Martyrs of the Faith
The expression “time will fail me” or “the day will fail” is a rhetorical commonplace by which one segues into a peroration. The author calls to mind a host of examples even as he protests that he has not the time to do so. Hebrews 11:32–35a, beginning with a list of names spanning Judges through potentially Malachi, at least provides a summary of the achievements of faith through 2 Kings; Hebrews 11:35b–38 takes in the fates of the prophets and the Maccabean martyrs as well, thus rounding out the canonical history in addition to making reference to several legends about the deaths of the great prophets of Israel. The survey is structured cleanly in two parts. The first half (Heb. 11:32–35a) speaks of those figures who, through trust in God, achieved what any person in the world would consider marvelous or miraculous things (military prowess, timely deliverance from death, resuscitation of corpses). The second half (Heb. 11:35b–38) speaks of those who are, in the world’s eyes, shamed and defeated losers but who, from God’s perspective, are every bit as triumphant and honorable as the “heroes” of Heb.11:32–35a. The message conveyed by this structure is that, regardless of external circumstances, it is the posture of loyalty to God and trust in God’s word that marks a person’s worth (a worth that the rest of the world failed to recognize, Heb. 11:38).
Commentators routinely expand at this point in their work on the stories of Gideon, Samson, Barak, and the others mentioned by name. While it may prove edifying to consider these examples at greater length, we do not know what aspects of their stories he would have chosen to elaborate. In effect, he gives the hearers all they “need to know” about these figures in the verses that follow. Hebrews 11:33–34 provide a very terse collection of achievements of the “faithful,” and the author has omitted articles and conjunctions (the device of asyndeton) to heighten the hearers’ sense of compact enumeration. Moreover, the examples now appear to divide naturally into groups of three. “Those who conquered kingdoms” recalls in a general sense the military successes of the judges and David. “Establishing” or “accomplishing justice” recalls the characterizations of David’s reign in 2 Samuel 8:15 and Solomon’s rule at 1 Kings 10:9. “They received promises” (again perhaps a metonymic reference to “things promised”) provides a very broad reference to the reception of specific benefits promised by God to people who trusted him, as David received the promise of an heir to sit on his throne, a throne that God would make great.
deSilva, David A. Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle “to the Hebrews.” Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000. Print.
Comments