A Torah Verse By Verse Commentary Of Paul's Epistles by Re'tzon Ha'El - HTML preview

Chapter 2

V1 What things were being referred to that the Hebrews had heard of, which the author was imploring his readers both Jew and Gentile to give the more earnest heed? Deut 4:1-9 clearly references this exhortation. It is vital to identify the Torah as being relevant to the Gentiles too as by believing in Yeshua, they are grafted into the tree of Israel and hence succumb to all that pertains to the Hebrews cf Rom 11:13-24.

V2 This verse further confirms that the Torah is being referred to in verse 1 as the word/logos spoken by angels was none other than the law dispensed on Mt Sinai cf Deut 33:2 LXX, Acts 7:53,Gal 3:19. Yeshua is the Logos which is Torah cf Isa 2:2-3; Mic 4:2. Yeshua, the Logos Jn 1:1 is the way the truth and the life Jn 14:6, which all are the same description given to Torah, hence signifying that Yeshua is the personification, embodiment and fulfilment of Torah. Yeshua is also wisdom Matt 23:34 vs Lk 11:49; 1 Cor 1:24. Wisdom is Torah. Yeshua is the light of the world Jn 8:12 and Yeshua being truth also sets us free. Torah is wisdom, Torah is the light and Torah is liberty. The following scripture confirms this:

A. the way- Pro 6:23, Jer 21:8

B. The truth-Ps 119:142,151

C. The life-Deut 32:46-47

D. Wisdom- Jer 8:9; Deut 4:5-6

E. Light- psalm 119:105; Pro 6:23

F. Liberty- psalm 119:42-45

Breaking Torah, which was given by the angels received just recompense detailed in Deut ch 27-28. The escape refers to the final judgement of Elohim cf Rom 2:3.

V3 If we wilfully break this Torah, which is beyond a shadow of a doubt Yeshua personified, how can we possibly escape this just recompense mentioned in v2, especially considering that heeding Torah leads to salvation, which Yeshua Himself preached and his disciples reiterated and repeated after His ascension. The salvation spoken of is that of the gospel of faith in Yeshua, which leads to justification as opposed to following Torah by traditions of men which prove futile and are a stumbling block to salvation. Yeshua is the only way to salvation.

V4 The evidence of this truth was further confirmed by supernatural wonders performed by Yeshua and the disciples given by Elohim via His Holy Spirit power.

V5 The current world is in subjection to angels, Satan being the prince of the world cf Lk 4:6-7; Dan 10:20-21; Dan 12:1 and also LXX Deut 32:8 reads:

When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.

In the millennial reign the earth shall be subjective to Yeshua’s rule.

V6-8 cf Ps 8:4-6. At His first advent, Yeshua was a little lower than the angels. At His Ascension into heaven, He was crowned with glory and honour, elevated by the Father above all creation and sits at the right hand of the Father. At His 2nd advent He shall fulfil this Psalm, where all enemies shall be vanquished, and every knee shall bow in heaven above and on the earth below, and beneath the earth. Note that Ps 8:5 uses the phrase a little lower than the elohim, which is a reference to angels. V8 indeed not all things have been put under Yeshua yet, and all creation groans for this day when He shall set us free from this world of decay which shall wax old and be folded up as a vesture paving way for a new heaven and earth free from corruption cf Rom 8:20-23.

V9 cf Philip 2:5-9 Yeshua fulfilled the Father’s purpose of demeaning Himself not only to the lower state of mankind, but dying for sinful man, suffering persecution and murder at the hands of the very race of men He was dying for, yet guiltless. Having conquered death, He was elevated back to His rightful place in Heaven as YHVH the Son. Note that this is what constitutes the grace of Elohim, which is the mystery that was revealed to Paul. Satan was convinced that he had conquered Yeshua by orchestrating His crucifixion, yet little did he know that he was playing a part in the sovereign Elohim whose counsels were at the time a secret, of the intention of allowing His only begotten Son to suffer death and sacrifice for the redemption of mankind by that unblemished precious blood cf 1 Cor 2:8.

V10 It was Elohim’s will to allow His Son Yeshua, the captain of our salvation, to teleioo/perfect, fulfil, complete His experience as a man to the utmost limit of sufferings and persecutions unto death itself, in order to be an unblemished representative of mankind, hence setting forth an example and path to follow for those who accept the calling of Elohim, to partake in the difficult Christian walk of a holy life fraught with sufferings, in the hope of certain glory at its completion cf Heb 4:15. 

V11 Because Yeshua lived and died as one of us i.e. fully man, having passed the test of living a sinless life, having resisted all temptation thrown His way, and having conquered death too, He is not ashamed to call those who believe in Him and follow in His footsteps brethren, as they truly are His brothers, being mankind that has been adopted as sons of Elohim through belief in His only begotten Son, who also lived as one of us.

V12 Quotes Ps 22:22. Note church is an English word of spurious origin. The original Hebrew word is ‘qahal’ which means congregation/assembly/ecclesia. The congregation in Hebrew and in the Tanakh refers to the family of Israel. We as Gentiles, on accepting Yeshua as our Lord and Saviour are grafted into this congregation of Israel. There is no other parallel or alternative congregation besides that of Israel, which is accepted by Yehovah Elohim.

V13 Quotes Isa 8:18. Both v12-13 are reassurance that despite our sinful past in Satan’s grip, once we accept the captain of our salvation Yeshua haMashiach as our kinsman redeemer, He will not be ashamed to be in our midst declaring the holy name of YHVH and praising and placing all trust in Him.

V14-15 Yeshua could have destroyed the devil in His pre-incarnate state, but death would still have had dominion over mankind as no human being would have been able to live an unblemished life to be a propitiation of the sins of mankind. Satan was the cause of the fall of man. By sin creeping into our lives, death is our ultimate destiny Rom 6:23. The dead were formally trapped in Hades, the unrighteous being in the hell section of Hades, whilst the righteous dead in what was referred to as Abraham’s bosom. Cf Lk 16:19-26. In order to free us from eternal death, Yeshua had to become one of us and lead a sin-free i.e. eternal death-proof life, so as to be able to be resurrected from death and usurp the devil of the keys of both death and Hades. By so doing the captives in Abraham’s bosom were freed and currently their souls reside in heavenly paradise awaiting their incorruptible bodies Eph 4:8; 1 Cor 15:51-52, 1 Th 4:16.

Fear of death did indeed lead to bondage before Yeshua conquered it.  Because Satan had the keys of death and Hades before Yeshua took over them Rev 1:18, all creation inclusive of believers of YHVH were enslaved and had no hope of eternal life beyond death. Yeshua freed the righteous dead from Abraham’s bosom and has freed all BELIEVERS in Him since His resurrection up to this present time and beyond. Hence those of us still living have this great hope of eternal life and no longer have fear of the shackles of Hades. Non-believers however need to have a morbid fear as there is no other name that leads to eternal life.

V16 reiterates that Yeshua became one of us in order to be the perfect sacrifice for us, liberating us from the shackles of Satan. Believers of Yeshua become part of the seed of Abraham as the body of Messiah and hence are alive in the body of Yeshua who is life eternal cf Gal 3:29.

V17 this verse sets the theme for the rest of the epistle, which highlights that Yeshua is the eternal High priest and hence necessitated the adjusting of the Torah to exclude the previous roles and duties of the Aaronic high priests whose purpose became null and void. We shall discover that the interpretation of succeeding chapters by most scholars that the law has been done away with, is a grievous misconception, as it totally goes against the grain of the theme of the epistle.

V18 Because Yeshua suffered all points of testing and persecution, He is the perfect helper of those that go through the same for His name’s sake.