Hebrews 2:18

My Notes

What Does Hebrews 2:18 Mean?

"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." The SUFFERING and the TEMPTING are CONNECTED: Jesus suffered WHILE being tempted. The suffering wasn't separate from the temptation. The temptation WAS the suffering. And because He experienced BOTH, He's ABLE to help (succour) those who face temptation now. The personal experience of suffering-temptation produces the CAPACITY to help the currently-tempted. The having-been-through-it creates the being-able-to-help.

The phrase "he himself hath suffered being tempted" (peponthen autos peirastheis — He Himself having suffered, having been tempted) makes the suffering PERSONAL and the temptation EXPERIENTIAL: 'Himself' (autos) emphasizes the PERSONAL nature — not a distant observation but a PERSONAL experience. The suffering (peponthen) was His OWN. The tempting (peirastheis) happened TO HIM. The experience is FIRSTHAND. The compassion is EARNED.

The "he is able to succour them that are tempted" (dynatai tois peirazomenois boēthēsai — He is able/powerful to help/succour those being tempted) makes the experience the BASIS of the ability: the 'is able' (dynatai) means Jesus has the CAPACITY — the power, the competence, the ability — to help. And the ability comes FROM the experience. The suffered-temptation produced the capacity-to-help. The going-through produced the getting-others-through.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Do you run to Jesus when tempted — knowing He experienced it and can help?
• 2.What does Jesus' temptation being REAL (not theatrical) teach about the genuineness of His compassion?
• 3.How does suffering-through-temptation producing the CAPACITY to help describe experiential authority?
• 4.What temptation are you facing that Jesus — who suffered being tempted — is ABLE to succour you through?

Devotional

He SUFFERED being tempted. And BECAUSE He suffered it, He's ABLE to help those being tempted now. The experience produces the capacity. The having-been-through-it creates the being-able-to-help. The suffering and the tempting weren't separate events. The temptation WAS the suffering. And the suffering IS the qualification to help.

The 'he himself hath suffered being tempted' makes the temptation-experience PERSONAL: HIMSELF — not through a representative, not through observation, not through report. Jesus PERSONALLY suffered the temptation. The experience was FIRSTHAND. The pain was His OWN. The temptation pressed against HIS flesh, HIS will, HIS desires. The solidarity isn't theoretical. It's EXPERIENTIAL. He knows what temptation feels like because He FELT it.

The 'being tempted' means the temptation was REAL: Jesus wasn't playacting. The temptation was GENUINE — real pressure, real appeal, real attraction to the alternative. The wilderness temptation (Matthew 4), the Gethsemane agony (Matthew 26:39), the cross itself — each was a REAL temptation to choose differently. The temptation's reality is the basis of the compassion's reality.

The 'is able to succour' makes the help COMPETENT: Jesus doesn't just SYMPATHIZE with the tempted (though He does, 4:15). He HELPS them. He SUCCOURS (boēthēsai — runs to help, comes to aid, provides assistance). The help is ACTIVE, not passive. The ability is COMPETENT, not theoretical. The helper has the EXPERIENCE that produces the SKILL. The one who suffered temptation can help the currently-tempted because He KNOWS what they need.

Do you run to Jesus when tempted — knowing He suffered it too and is ABLE to help?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture