From The Epistle to the Hebrews (Hermeneia ― A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible), by Harold W. Attridge; 1989, Fortress Press, Philadelphia:
Hebrews 10:26 The stern warning begins sonorously with a marked assonance. The adverb "willingly" (ἑκουσίως) appears emphatically as the opening word. The language derives from the Pentateuchal distinction between willful or high-handed and inadvertent sins that was widely recognized in post-biblical Judaism. As the sequel indicates, our author has in mind a specific willful sin, that of apostasy. The present tense of the participle (ἁμαρτανόντων) suggests that the sin involved is not a single act, but a continuing rejection of Christ. The pronoun ἡμῶν, "we," moderates the severity of the warning by including the author himself under its provisions.
Such willful sin occurs after "receiving the knowledge of the truth" (μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας), terminology that closely resembles a fixed expression used in the pastoral epistles for conversion. As in the previous warning passage (6:4-8) traditional language used of conversion and baptism is prominent. The noun ἐπίγνωσις is more solemn than simply γνῶσις, but there is no substantive difference between the two. The phrase as a whole suggests that there is an intellectual element to faith, although the content of that "truth" is not specified.
The affirmation that there does not "remain any sacrifice" (ἀπολείπεται θυσία) for such willful sins simply reaffirms the results of the reflection on Christ's unique sacrifice. That act was seen to have abrogated the old cult and thus displaced any other means of reconciliation with God.
27 What does remain for sinners is a "fearful expectation" (φοβερὰ δέ ἐκδοχή), an ominous note enhanced by the indefinite adjective τις. The expected judgment on sin can have only one outcome, condemnation to a "fiery zeal" (πυρὸς ζῆλος). Like the "day" of the previous pericope, the punishing fire is another motif of biblical prophecy that became a common feature of eschatological tableaux. Those whom this divine wrath consumes, those who "stand in opposition" (τοὺς ὑπεναντίους), are those who reject Christ's sacrifice, the primary enemies who are to be set under his feet.
The threat of judgment that this evocative eschatological imagery introduces will soon be balanced by a more hopeful recollection of the addressees' conduct. Yet the vision of impending judgment and the serious responsibilities it entails will continue throughout the subsequent exhortations. The warning passage in the final paraenetic section will close on a similar note, that God is a consuming fire (12:29).
Such willful sin occurs after "receiving the knowledge of the truth" (μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας), terminology that closely resembles a fixed expression used in the pastoral epistles for conversion. As in the previous warning passage (6:4-8) traditional language used of conversion and baptism is prominent. The noun ἐπίγνωσις is more solemn than simply γνῶσις, but there is no substantive difference between the two. The phrase as a whole suggests that there is an intellectual element to faith, although the content of that "truth" is not specified.
The affirmation that there does not "remain any sacrifice" (ἀπολείπεται θυσία) for such willful sins simply reaffirms the results of the reflection on Christ's unique sacrifice. That act was seen to have abrogated the old cult and thus displaced any other means of reconciliation with God.
27 What does remain for sinners is a "fearful expectation" (φοβερὰ δέ ἐκδοχή), an ominous note enhanced by the indefinite adjective τις. The expected judgment on sin can have only one outcome, condemnation to a "fiery zeal" (πυρὸς ζῆλος). Like the "day" of the previous pericope, the punishing fire is another motif of biblical prophecy that became a common feature of eschatological tableaux. Those whom this divine wrath consumes, those who "stand in opposition" (τοὺς ὑπεναντίους), are those who reject Christ's sacrifice, the primary enemies who are to be set under his feet.
The threat of judgment that this evocative eschatological imagery introduces will soon be balanced by a more hopeful recollection of the addressees' conduct. Yet the vision of impending judgment and the serious responsibilities it entails will continue throughout the subsequent exhortations. The warning passage in the final paraenetic section will close on a similar note, that God is a consuming fire (12:29).
Comment