Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
gospel preached . . . unto them—in type: the earthly Canaan, wherein they failed to realize perfect rest, suggesting to them that they should look beyond to the heavenly land of rest, to which faith is the avenue, and from which unbelief excludes, as it did from the earthly Canaan.
the word preached—literally, "the word of hearing": the word heard by them.
not being mixed with faith in them that heard—So the Syriac and the Old Latin Versions, older than any of our manuscripts, and LUCIFER, read, "As the world did not unite with the hearers in faith." The word heard being the food which, as the bread of life, must pass into flesh and blood through man's appropriating it to himself in faith. Hearing alone is of as little value as undigested food in a bad stomach [THOLUCK]. The whole of oldest extant manuscript authority supports a different reading, "unmingled as they were (Greek accusative case agreeing with 'them') in faith with its hearers," that is, with its believing, obedient hearers, as Caleb and Joshua. So "hear" is used for "obey" in the context, Hebrews 4:7, "To-day, if ye will hear His voice." The disobedient, instead of being blended in "the same body," separated themselves as Korah: a tacit reproof to like separatists from the Christian assembling together (Hebrews 10:25; Judges 1:19).
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Hebrews 4:2:
Leviticus 27:34
1 Corinthians 10:3
Galatians 3:8
Hebrews 4:3
Hebrews 4:6
Hebrews 4:12
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