Hebrews 5:11 (Morphology, Syntax, and Semantics)

SBLGNT: Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν, ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς·

The preposition Περὶ + the relative pronominal genitive οὗ could be rendered "concerning, about, regarding" this/whom/which. M.J. Harris (Prepositions, page 180) says that Περὶ standing absolutely at the head of a sentence may denote "[now] concerning/with regard to" as it "marks a new subject," for instance in Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 7:1, 25; 8:1. Compare Craig Koester, Hebrews, page 300.

Is the antecedent of the relative pronoun masculine or neuter? David L. Allen discusses the possibilities but concludes that there is no practical difference between the options. See Hebrews: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, pages 334-335. Compare B.F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews, page 131.

The expression, πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, commonly sets forth the notion that the writer/speaker has "much to say." See William L. Lane, Hebrews 1-8 in the WBC series.

δυσερμήνευτος is a hapax legomenon, occurring only here in the GNT. It can mean "difficult to explain" or "difficult to interpret." The first meaning is probably best here: the writer finds it hard to explain his subject matter due to the spiritual condition of his addresses (see infra).

Ralph Earle (Word Meanings in the New Testament, page ): "Hard to Be Uttered This is all one word in Greek, the compound adjective dyser-mēneutos (only here in NT). The prefix dys has the idea of 'difficult.' The rest of the word is based on the verb hermēneuō, 'explain' or 'interpret' (cf. hermeneutics). So 'hard to explain' (RSV, NASB, NIV) is the correct translation here."

λέγειν-present active infinitive of λέγω ("say" or "speak," "express").

Craig Koester (Hebrews, page 300):

Luke T. Johnson (Hebrews, pages 154-155) :

The author’s discourse is not only lengthy, it is also "difficult to express” (dysermēneutos legein). The complaint is not uncommon among ancient speakers (see Philo, On Dreams 1.188; Artemidorus, Oneirocritica 3.67), and can serve to suggest the author’s struggle with difficult subject matter. Hebrews, however, connects the difficulty to the disposition of his hearers. They have become—and the perfect gegonate suggests, still are—nothroi tais akoais. The adjective nōthros means lethargic or careless (see Prov 22:29; Sir 4:29; 11:2). When combined with the dative of respect tais akoais (“in hearing”), it indicates a dullness or even a reluctance to listen (see Heliodorus, Ethiopians 5.1.5; Epictetus, Discourses 1.7.30). I use the translation “reluctant listeners” in order to stress what I consider the deeper implication of the passage. Jesus has just been portrayed as one who became mature/perfect by “learning obedience” from the things he suffered (5:8). Obedience, as we have seen, is a form of responsive hearing. The listeners’ reluctance to learn more about such a messiah, therefore, may have much to do with their perception that such learning leads them into the same path of suffering. The difficulty faced by the author is not simply mental laziness, but spiritual resistance.