John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 5:11

"Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing." — Hebrews 5:11 (ASV)

He therefore prefaces his remarks by saying that he had many things to say, but that they were to prepare themselves so that these things would not be said in vain. He reminds them that these were hard or difficult things; not, indeed, to repel them, but to stimulate them to greater attention.

For just as things that are easily understood can make us lazy, so we become more eager to hear when anything obscure is presented to us. He states, however, that the cause of the difficulty was not in the subject but in themselves. And indeed, the Lord speaks to us so clearly and without any obscurity that His word is rightly called our light; but its brightness becomes dim because of our own darkness.

This happens partly because of our dullness and partly because of our sloth; for even though we are very dull in understanding God’s truth, to this vice must also be added the depravity of our desires, because we apply our minds to vanity rather than to God’s truth.

We are also continually hindered, either by our perverseness, or by the cares of the world, or by the lusts of our flesh. Of whom does not refer to Christ, but to Melchizedek; yet he is not referred to as a private man, but as the type of Christ, and in a sense representing him.