{4} Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

(4) We have to set before us the examples of valiant captains, whom we ought diligently to follow.

People's New Testament

13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you. Remember them that had the rule over you (Revised Version). As the past tense is used, the rulers named, it is thought, were dead. At the date of this epistle, James the brother of John, and James the brother of our Lord, both so closely connected with the Jerusalem church, had suffered martyrdom. The last named, whose martyrdom is recorded by Josephus, was put to death in A.D. 63.

Whose faith follow. Imitate it.

Wesley's Notes

13:7 Remember them - Who are now with God, considering the happy end of their conversation on earth.

King James Translators' Notes

have the rule: or, are the guides

Scofield Reference Notes

Margin whose faith

Lit. considering the issue of the conversation of whom, imitate the faith.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

7. Two manifestations of "brotherly love," hospitality and care for those in bonds.

Be not forgetful-implying it was a duty which they all recognized, but which they might forget to act on (Heb 13:3, 7, 16). The enemies of Christianity themselves have noticed the practice of this virtue among Christians [Julian, Epistles, 49].

entertained angels unawares-Abraham and Lot did so (Ge 18:2; 19:1). To obviate the natural distrust felt of strangers, Paul says, an unknown guest may be better than he looks: he may be unexpectedly found to be as much a messenger of God for good, as the angels (whose name means messenger) are; nay more, if a Christian, he represents Christ Himself. There is a play on the same Greek word, Be not forgetful and unaware; let not the duty of hospitality to strangers escape you; for, by entertaining strangers, it has escaped the entertainers that they were entertaining angels. Not unconscious and forgetful of the duty, they have unconsciously brought on themselves the blessing.

7. Remember-so as to imitate: not to invoke in prayer, as Rome teaches.

have the rule-rather, "who have had the rule over you": your spiritual leaders.

who-Greek, "the which": such persons as.

have spoken unto you-"spake" (so the Greek aorist means) during their lifetime. This Epistle was among those written later, when many of the heads of the Jerusalem Church had passed away.

whose faith-even unto death: probably death by martyrdom, as in the case of the instances of faith in Heb 11:35. Stephen, James the brother of our Lord and bishop of Jerusalem, as well as James the brother of John (Ac 12:2), in the Palestinian Church, which Paul addresses, suffered martyrdom.

considering-Greek, "looking up to," "diligently contemplating all over," as an artist would a model.

the end-the termination, at death. The Greek, is used of decease (Lu 9:31; 2Pe 1:15).

of their conversation-"manner of life": "religious walk" (Ga 1:13; Eph 4:22; 1Ti 4:12; Jas 3:13). Considering how they manifested the soundness of their faith by their holy walk, which they maintained even to the end of that walk (their death by martyrdom).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:7-15 The instructions and examples of ministers, who honourably and comfortably closed their testimony, should be particularly remembered by survivors. And though their ministers were some dead, others dying, yet the great Head and High Priest of the church, the Bishop of their souls, ever lives, and is ever the same. Christ is the same in the Old Testament day. as in the gospel day, and will be so to his people for ever, equally merciful, powerful, and all-sufficient. Still he fills the hungry, encourages the trembling, and welcomes repenting sinners: still he rejects the proud and self-righteous, abhors mere profession, and teaches all whom he saves, to love righteousness, and to hate iniquity. Believers should seek to have their hearts established in simple dependence on free grace, by the Holy Spirit, which would comfort their hearts, and render them proof against delusion. Christ is both our Altar and our Sacrifice; he sanctifies the gift. The Lord's supper is the feast of the gospel passover. Having showed that keeping to the Levitical law would, according to its own rules, keep men from the Christian altar, the apostle adds, Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp; go forth from the ceremonial law, from sin, from the world, and from ourselves. Living by faith in Christ, set apart to God through his blood, let us willingly separate from this evil world. Sin, sinners, nor death, will not suffer us to continue long here; therefore let us go forth now by faith and seek in Christ the rest and peace which this world cannot afford us. Let us bring our sacrifices to this altar, and to this our High Priest, and offer them up by him. The sacrifice of praise to God, we should offer always. In this are worship and prayer, as well as thanksgiving.