Gifts are for God's pleasure; sacrifices are for our sins.

The Greek here implies a feeling toward the ignorant and erring that is neither too severe nor too tolerant. To exercise compassion is to be moderate or tender in judging their situation. The thought in this verse is a continuation of the thought in Heb. 4:15. Though not encompassed with weakness like the high priest taken from among men, Christ as our High Priest was tempted in all respects like us. Hence, being touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, He is able to exercise compassion toward us, the ignorant and erring ones.

In this verse the word glorify replaces honor used in the foregoing verse. With the high priest taken from among men, there is only honor, a matter of position. With Christ as the High Priest, there is not only honor but also glory, not only the preciousness of His position but also the splendor of His person. See note Heb. 2:9^2c.

This refers to Christ's resurrection (Acts 13:33), which qualifies Him to be our High Priest. For Christ to be our High Priest, He had to partake of our humanity, as mentioned in Heb. 2:14-18, and enter with this humanity into resurrection. In His humanity He can be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses and be merciful to us (Heb. 4:15; 2:17). In resurrection, in His divinity He can do everything for us and be faithful to us (Heb. 7:24-25; 2:17).

This refers to the ascension and enthronement of Christ (Psa. 110:1-4), which are in addition to His resurrection and further qualify Him to be our High Priest (Heb. 7:26).

The order of Melchisedec is higher than the order of Aaron. The order of Aaron was for the priesthood that was only in humanity, whereas the order of Melchisedec is for the priesthood that is in both humanity and divinity. This is fully delineated in Heb. 7.

Out of death here does not mean that Christ did not enter into death and suffer death. It means that He resurrected out of death. Before He died, Christ prayed for this, and God answered by raising Him from the dead.

God ordained that Christ should die, and Christ obeyed (Phil. 2:8). He learned this obedience through the suffering of death.

See note Heb. 2:10^5f.

The Greek word implies the thought of author and cause.

Not everlasting salvation but eternal salvation, of which all the effects, benefits, and issues are of an eternal nature, transcending the conditions and limitations of time.

This word also conveys the sense of designated, hailed.

Or, primary elements.

I.e., divine utterances.

Though this verse mentions teachers and teach, it likens the word of God to milk and solid food, which are for nourishment. This corresponds with the Lord's word in Matt. 4:4 and the prophet's word in Jer. 15:16. Paul and Peter held this same concept concerning the divine word (1 Cor. 3:2; 1 Pet. 2:2).

Milk here refers to the rudiments of the beginning of the oracles of God mentioned in v. 12, whereas the word of righteousness refers to solid food. The good word mentioned in Heb. 6:5 is the word of the beginning of Christ (Heb. 6:1). But the word of righteousness is deeper than the rudiments of the beginning of the oracles of God because it embodies the deeper thought of God's justice and righteousness in His dispensational and governmental dealings with His people. This word is more difficult to discriminate than the word of grace (Acts 14:3; 20:32) and the word of life (Phil. 2:16).

Or, senses; implying powers of perception that depend not only on our mental capability but also on our spiritual apprehension.

Good and evil here refers to what is superior in contrast to what is inferior, e.g., the superiority of Christ in contrast to the inferiority of the angels, Moses, and Aaron, or the superiority of the new covenant in contrast to the inferiority of the old covenant. According to the context of this verse, the discriminating mentioned here is similar to discriminating between different foods and has nothing to do with the moral nature of things.