Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
For verily—Greek, "For as we all know"; "For as you will doubtless grant." Paul probably alludes to Isaiah 41:8; Jeremiah 31:32, Septuagint, from which all Jews would know well that the fact here stated as to Messiah was what the prophets had led them to expect.
took not on him, etc.—rather, "It is not angels that He is helping (the present tense implies duration); but it is the seed of Abraham that He is helping." The verb is literally, to help by taking one by the hand, as in Hebrews 8:9, "When I took them by the hand," etc. Thus it answers to "succor," Hebrews 2:18, and "deliver," Hebrews 2:15. "Not angels," who have no flesh and blood, but "the children," who have "flesh and blood," He takes hold of to help by "Himself taking part of the same" (Hebrews 2:14). Whatever effect Christ's work may have on angels, He is not taking hold to help them by suffering in their nature to deliver them from death, as in our case.
the seed of Abraham—He views Christ's redemption (in compliment to the Hebrews whom he is addressing, and as enough for his present purpose) with reference to Abraham's seed, the Jewish nation, primarily; not that he excludes the Gentiles (Hebrews 2:9, "for every man"), who, when believers, are the seed of Abraham spiritually (compare Hebrews 2:12; Psalms 22:22, Psalms 22:25, Psalms 22:27), but direct reference to them (such as is in Romans 4:11-12, Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7, Galatians 3:14, Galatians 3:28-29) would be out of place in his present argument. It is the same argument for Jesus being the Christ which Matthew, writing his Gospel for the Hebrews, uses, tracing the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham, the father of the Jews, and the one to whom the promises were given, on which the Jews especially prided themselves (compare Romans 9:4-5).
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Hebrews 2:16:
Hebrews 1:4
Hebrews 1:5
Hebrews 2:5
Hebrews 2:11
Hebrews 2:13
Hebrews 2:17
Hebrews 5:1
1 John 4:2
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