Nielsen’s Nook

Nielsen’s Nook
Nielsen’s Nook
Contemplative, reflective, and irenic we pray.
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Translation and Commentary on Hebrews 2:16

Will Nielsen
June 20th, 2008
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Translation

16 For surely he did not take hold of [1] the angels, but he took hold of the seed of Abraham to make it his own.

Commentary

[1] ἐπιλαμβάνομαι to take hold of, grasp, catch. When followed by a genitive, as is the case here, it can entail the idea of taking hold violently of something or someone, in order to make the object of the grasping one’s own (BAGD, 295). If Hebrews 2:16 is taken out of context it is somewhat vague; however, Hebrews 2:17 gives a context of the Incarnation that sheds light on how this verse should be understood. Hence, the KJV, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” From this writer’s vantage, verse 16 speaks to the nature of the Incarnation, which includes Crucifixion and Resurrection, not as something that Christ took on reluctantly; rather, he lay hold of it with even the vibrant tenacity that a husband has for his wife after having been separated for a lengthy time. This is reciprocated in St. Paul’s charge to Timothy, ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς! Take hold of Eternal Life! For the Christian, Eternal Life is not a status obtained but a Person pursued, loved and cherished. As Christ has laid hold of Timothy to make him His own, St. Paul exhorts him to the same with Christ Jesus to which he was called and had given good confession.

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