RSV ~ Hebrews 13 Notes

Heb 13:2 | ISB Notes

entertained angels: Hospitality is encouraged by recalling how OT figures such as Abraham (Gen 18:121), Lot (Gen 19:1-3), Gideon (Judg 6:11-24), and Tobias (Tob 5:4-9) welcomed heavenly messengers without realizing it.

Heb 13:3 | ISB Notes

in prison: Visiting the imprisoned is a charitable work of mercy (Mt 25:36; CCC 2447).

Heb 13:4 | ISB Notes

the marriage bed: Prohibits every form of sexual immorality inside (e.g., adultery) and outside (e.g., fornication) the boundaries of lawful wedlock. This standard of chastity applies to the married and unmarried alike. See note on Eph 5:3.

Heb 13:5 | ISB Notes

love of money: A deadly vice that, left unchecked, can destroy our hope of salvation (Mt 6:24; 19:23).

I will never fail you: Encouragement once given to Joshua (Deut 31:6, 8; Josh 1:5). It inspires contentment in the Providence of God, who can always be trusted to meet our needs (Mt 6:2534; 1 Tim 6:6-10).

Heb 13:6 | ISB Notes

The Lord is my helper: A citation from Ps 118:6.

• Recalling how the Lord delivered him from distress in times past, the Psalmist bursts out with a prayer of confidence in God in the face of new enemy threats.

Heb 13:7 | ISB Notes

your leaders: The original pastors of the community.

Heb 13:8 | ISB Notes

the same: Jesus Christ is unchanging because he is divine, i.e., he is the Lord who is more ancient and more permanent than the visible universe (1:12).

Heb 13:9 | ISB Notes

not by foods: The eaten portions of Temple sacrifices are probably in view (1 Cor 9:13; 10:18).

Heb 13:10 | ISB Notes

an altar: Many interpret this as a reference to the Cross or to the sacrifice of Jesus in general. More likely, it refers to the eucharistic altar of the Church, which is off-limits to the non-Christian priests serving at the sanctuary altar in Jerusalem. In favor of this reading, several considerations suggest that the Eucharist is a significant, albeit submerged, element in the theology of Hebrews. (1) The towering importance of the New Covenant throughout the letter points in this direction, since Jesus mentioned “the new covenant” only in the context of the Last Supper (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). This would not go unnoticed by readers familiar with the Gospels’ traditions. (2) At one point, the author seems to allude to the eucharistic words of Jesus (See note on Heb 9:20). Not only so, but the allusion leads to a significant point about the relationship between shedding blood and the forgiveness of sins (9:22), a point that Jesus himself also made in the words of institution (Mt 26:27-28). (3) A reference to the Eucharist probably occurs in 6:4, where Christian initiation involves tasting a “heavenly gift”. (4) The typology in 7:1-3 invites us to consider the links between Jesus and the priest Melchizedek. Christian readers would naturally see a prefigurement of the sacrament in the “bread and wine” offered by Melchizedek (Gen 14:18). (5) Hebrews teaches that we draw near to God and actually enter his heavenly sanctuary “by the blood of Jesus” (10:19) and “through his flesh” (10:20). It is difficult to know how the humanity of Christ enables us to accomplish this in the present apart from Eucharistic Communion (CCC 1182).

Heb 13:12 | ISB Notes

outside the gate: A final connection is made between the sacrifice of Jesus and the Day of Atonement liturgy developed in Heb 9-10.

• After the sin offerings were slain in the outer court of the Tabernacle, the carcasses of the victims were dragged outside the camp of Israel to be burned (Lev 16:27). This signifies how the body of Jesus was disgraced outside the city walls of Jerusalem (Mk 12:8; Jn 19:17-20). Readers are challenged to follow him out, leaving behind the city and sanctuary of the Old Covenant and ready to suffer for the gospel as he did (Heb 13:13-14).

Heb 13:14 | ISB Notes

the city … to come: The heavenly Jerusalem (12:22; CCC 2796).

Heb 13:17 | ISB Notes

Obey your leaders: The pastors who replaced the original leaders of the community remembered in 13:7 (CCC 1269). See note on 1 Thess 5:12.

Heb 13:20 | ISB Notes

from the dead: The only explicit mention of Jesus’ Resurrection in the letter, although the fact is often assumed (2:14; 5:7; 7:16; etc.).

Heb 13:22 | ISB Notes

word of exhortation: The same expression is used in Acts 13:15 to refer to a synagogue sermon. For this and other reasons, many scholars maintain that the Letter to the Hebrews is a homily that came to be written down.

See introduction: Themes and Characteristics.

Heb 13:23 | ISB Notes

Timothy: A mutual friend of the author and his readers. He is commonly identified with Paul’s missionary coworker of this name from Asia Minor (Acts 16:1-4). If that is who he is, this is the only indication in the NT that he spent time in prison. For his background, .

Heb 13:24 | ISB Notes

Those who come from Italy: This could mean that Hebrews was written either from Italy or to Italy, depending on the present location of the author’s Italian companions. Traditionally it was held that Hebrews was sent from Italy to a community of believers in Palestine; many modern scholars, however, interpret the geographical reference the other way around.