SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:5
y que así mismo gustaron la buena palabra de Dios, y las virtudes del siglo venidero,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Hebrew 6:5
Verse 5. And have tasted the good word of God] Have had this proof of the excellence of the promise of God in sending the Gospel, the Gospel being itself the good word of a good God, the reading and preaching of which they find sweet to the taste of their souls. Genuine believers have an appetite for the word of God; they taste it, and then their relish for it is the more abundantly increased. The more they get, the more they wish to have. The powers of the world to come] dunameiv te mellontov aiwnov.
These words are understood two ways: 1. The powers of the world to come may refer to the stupendous miracles wrought in confirmation of the Gospel, the Gospel dispensation being the world to come in the Jewish phraseology, as we have often seen; and that dunamiv is often taken for a mighty work or miracle, is plain from various parts of the gospels. The prophets had declared that the Messiah, when he came, should work many miracles, and should be as mighty in word and deed as was Moses; see Deut. xviii. 15-19. And they particularly specify the giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the lame, and speech to the dumb; Isa. xxxv. 5, 6. All these miracles Jesus Christ did in the sight of this very people; and thus they had the highest evidence they could have that Jesus was this promised Messiah, and could have no pretense to doubt his mission, or apostatize from the Christian faith which they had received; and hence it is no wonder that the apostle denounces the most awful judgments of God against those who had apostatized from the faith, which they had seen thus confirmed.
2. The words have been supposed to apply to those communications and foretastes of eternal blessedness, or of the joys of the world to come, which they who are justified through the blood of the covenant, and walk faithfully with their God, experience; and to this sense the word geusamenouv have tasted, is thought more properly to apply. But geuomai, to taste, signifies to experience or have full proof of a thing.
Thus, to taste death, Matt. xvi. 28, is to die, to come under the power of death, fully to experience its destructive nature as far as the body is concerned. See also Luke ix. 27; John viii. 52. And it is used in the same sense in chap. ii. 9 of this epistle, where Christ is said to taste death for every man; for notwithstanding the metaphor, which the reader will see explained in the note on the above place, the word necessarily means that he did actually die, that he fully experienced death; and had the fullest proof of it and of its malignity he could have, independently of the corruption of his flesh; for over this death could have no power. And to taste that the Lord is gracious, 1 Pet. ii. 3, is to experience God's graciousness thoroughly, in being made living stones, built up into a spiritual house, constituted holy priests to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God; see 1 Pet. ii. 5. And in this sense it is used by the purest Greek writers. See several examples in Schleusner.
It seems, therefore, that the first opinion is the best founded.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. And have tasted the good word of God , etc..] Not the Lord Jesus Christ, the essential Word of God, who seems to be intended before by the heavenly gift; but rather, either the Scriptures of truth in general, which are the word of God, endited by him, and contain his mind and will; which he makes use of for conviction, conversion, instruction, and comfort; and which are preserved by him: and these are a good word; they come from him who is good; they are a revelation of good things; they make known things true, pleasant, and profitable: or else the Gospel in particular, of which God is the author; and in which is a wonderful display of his wisdom and grace; and which he owns and blesses for his own glory, and the good of others: and this is a good word, the same with bwj rbd , good matter, or word, in ( Psalm 45:1) ybwj gtp , my good word, or the word of my goodness, in the Targum on ( Isaiah 55:11) for it is the word of righteousness, reconciliation, peace, pardon, life, and salvation. And there is a special and spiritual taste of this good, word, which is delightful, relishing, and nourishing; and such who have it can never totally and finally fall away; because they who taste it, so as to eat and digest it, and be nourished by it, to them it becomes the ingrafted word, which is able to save them: but there is such a taste of this word as is disrelishing, as in profane sinners, and open opposers and persecutors of the word, or as in hypocrites and formal professors; which is only an assent to the Scriptures, as the revelation of God, or a superficial knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel without the experience of them, and a temporal faith in them, and a natural affection for them, and pleasure with them for a time; as the Jews, and Herod with John's ministry, and the stony ground hearers. And the powers of the world to come ; meaning either the state of the church, and the glorious things relating to it, after the first resurrection, which they might have some notional apprehensions of; or the ultimate state of glory and happiness, the powers of which are the immortality, incorruption, and glory of the body, the perfect holiness and knowledge of the soul, entire freedom from all evils of every kind, full communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, and a complete enjoyment of all happiness for ever; which hypocrites may have a notional knowledge of, a natural desire after, and delight in the contemplation and hope of, as Balaam had; or rather the dunameiv , miracles and mighty works in the former part of the Gospel dispensation, or times of the Messiah, the Jews' world to come, (see Gill on Hebrews 2:5), are intended; which many, as Judas and others, were able to perform, who were not sincere Christians, or true believers.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - Every part of the truth and will of God should be set before all wh profess the gospel, and be urged on their hearts and consciences. We should not be always speaking about outward things; these have their places and use, but often take up too much attention and time, whic might be better employed. The humbled sinner who pleads guilty, an cries for mercy, can have no ground from this passage to be discouraged, whatever his conscience may accuse him of. Nor does i prove that any one who is made a new creature in Christ, ever becomes final apostate from him. The apostle is not speaking of the fallin away of mere professors, never convinced or influenced by the gospel Such have nothing to fall away from, but an empty name, or hypocritica profession. Neither is he speaking of partial declinings of backslidings. Nor are such sins meant, as Christians fall into throug the strength of temptations, or the power of some worldly or fleshl lust. But the falling away here mentioned, is an open and avowe renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against him, his cause, an people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers, an all this after they have received the knowledge of the truth, an tasted some of its comforts. Of these it is said, that it is impossibl to renew them again unto repentance. Not because the blood of Christ is not sufficient to obtain pardon for this sin; but this sin, in its very nature, is opposite to repentance and every thing that leads to it. I those who through mistaken views of this passage, as well as of their own case, fear that there is no mercy for them, would attend to the account given of the nature of this sin, that it is a total and willing renouncing of Christ, and his cause, and joining with his enemies, it would relieve them from wrong fears. We should ourselve beware, and caution others, of every approach near to a gulf so awfu as apostacy; yet in doing this we should keep close to the word of God and be careful not to wound and terrify the weak, or discourage the fallen and penitent. Believers not only taste of the word of God, but they drink it in. And this fruitful field or garden receives the blessing. But the merely nominal Christian, continuing unfruitful unde the means of grace, or producing nothing but deceit and selfishness was near the awful state above described; and everlasting misery wa the end reserved for him. Let us watch with humble caution and praye as to ourselves.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 καλον 2570 γευσαμενους 1089 5666 θεου 2316 ρημα 4487 δυναμεις 1411 τε 5037 μελλοντος 3195 5723 αιωνος 165
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. The good word of God (kalon qeou rhma). The gospel of Christ as preached. Comp. ch. ii. 3. To the word are attached life (Acts v. 20); spirit and life (John vi. 63); salvation (Acts xi. 14); cleansing (Eph. v. 26); especially the impartation of the Spirit (John 3;34; Acts v. 32; x. 44; Eph. vi. 17; Heb. ii. 4).
Powers of the world to come (dunameiv mellontov aiwnov). Not foretastes of heavenly bliss. The world to come is the world of men under the new order which is to enter with the fulfillment of Christ's work. See on these last days, ch. i. 2. These powers are characteristic of that period, and in so far as that dispensation is inaugurated here and now, they assert and manifest themselves.
