HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  7.11 Perfection involves effective forgiveness of sin; see 9.14; 10.14, 17–18.

  7.12 Necessarily suggests that there is an intimate connection between priesthood and covenant law. For other cases of “necessity,” see 8.3; 9.16, 23.

  7.13 Another tribe, specified in the next verse, is one distinct from the priestly tribe of Levi.

  7.14 As a descendant of David (Mt. 1.1; 9.27; 15.22; Mk 10.47; Lk 1.32; Rom 1.3; 2 Tim 2.8; Rev 22.16), Jesus was of the tribe of Judah.

  7.15 What is even more obvious is that a new priest has come in place of the old order.

  7.17 Ps 110.4.

  7.19 That the law made nothing perfect contrasts with the perfect cleansing of conscience effected by Christ; see 9.9; 10.1, 14. Hope is grounded in the forerunner’s exaltation; see 6.19–20. His approach to God enables others to follow; see 10.19–22.

  7.20 The importance of another oath was indicated in 6.17.

  7.21 Ps 110.4.

  7.22 Christ is the new covenant’s guarantee as one whose status is assured by God’s oath. A better covenant anticipates chs. 8–10.

  7.24 That Christ continues forever (see v. 3) reflects Christian claims (Jn 12.34) perhaps based on Ps 89.36.

  7.25 For Christ’s intercession, see 9.24; Jn 17.9; Rom 8.34; 1 Jn 2.1.

  7.26 For Christ as holy, see Ps 16.10 as cited in Acts 2.27; 13.35. The adjectives applied here recall Christ’s sinlessness; see 4.15.

  7.27 For ordinary high priests, see 5.3. The once for all character of Christ’s sacrifice indicates its decisive function; see 9.12, 25–28; 10.10; see also Rom 6.10; 1 Pet 3.18.

  7.28 Word of the oath, Ps 110.4, as in v. 21. It came later than the law since it is in a psalm of David. For a similar argument about relative dating of scriptures, see 4.7; see also Gal 3.17.

  Hebrews 8

  Mediator of a Better Covenant

  1Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2a minister in the sanctuary and the true tenta that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. 3For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent,b was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6But Jesusc has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one.

  8Godd finds fault with them when he says:

  “The days are surely coming, says the Lord,

  when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel

  and with the house of Judah;

  9not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors,

  on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;

  for they did not continue in my covenant,

  and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord.

  10This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

  after those days, says the Lord:

  I will put my laws in their minds,

  and write them on their hearts,

  and I will be their God,

  and they shall be my people.

  11And they shall not teach one another

  or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’

  for they shall all know me,

  from the least of them to the greatest.

  12For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

  and I will remember their sins no more.”

  13In speaking of “a new covenant,” he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear.

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  a Meaning of Gk uncertain

  b Or tabernacle

  c Gk he

  d Gk He

  8.1–13 The central section of Hebrews, extending to 10.18, begins with a summary of Christ’s role as the heavenly high priest followed by a prophecy of a new covenant. The antithesis of heaven and earth established here will echo through the following chapters until in 10.1–10 the “heavenly” act of Christ will finally be firmly anchored in his very human and very physical sacrificial death.

  8.1 Seated at the right hand alludes to Ps 110.1; see Heb 1.3, 13. On Majesty, see 1.3.

  8.2 For a heavenly counterpart to the earthly sanctuary, see Wis 9.8; Rev 3.12; 7.15; 11.19; 14.15; 15.5; 1 Enoch 14.10–20; Testament of Levi 3.2–4; 2 Baruch 4.5.

  8.5 Ex 25.40.

  8.6 Better promises involve effective forgiveness (10.16–18) in the context of an eternal covenant, mediated by an eternal priest (7.20–22).

  8.8–12 The citation of Jer 31.31–34 introduces several contrasts to be developed in chs. 9–10, particularly the antitheses of new/old and interior/exterior. Jeremiah envisioned a renewal of the Sinai covenant, but the author of Hebrews envisions its replacement.

  8.8 The promise of a new covenant leads to criticism of the old (v. 13; 9.9–10) and to confidence in what Christ made available (10.19–22). The antithesis of new and old parallels that of heaven and earth in vv. 1–6.

  8.12 That God will remember their sins no more is central to the new covenant; see 10.17–18.

  Hebrews 9

  The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries

  1Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2For a tenta was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence;b this is called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a tentc called the Holy of Holies. 4In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.d Of these things we cannot speak now in detail.

  6Such preparations having been made, the priests go continually into the first tente to carry out their ritual duties; 7but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year, and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people. 8By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tentf is still standing. 9This is a symbolg of the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right.

  11But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,h then through the greater and perfecti tentj (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), 12he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spiritk offered himself without blemish to God, purify ourl conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

  15For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.m 16Where a willn is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17For a willo takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19For when every commandment had been told to al
l the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,p with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, 20saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.” 21And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tentq and all the vessels used in worship. 22Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

  Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin

  23Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

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  a Or tabernacle

  b Gk the presentation of the loaves

  c Or tabernacle

  d Or the place of atonement

  e Or tabernacle

  f Or tabernacle

  g Gk parable

  h Other ancient authorities read good things to come

  i Gk more perfect

  j Or tabernacle

  k Other ancient authorities read Holy Spirit

  l Meaning of Gk uncertain

  m The Greek word used here means both covenant and will

  n The Greek word used here means both covenant and will

  o The Greek word used here means both covenant and will

  p Other ancient authorities lack and goats

  q Or tabernacle

  9.1–22 The author reflects on the themes of ch. 8 and considers how Christ’s “heavenly” sacrifice inaugurates a new covenant.

  9.1 The description of the earthly sanctuary relies on the accounts of the desert tabernacle in Ex 25.1–31.11; 36.1–40.38, with some modifications.

  9.2 Lampstand. See Ex 25.31–39; 37.17–24; 40.4. Table. See Ex 25.23–28; 37.10–15; 40.4. Bread. See Ex 25.30; 40.23; Mt 12.4.

  9.4 Altar of incense. See Ex 30.1–10; 37.25–28; 40.5. Ark. See Ex 25.10–15; 37.1–5; 40.3. Manna. See Ex 16.33–34. Aaron’s rod. See Num 17.1–11. Tablets of the covenant. See Ex 25.16.

  9.5 Cherubim, mercy seat. See Ex 25.17–22; 37.6–9; Lev 16.15. The Greek word for the latter, hilasterion, also appears in Rom 3.25.

  9.6 Ritual duties included trimming lamps (Ex 27.20–21) and placing rows of “showbread” (Lev 24.5–9).

  9.7 Once a year, i.e., on the Day of Atonement, as specified in Lev 16.29–34. On the blood of the sin offering, see Lev 16.11–19. It is alluded to again in Heb 9.12.

  9.8 The way to where God dwells is opened by Christ; see 10.9–20. The first, or outer, tent stands for the whole cultic system.

  9.10 Concern with food reappears in 13.9. Baptisms, here cleansing rituals; cf. 6.2. The time to set things right came with the inauguration of the new covenant.

  9.11 The greater and perfect tent is heavenly; see 8.2.

  9.12 Goats and calves alludes to the Day of Atonement offerings; see Lev 16.5–15. The disdainful tone imitates prophetic criticism of the sacrificial system; see Ps 50.13; Isa 1.11.

  9.13 The ashes of a heifer were used in purifying rituals; see Num 19.

  9.14 Eternal Spirit, probably not the Holy Spirit (the term probably should not be capitalized) but the spiritual aspect of Christ’s sacrifice, which stands in contrast to the Jewish temple sacrifices. The significance of that spiritual aspect will become clear in 10.5–10. Human conscience is the inner sanctuary where Christ’s atoning sacrifice has its effect; see 8.10. For similar affirmations of the cleansing effect of Christ’s death, see Acts 15.9; Eph 5.26; Titus 2.14; 1 Pet 3.21; 1 Jn 1.7, 9. Dead works, sins (see 6.1), which contrast with deeds of love (10.24). Worship involves Christian prayer (13.15), but also the “sacrifices” of good works (10.24; 13.6).

  9.15 For Christians as called, see Rom 1.6; 1 Cor 1.2; Jude 1; Rev 17.14. Inheritance. See also 1.14; 6.12, 17.

  9.15–17 Covenant, will. For a similar wordplay (see text note b), see Gal 3.15–18. The play on the two senses of the Greek diatheke suggests that the heavenly inheritance awaiting Christians is promised to them in the covenant, which is a “testament” that Christ left for them.

  9.18 The sacrifice concluding the covenant’s ratification in Ex 24.3–8 foreshadows Christ’s death.

  9.19 Various rituals are conflated. Water, hyssop. See Num 19.9, 18, 20. Scarlet wool. See Lev 14.2–6.

  9.20 Ex 24.8.

  9.23–28 Further consideration of Christ’s sacrifice emphasizes its unique character.

  9.23 Heavenly things probably symbolize the consciences (v. 14) of the faithful.

  9.24 For Christ’s entry into heaven, see 4.14; 8.1–2; 9.11–12. On our behalf reemphasizes Christ’s intercessory role; see 7.25.

  9.25 Year after year recalls the high priest’s action on the annual Day of Atonement; see v. 7. For the blood, see vv. 12–14.

  9.26 For the once for all quality of Christ’s sacrifice, see 7.27; 9.12; 10.10.

  9.27 The notion of final judgment (Dan 7.26; Mt 25.31–46; 2 Thess 2.12; Rev 20.12) is applied to the individual.

  9.28 For the sins of many, see Isa 53.12; Mk 10.45; Rom 5.19. Christ’s coming a second time was a common expectation; see Mk 13.24–27; Acts 1.10–11; 1 Cor 15.23–24; Rev 1.7.

  Hebrews 10

  Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

  1Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, ita can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased being offered, since the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? 3But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. 4For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Consequently, when Christb came into the world, he said,

  “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

  but a body you have prepared for me;

  6in burnt offerings and sin offerings

  you have taken no pleasure.

  7Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’

  (in the scroll of the bookc it is written of me).”

  8When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And it is by God’s willd that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

  11And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But when Christe had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” 13and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

  16“This is the covenant that I will make with them

  after those days, says the Lord:

  I will put my laws in their hearts,

  and I will write them on their minds,”

  17he also adds,

  “I will rememberf their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”


  18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

  A Call to Persevere

  19Therefore, my friends,g since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

  26For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 29How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

  32But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. 35Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. 36For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. 37For yet