The Meaning of Hebrews 5:2 Explained

Hebrews 5:2

KJV: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

YLT: able to be gentle to those ignorant and going astray, since himself also is compassed with infirmity;

Darby: being able to exercise forbearance towards the ignorant and erring, since he himself also is clothed with infirmity;

ASV: who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who can  have compassion  on the ignorant,  and  on them that are out of the way;  for  that he  himself  also  is compassed  with infirmity. 

What does Hebrews 5:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Hebrews 5:1-10 - Our Divinely Appointed High Priest
Having to act for men, our High Priest must be man, acquainted with human conditions; having to do with God, he must be appointed by God. Is there one of us that is not conscious of liability to ignorance and wandering? We all evermore need the high priesthood of Jesus.
The Aaronic priests must needs make atonement for themselves, but our Lord was without sin. See Leviticus 4:3. Hebrews 5:5 has reference to His resurrection and ascension. See Romans 1:4; Acts 13:33. His priestly service dates from the completion of His mediatorial work on the Cross. No scene in our Lord's life fulfills Hebrews 5:7 like that of the Garden, when it seemed impossible for the human body to hold out under the stress of His anguish. He feared that He would succumb before He reached Calvary. He had to yield obedience unto death in order to learn what obedience really means. Thus as to His humanity He became perfected; and if only we believe and obey, He will effect a perfect deliverance for us from all evil. There is no sin so strong, no need so intricate, that He cannot cope with it. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hebrews 5

1  The honor of our Savior's priesthood
11  Negligence in the knowledge thereof is reproved

Greek Commentary for Hebrews 5:2

Who can bear gently [μετριοπατειν δυναμενος]
Present active infinitive of the late verb μετριοπατεω — metriopatheō It is a philosophical term used by Aristotle to oppose the απατεια — apatheia (lack of feeling) of the Stoics. Philo ranks it below απατεια — apatheia Josephus (Ant. XII. 32) uses it of the moderation of Vespasian and Titus towards the Jews. It occurs here only in the N.T. “If the priest is cordially to plead with God for the sinner, he must bridle his natural disgust at the loathsomeness of sensuality, his impatience at the frequently recurring fall, his hopeless alienation from the hypocrite and the superficial, his indignation at any confession he hears from the penitent” (Dods). With the ignorant Dative case of the articular present active participle of αγνοεω — agnoeō old verb not to know (Mark 9:32). And erring Present middle participle (dative case) of πλαναω — planaō The one article with both participles probably makes it a hendiadys, sins of ignorance (both accidence and sudden passion) as opposed to high-handed sins of presumption and deliberate purpose. People who sinned “willingly” Present passive indicative of the old verb περικειμαι — perikeimai here used transitively as in Acts 28:20 The priest himself has weakness lying around him like a chain. Not so Jesus. [source]
Have compassion [μετιοπαθεῖν]
N.T.oolxx. oClass. Originally of the rational regulation of the natural passions, as opposed to the Stoic ἀπάθεια , which involved the crushing out of the passions. Often, in later Greek, of moderating anger. It is not identical with συνπαθῆσαι (Hebrews 4:5), but signifies to be moderate or tender in judgment toward another's errors. Here it denotes a state of feeling toward the ignorant and erring which is neither too severe nor too tolerant. The high priest must not be betrayed into irritation at sin and ignorance, neither must he be weakly indulgent. [source]
The ignorant [τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι]
Comp. ἀγνοημάτων ignorances Hebrews 9:7, and Numbers 15:22-31, where the distinction is drawn between sins of ignorance and sins of presumption. Atonement for sins of ignorance was required by the Levitical law as a means of educating the moral perception, and of showing that sin and defilement might exist unsuspected: that God saw evil where men did not, and that his test of purity was stricter than theirs. [source]
For that he himself also is compassed with infirmity [ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν]
Sympathy belongs to the high-priestly office, and grows out of the sense of personal infirmity. The verb is graphic: has infirmity lying round him. Comp. Hebrews 12:1, of the encompassing ( περικείμενον ) cloud of witnesses. Ἀσθένειαν the moral weakness which makes men capable of sin. This is denied in the case of Christ. See Hebrews 7:28. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Hebrews 5:2

Hebrews 9:7 Errors [ἀγνοημάτων]
Lit. ignorances. See on Hebrews 5:2. [source]
Hebrews 10:11 Take away [περιελεῖν]
Only here in connection with sin. See on 2 Corinthians 3:16. The verb literally means to strip off all round. See Genesis 41:42(of a ring): Genesis 38:14; Deuteronomy 21:13(of clothes). Comp. εὐπερίστατος , Hebrews 12:1, see note, and περίκειται ἀσθένειαν iscompassed about with weakness, Hebrews 5:2. See also clothed with shame, and with cursing, Psalm 35:26; Psalm 109:18. [source]
Hebrews 9:7 Alone [μονος]
Predicate adjective with ο αρχιερευς — ho archiereus Once in the year Once for each year (not ποτε — pote at any time) with genitive of time. Not without blood According to Leviticus 16:14. Not even he could enter the second tent (Holy of Holies) without blood. The errors of the people Late word from αγνοεω — agnoeō not to know (Hebrews 5:2), only here in the N.T., but in lxx, papyri, and inscriptions where a distinction is drawn between errors In Genesis 43:12 αγνοημα — agnoēma is “an oversight.” But these sins of ignorance (αγνοηματα — agnoēmata) were sins and called for atonement. See Hebrews 10:26 for willful sinning. [source]
James 5:19 If any one among you do err [εαν τις εν υμιν πλανητηι]
Third-class condition (supposed case) with εαν — ean and the first aorist passive subjunctive of πλαναω — planaō old verb, to go astray, to wander (Matthew 18:12), figuratively (Hebrews 5:2). [source]
1 John 5:16 Sinning a sin [αμαρτανοντα αμαρτιαν]
Present active predicate (supplementary) participle agreeing with αδελπον — adelphon and with cognate accusative αμαρτιαν — hamartian unto death Repeated again with αμαρτανουσιν — hamartanousin and in contrast with αμαρτια προς τανατον — hamartia pros thanaton (sin unto death). Most sins are not mortal sins, but clearly John conceives of a sin that is deadly enough to be called “unto death.” This distinction is common in the rabbinic writings and in Numbers 18:22 the lxx has λαβειν αμαρτιαν τανατηπορον — labein hamartian thanatēphoron “to incur a death-bearing sin” as many crimes then and now bear the death penalty. There is a distinction in Hebrews 10:26 between sinning wilfully after full knowledge and sins of ignorance (Hebrews 5:2). Jesus spoke of the unpardonable sin (Mark 3:29; Matthew 12:32; Luke 12:10), which was attributing to the devil the manifest work of the Holy Spirit. It is possible that John has this idea in mind when he applies it to those who reject Jesus Christ as God‘s Son and set themselves up as antichrists.Concerning this (περι εκεινης — peri ekeinēs). This sin unto death.That he should make request Sub-final use of ινα — hina with the first aorist active subjunctive of ερωταω — erōtaō used here as in John 17:15, John 17:20 (and often) for request rather than for question. John does not forbid praying for such cases; he simply does not command prayer for them. He leaves them to God. [source]

What do the individual words in Hebrews 5:2 mean?

to exercise forbearance being able with those being ignorant and going astray since also he himself is encompassed by weakness
μετριοπαθεῖν δυνάμενος τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν καὶ πλανωμένοις ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν

μετριοπαθεῖν  to  exercise  forbearance 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: μετριοπαθέω  
Sense: to be affected moderately or in due measure.
δυνάμενος  being  able 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: δύναμαι  
Sense: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom.
τοῖς  with  those 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀγνοοῦσιν  being  ignorant 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀγνοέω  
Sense: to be ignorant, not to know.
πλανωμένοις  going  astray 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: πλανάω  
Sense: to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way.
ἐπεὶ  since 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἐπεί  
Sense: when, since.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
αὐτὸς  he  himself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
περίκειται  is  encompassed  by 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: περίκειμαι  
Sense: to lie around.
ἀσθένειαν  weakness 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀσθένεια  
Sense: want of strength, weakness, infirmity.