 3:21 LXX uses παραρρέω in urging readers to hold fast to good counsel and thought. Υἱέ, μὴ παραρρυῇς, τήρησον δὲ ἐμὴν βουλὴν καὶ ἔννοιαν, ἵνα ζήσῃ ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ χάρις ἦ περὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ. Son, you should not let these drift away, but guard my counsel and thought, so that your soul will live and grace might be around your neck (author’s translation). There are apparently variant spellings for παραρρέω: NA27/USB4 (παραρυῶμεν), BT/TR (παραρρυῶμεν).