Των Λαληθησομένων in Hebrews 3,5
Των λαληθησομένων In Hebrews 3,5 The words των λαληθησομένων in Heb 3,5 have not received the attention they merit. They occur in a verse which has echoes of Num 12,7[LXX], and this tends to direct the attention to their Old Testament antecedents(1). In addition, the word λαλέω seems to resume the theme of God’s “speaking” at the beginning of the epistle, at Heb 1,1 (2). Both of these indications merit further investigation. But they need to be considered in the context of still a third line of reasoning which points to Heb 9,19-20, where λαλέω is used in connection with Moses’ inauguration of the Sinai covenant. But this third line of reasoning must be carried out in the structured context of Heb 1,1-3,6 if it is to be suasive. The present study will examine first the approaches based on the relevance of Num 12,7 [LXX] and the thematic use of λαλέω, and will then turn to the relevance of Heb 9,19-20 before studying the results of these investigations in the structured context of the first part of the epistle. 1. The Relevance of Numbers 12,7[LXX] The presence of the words Μωϋσής, θεράπων, οίκος and πιστός in the text of Num 12,7 [LXX] has led to the inference that the author of Hebrews had this verse in mind when he wrote 3,5 (3). But, as not infrequently in Hebrews, the author of Hebrews puts the words to different use. Moses is indeed “faithful”, but for the author of Hebrews he is assigned a role subordinate to the “son”, 1.e., Jesus.
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