SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:14
mas de los perfectos es la vianda firme, es a saber de los que por la costumbre tienen ya los sentidos ejercitados en el discernimiento del bien y del mal.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Hebrew 5:14
Verse 14. But strong meat] The high and sublime doctrines of Christianity; the atonement, justification by faith, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the fullness of Christ dwelling in the souls of men, triumph in and over death, the resurrection of the body, the glorification of both body and soul in the realms of blessedness, and an endless union with Christ in the throne of his glory. This is the strong food which the genuine Christian understands, receives, digests, and by which he grows. By reason of use] Who, by constant hearing, believing, praying, and obedience, use all the graces of God's Spirit; and, in the faithful use of them, find every one improved, so that they daily grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have their senses exercised] The word aisqhthria signifies the different organs of sense, as the eyes, ears, tongue, and palate, nose, and finger ends, and the nervous surface in general, through which we gain the sensations called seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling. These organs of sense, being frequently exercised or employed on a variety of subjects, acquire the power to discern the various objects of sense: viz. all objects of light; difference of sounds; of tastes or savours; of odours or smelling; and of hard, soft, wet, dry, cold, hot, rough, smooth, and all other tangible qualities.
There is something in the soul that answers to all these senses in the body.
And as universal nature presents to the other senses their different and appropriate objects, so religion presents to these interior senses the objects which are suited to them. Hence in Scripture we are said, even in spiritual things, to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch or feel. These are the means by which the soul is rendered comfortable, and through which it derives its happiness and perfection.
In the adult Christian these senses are said to be gegumnasmena, exercised, a metaphor taken from the athletae or contenders in the Grecian games, who were wont to employ all their powers, skill, and agility in mock fights, running, wrestling, &c., that they might be the better prepared for the actual contests when they took place. So these employ and improve all their powers, and in using grace get more grace; and thus, being able to discern good from evil, they are in little danger of being imposed on by false doctrine, or by the pretensions of hypocrites; or of being deceived by the subtleties of Satan. They feel that their security depends, under God, on this exercise-on the proper use which they make of the grace already given them by God. Can any reader be so dull as not to understand this?
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age , etc..] Or perfect; (see 1 Corinthians 2:6). This does not intend a perfection of justification; for though some have a greater degree of faith than others, and a clearer discovery of their justification, yet babes in Christ are as perfectly justified as more grown and experienced believers; nor a perfection of sanctification, for there is no perfection of holiness but in Christ; and though the work of sanctification may be in greater perfection in one saint than in another, yet all are imperfect in this life; and as to a perfection of parts, babes have this as well as adult persons: but it designs a perfection of knowledge; for though none are entirely perfect, yet some have arrived to a greater degree of the knowledge of Gospel mysteries than others, and to these the strong meat of the Gospel belongs; they are capable of understanding the more mysterious parts of the Gospel; of searching into the deep things of God; and of receiving and digesting the more sublime truths of the Christian religion: even those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil ; that is, their spiritual senses, the internal senses of the understanding and judgment, signified by external ones; as by seeing the Son; hearing the voice of Christ; savouring or smelling a sweet odour in the things of God, and Christ; tasting that the Lord is gracious; feeling and handling the word of life, as these are held forth in the everlasting Gospel: and these being exercised on their proper object, by use, an habit is contracted; and such are qualified for discerning, as between moral good and evil, and the worse and better state of the church, and between law and Gospel, so between the doctrines of Christ, and the doctrines of men; who find they differ: the doctrines of Christ such experienced persons find to be good, wholesome, nourishing, and salutary; and the doctrines of men to be evil, to eat, as does a canker, and to be pernicious, poisonous, and damnable; and the discernment they make, and the judgment they form, are not according to the dictates of carnal reason, but according to the Scriptures of truth, and their own experience.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-14 - Dull hearers make the preaching of the gospel difficult, and even thos who have some faith may be dull hearers, and slow to believe. Much i looked for from those to whom much is given. To be unskilful, denote want of experience in the things of the gospel. Christian experience in a spiritual sense, taste, or relish of the goodness, sweetness, an excellence of the truths of the gospel. And no tongue can express the satisfaction which the soul receives, from a sense of Divine goodness grace, and love to it in Christ __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τελειων 5046 δε 1161 εστιν 2076 5748 η 3588 στερεα 4731 τροφη 5160 των 3588 δια 1223 την 3588 εξιν 1838 τα 3588 αισθητηρια 145 γεγυμνασμενα 1128 5772 εχοντων 2192 5723 προς 4314 διακρισιν 1253 καλου 2570 τε 5037 και 2532 κακου 2556
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age (teleiwn de estin h sterea trofh). This rendering is clumsy. Rend. solid food is for full-grown men. For teleiwn full-grown, see on 1 Cor. ii. 6. Often by Paul, as here, in contrast with nhpioi immature Christians. See 1 Corinthians ii. 6; iii. 1; xiii. 11; Eph. iv. 4. Paul has the verb nhpiazein to be a child in 1 Cor. xiv. 20.
By reason of use (dia thn exin). For use rend. habitude. N.T.o . It is the condition produced by past exercise. Not the process as A.V., but the result.
Their senses (ta aisqhthria). N.T.o . Organs of perception; perceptive faculties of the mind. In LXX see Jer. iv. 19; 4 Macc. ii. 22. Exercised (gegumnasmena). See on 2 Pet. ii. 14, and 1 Tim. iv. 7. Good and evil. Not moral good and evil, but wholesome and corrupt doctrine. The implication is that the readers' condition is such as to prevent them from making this distinction.
