The contrast between human fathers and the heavenly Father is now expanded a little.

Our human fathers may be expressed as “Our own fathers” or “Our fathers on earth,” as in verse 9.

Punished is once more the word translated corrects in verse 6.

For a short time in the Greek is literally an understatement, “for a few days,” as in King James Version and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente; Phillips, unnecessarily, says “during the brief days of childhood.” This is a usual expression of time, found also in James 4.14. It is also possible but less likely that purpose may be implied, as in New American Bible‘s “to prepare us for the short span of mortal life” (see Gen 47.9; Psa 109.8). For a short time may be rendered as “for the short time that we were children” or “for the limited time while we were still children.”

As it seemed right to them: Revised Standard Version‘s “at their pleasure” modifies King James Version‘s “after their own pleasure,” which sounds cruel to a speaker of modern English. The writer and his readers knew that the father, especially under Roman law, had almost absolute power over his children, and was therefore considered to be the final judge of how best to bring them up. As it seemed right to them may be rendered “as they thought it was best” or “as they thought they should punish us.”

But God does it: Revised Standard Version‘s “he” is God, and most modern translations say so. The statement but God does it for our own good may be rendered as “but when God punishes us, it is for our own good” or “… it is in order to help us.”

So that we may share his holiness expands for our own good and makes it more specific. Holiness, rather surprisingly, translates a Greek word not used anywhere else in the New Testament, except in some manuscripts of 2 Corinthians 1.12. It means primarily, not good conduct, but what makes God different from human beings. Share his holiness therefore means practically the same as share the divine nature in 2 Peter 1.4, though the Greek is different. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy bring this out by “to make us holy as he is holy”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, more precisely, says “that we may participate in his perfection.” In some languages, however, the term “holy,” when it is applied to individuals, means “dedicated to God” or “consecrated to God.” In such cases it would be difficult to use the same term for “holy” in reference both to people and to God himself. An equivalent might be “so that we might be like God” or “… be in a measure like God.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .