Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 10:29

"of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" — Hebrews 10:29 (ASV)

An argument from the greater to the lesser brings out the seriousness of the situation. To despise the law of Moses was a serious matter, but this is more serious still. The law of Moses was held by Jews to be divinely given: anyone who rejected it rejected God’s direction. When this happened, no discretion was allowed: the person had to be executed. In a serious matter the charge had to be proved beyond doubt. Thus the testimony of one witness was not sufficient: there had to be two or three. But when there were the required witnesses to say what the person had done, justice took over. There was no place for mercy. He had to be executed (19:15).

The writer invites the readers to work out for themselves how much more serious is the punishment of the one who apostatizes from Christ. It must be more severe than under the old way because Jesus is greater than Moses (3:1ff.), and the new covenant is better than the old, founded on better promises (8:6) and established by a better sacrifice (9:23).

There are three counts in the indictment of those who are apostate. (1) They have “trampled the Son of God under foot.” “To trample under foot” is a strong expression for disdain. It implies not only rejecting Christ but also despising him —him who is no less than “the Son of God.” (2) They take lightly the solemn shedding of covenant blood. “The blood of the covenant” is an expression used of the blood that established the old covenant (Exodus 24:8; cf. Hebrews 9:20) and also of the blood of Jesus that established the new covenant (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; cf. also Lk 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). The author regards it as a dreadful thing to take lightly the shedding of the blood of one who is so high and holy and whose blood moreover is the means of establishing the new covenant that alone can bring people near to God. The apostates regard that blood as “an unholy thing” (lit., “common”; GK 3123); i.e., they treat the death of Jesus as just like the death of anyone else. The idea of “unholy” stands out all the more sharply when it is remembered that that blood has “sanctified” (GK 39) them—i.e., set them apart for God through Christ’s death. As elsewhere in this letter, sanctification refers to the initial act of being set apart for God, not progressive growth in grace .

(3) The apostates have “insulted the Spirit of grace.” The author does not often refer to the Holy Spirit, being occupied for the most part with the person and work of the Son. Nevertheless, he esteems the person of the Spirit highly. This phrase also implies that he saw the Spirit as a person, not an influence or a thing, for only a person can be insulted. In the NT there is a variety of ways of referring to the Spirit, but only here is he called “the Spirit of grace” (cf. Zechariah 12:10); the expression may mean “the gracious Spirit of God” or “the Spirit through whom God’s grace is manifested.” Willful sin is an insult to the Spirit, who brings the grace of God to us.