In Hebrews 3:2 why isn't τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν translated as "to him who made him"?

Question

Westcott and Hort / [NA27 variants] πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ Μωυσῆς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ.

Here is the context:

3 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 3:1–6). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

BDAG suggest "to him who appointed him". Is it compelling?:

...ⓑ of divine activity, specifically of God’s creative activity create (Hes., Op. 109; Heraclitus, Fgm. 30 κόσμον οὔτε τις θεῶν οὔτε ἀνθρώπων ἐποίησεν, ἀλλʼ ἦν ἀεὶ καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ἔσται; Pla., Tim. 76c ὁ ποιῶν ‘the Creator’; Epict. 1, 6, 5; 1, 14, 10; 2, 8, 19 σε ὁ Ζεὺς πεποίηκε; 4, 1, 102; 107; 4, 7, 6 ὁ θεὸς πάντα πεποίηκεν; Ael. Aristid. 43, 7 K.=1 p. 2 D.: Ζεὺς τὰ πάντα ἐποίησεν; Herm. Wr. 4, 1. In LXX oft. for בָּרָא also Wsd 1:13; 9:9; Sir 7:30; 32:13; Tob 8:6; Jdth 8:14; Bar 3:35; 4:7; 2 Macc 7:28; Aristobulus in Eus., PE13, 12, 12 [pp. 182 and 184 Holladay]; JosAs 9:5; Philo, Sacr. Abel. 65 and oft.; SibOr 3, 28 and Fgm. 3, 3; 16; Just., A II, 5, 2 al.) w. acc. ἡ χείρ μου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα πάντα Ac 7:50 (Is 66:2). τοὺς αἰῶνας Hb 1:2 (s. αἰών 3). τὸν κόσμον (Epict. 4, 7, 6 ὁ θεὸς πάντα πεποίηκεν τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον; Sallust. 5 p. 10, 29; Wsd 9:9; TestAbr A 10 p. 88, 21 [Stone p. 24]) Ac 17:24. τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν (cp. Ael. Aristid. above; Gen 1:1; Ex 20:11; Ps 120:2; 145:6; Is 37:16; Jer 39:17 et al.; TestJob 2:4; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 121; Aristobulus above) Ac 4:24; 14:15b; cp. Rv 14:7. τὰ πάντα PtK 2 p. 13, 26 (JosAs 12, 2; Just., D. 55, 2; also s. Ael. Aristid. above). Lk 11:40 is classed here by many. Of the relation of Jesus to God Ἰησοῦν, πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν=appointed him Hb 3:2 (cp. Is 17:7).—W. a second acc., that of the predicate (PSI 435, 19 [258 B.C.] ὅπως ἂν ὁ Σάραπις πολλῷ σὲ μείζω ποιήσῃ) ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς (God) created them male and female Mt 19:4b; Mk 10:6 (both Gen 1:27c).—Pass. Hb 12:27.—ὁ ποιήσας the Creator Mt 19:4a v.l....

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 839). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Answer 1

Both are possible, for the verb can be used in both senses (in the sense of "appoint", "make smbd. something" we have this verb already in Classical Greek, for example in Homer's "Odyssey" I:387: μὴ σέ γ᾽ ἐν ἀμφιάλῳ Ἰθάκῃ βασιλῆα Κρονίων ποιήσειεν - "to make/appoint someone a king"; or in Thycidides Αθεναιον ποιειν τινα “make/appoint somebody an Athenian citizen” (Liddle&Scott) etc.; in patristic literature the same verb is used with the meaning of "appoint" by Athanasius (Ar. 2.8.), or in Chrysostom who explains: “εποιεσεν, τουτεστι κατεστησεν» (“made, that is to say, appointed”) (Lampe), etc.). However, here, in Hebrews 3:2, it is not entirely unequivocal (like, e.g., in Mark 3:14, where it is unequivocally "appointed" and not "created, or in Gen. 1 where it is unequivocally "created" and not "appointed"). The Vulgate preserves this equivocation by "fecit", which also can mean both actions.

Probably the "appointed" is more plausible, for Paul refers to Jesus not as a creature, saying elsewhere that the Father brought into existence the entirety of creation through Him (Hebrews 1:2), thus excluding Him from this entirety. And here in the immediate sequence Jesus' glory is counterposed to the glory of Moses as that of Maker to the made, a house builder to a house, the verb κατασκευαζω applying both to Jesus and God, and the "house" is referred to Moses, as a part of this house and acting in it as a servant, and also all humans, including Paul himself (ου οικος εσμεν εμεις), but Jesus together with God is outwith the "house", a.k.a. creation, expressed by the prefix ἐπὶ which with accusative οικον means "onto", i.e. "upper surface of", as in "got up onto the horse", thus not a part of the surface of the horse, in this instance, not part of the creation.

However, "created" is also plausible, for Jesus is created in His human nature and in His human nature remained faithful to God, always performing things pleasing to Him (cf. John 8:29), and having lived a life of utter obedience, up to the death on cross (Phil. 2:8). Some ancient translations, thus, e.g. a Georgian canonical translation of 11th century make this option, putting "created" unequivocally.

Answer 2

The exact morphology of ποιήσαντι appears in the Greek NT three times:

"Who was faithful to him that appointed him (ποιήσαντι), as also Moses was faithful in all his house." Hebrews 3:2

"For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed (ποιήσαντι) no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." James 2:13

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made (ποιήσαντι) heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:7

Revelation is translated "that made", and it is clearly stating that God made heaven and earth. The word ποιέω is also used in the Septuagint version of Genesis 1, and can mean "to accomplish" or "to cause".

James 2:13 is translated "that hath shewed", but this could clearly say "that hath made no mercy".

"Who was faithful to him that made him". Yeah it can be translated like that.

To answer your question "Why isn't τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν translated as “to him who made him”?

The trinity.

Answer 3

Hebrews 3:2 alludes to 1 Samuel 12:6 (1 Kingdoms 12:6 in the LXX):

Brenton LXX 1 Samuel 12:6And Samuel spoke to the people, saying, The Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron is witness, who brought our fathers up out of Egypt.

1 Kingdoms 12:6 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουὴλ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγων Μάρτυς Κύριος ὁ ποιήσας τὸν Μωυσῆν καὶ τὸν Ἀαρών, ὁ ἀναγαγὼν τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Swete, H. B. (1909). The Old Testament in Greek: According to the Septuagint (1 Kgdms 12:6). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

This in turn is a translation of the Hebrew:

Douay-Rheims Bible 1 Samuel 12:6 And Samuel said to the people: It is the Lord, who made Moses and Aaron, and brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt.

12:6 Hebrew OT: Westminster Leningrad Codex וַיֹּ֥אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל אֶל־הָעָ֑ם יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וַאֲשֶׁ֧ר הֶעֱלָ֛ה אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

So the interpretation rests largely on the use of the word עָשָׂה֙.

The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi's commentary has this:

CJB 1 Samuel 12:6 And Samuel said to the people, "(It is) the Lord Who made Moses and Aaron, and Who brought your forefathers up from the land of Egypt.

And Rashi makes this comment:

Who made Moses and Aaron: to be prepared for His mission to take your forefathers out of Egypt. http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15841#lt=primary&showrashi=true

The word is in the Hiphil tense suggesting causation. For example, the Hebrew word "remember", when in the Hiphil would be "cause to remember" or "remind":

http://www.becomingjewish.org/pdf/hiphil_stem-hebrew.pdf

Based on this I think I would render this as "tasked" or "charged". I think one is "appointed" to an "office" but "tasked" or "charged" with a duty.

The comparison is being drawn between Moses and Aaron who were tasked with bringing "your forefathers up from the land of Egypt" and Jesus who is charged with bringing "many sons to glory":

NIV Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.