“For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:16-17).
This reference to “Abraham’s seed” links Hebrews 2:16 with the Old Testament patriarch who is widely recognized as the father of those who are justified by faith. For instance, Genesis 15:6 tells us, “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (NLT). The New Testament book of Romans builds upon that passage in the following manner…
“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith… So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe” (Romans 4:9-13 NLT).
So Abraham trusted God to keep his promises. Those who follow his good example represent “…the seed of Abraham” according to Galatians 3:6…
“Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, ‘He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’ You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith. The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: ‘Through you God will bless all people.’ Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was” (GNT).
Unlike angelic beings, God promises to aid those who similarly place their faith and trust in Him through Christ. Therefore, we can take comfort in the assurance of God’s mercy from this passage…
“The Greek word ‘merciful’ speaks of that feeling of sympathy with the misery of another that leads one to act in his behalf to relieve that misery. The idea is that of a compassionate heart leading one to acts of mercy, the purpose of which is to relieve the suffering and misery of the object of that compassion. The Lord Jesus, being such a compassionate high priest, is, therefore, a faithful one, the word ‘faithful’ here having the idea of fidelity.” (1)
(1) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament [note on Hebrews 2:17] Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.