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Hebrews 9

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The Earthly Sanctuary and Its Limitations 1–10

1
Now even the firstcovenanthad ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. ​
2
For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place.
3
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies;
4
having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; ​
5
and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally. ​
6
Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services;
7
but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors of the people: ​
8
the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing; ​
9
which is a figure for the time present; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, ​
10
being only (with meats and drinks and divers washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation. ​

Christ Enters the Heavenly Sanctuary 11–14

11
But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, ​
12
nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. ​
13
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: ​
14
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ​

The Necessity of Blood for the New Covenant 15–22

15
And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ​
16
For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it. ​
17
For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth.
18
Wherefore even the first covenant hath not been dedicated without blood.
19
For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses unto all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ​
20
saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you-ward.
21
Moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood.
22
And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. ​

Christ's Single, Perfect Sacrifice 23–28

23
It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ​
24
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: ​
25
nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not his own;
26
else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ​
27
And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; ​
28
so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Hebrews 9

Verse 1

ordinances of divine service — Dikaioma, a righteous requirement, and latreia, worship-service (v.6). 'Worldly' is kosmikos, found only here and in Titus 2:12; the sanctuary belonged to this world, unlike 'the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man' (8:2). It was made at God's word: 'let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them' (Ex 25:8).

Verse 4

Aaron's rod that budded — Hebrews gathers three witnesses with the ark: the manna, 'to be kept for your generations' (Ex 16:33); the rod, kept 'for a token against the rebels' after it 'budded' (blastano) and 'yielded almonds' (Num 17:8, 10); and the tables, which Moses 'put … in the ark' (Deut 10:5). The 'censer' (thumiasterion) is named only here in the New Testament.

Verse 5

the mercyseat — Hilasterion, the place of propitiation; it occurs only here and in Rom 3:25, where God sets Christ forth 'to be a propitiation through faith in his blood'. The cherubim stood over it: 'I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims' (Ex 25:22). The writer stops there and says, 'of which we cannot now speak particularly.'

Verse 7

not without blood — The high priest entered the second tent 'once a year' (Lev 16:34), while 'no man' else was in the tabernacle (Lev 16:17), first with blood for himself (Lev 16:11) and then for the people. 'Errors' is agnoema, sins of ignorance, a word found only here. The yearly repetition is the limit that vv.9–10 go on to name.

Verse 8

the way into the holiest of all — The Holy Ghost makes this plain (delo) through the arrangement itself: the way (hodos) was 'not yet made manifest' (phaneroo) while the first tabernacle was 'yet standing' (stasis, in force). It is opened later: 'a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh' (10:19–20).

Verse 9

a figure for the time then present — 'Figure' is parabole, the word rendered 'parable' throughout the Gospels; only here and in 11:19 does the KJV translate it 'figure'. The gifts and sacrifices could not 'make him that did the service perfect' (teleioo) 'as pertaining to the conscience' (suneidesis). 'Service' is latreuo; compare 7:19, 'the law made nothing perfect'.

Verse 10

carnal ordinances — The list is 'meats and drinks' (compare Col 2:16, 'in meat, or in drink') and 'divers washings', baptismos, the word of 'the doctrine of baptisms' in 6:2. They were 'imposed' (epikeimai, laid upon) until the 'time of reformation', diorthosis, a setting straight, found only here: the coming of the 'good things' of v.11.

Verse 11

not made with hands — Cheiropoietos, the word of Acts 7:48, 'the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands'. The tabernacle Christ passed through is 'greater and more perfect' (meizon, teleios) and 'the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched' (8:2). 'Building' is ktisis, elsewhere 'creation': it is not of this created order. 'Good things to come' returns in 10:1.

Verse 12

eternal redemption — Lutrosis, a ransoming, used only three times (Luke 1:68; 2:38; here). 'Once' is ephapax, once for all, in five places (Rom 6:10; 1 Cor 15:6; Heb 7:27; 9:12; 10:10). The 'blood of goats and calves' is set aside by the plain statement of 10:4: 'it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.'

Verse 13

the ashes of an heifer — The 'red heifer without spot' of Num 19:2, whose ashes were kept 'for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin' (Num 19:9). Rhantizo, to sprinkle, is the verb of the rite, and katharotes, cleanness, is found only here. The cleansing reached 'the flesh', the body's state under the law; v.14 sets the conscience against it.

Verse 14

without spot — Amomos, unblemished, rendered 'without blemish' in 1 Pet 1:19 and Eph 5:27; he offered himself 'through the eternal Spirit'. 'Purge' is katharizo, as in vv.22–23. To 'serve the living God' is latreuo, the verb of v.9: the service that the latreia of vv.1 and 6 only pictured.

Verse 15

mediator of the new testament — Mesites, a go-between. Diatheke is 'testament' here and 'covenant' in 8:8, where Jeremiah's promise is quoted: 'I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel'. His death was 'for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament' (apolutrosis), so that 'they which are called' (kaleo) receive 'eternal inheritance'.

Verse 16

the death of the testator — Diatheke is the word the KJV renders 'covenant' in 8:8 and 'testament' here, where the picture is a will. Diatithemai, the verb of 'the covenant that I will make' (8:10), gives 'testator'. 'A testament is of force after men are dead' (v.17); so 'neither the first testament was dedicated without blood' (v.18).

Verse 19

sprinkled both the book, and all the people — The scene is Ex 24: Moses read 'the book of the covenant' and said 'Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you' (Ex 24:7–8). The water, 'scarlet' and 'hyssop' are the cleansing materials of Num 19:6, 18. Rhantizo, to sprinkle, is the verb of vv.13 and 21.

Verse 22

without shedding of blood is no remission — Haimatekchusia, a pouring out of blood, is found only here; aphesis is release, forgiveness. The principle is stated in Lev 17:11: 'the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.' 'Almost' is schedon, used elsewhere only in Acts 13:44 and 19:26.

Verse 23

the patterns of things in the heavens — Hupodeigma, a copy or sketch; the word is 'example' in 8:5, where the tabernacle served 'the example and shadow of heavenly things', made after 'the pattern shewed to thee in the mount'. The copies were purified by these; the 'heavenly things themselves' (epouranios) required 'better sacrifices' (kreitton, a word used thirteen times in Hebrews).

Verse 24

the figures of the true — Antitupon, a copy corresponding to its pattern; it occurs only here and in 1 Pet 3:21. 'True' is alethinos, real as against the copy, as in 'the true tabernacle' (8:2). 'To appear in the presence of God' joins emphanizo with prosopon, face: he is there 'for us', in the very heaven the holy places only pictured.

Verse 26

put away sin — Athetesis, a setting aside, found only here and in 7:18, 'a disannulling of the commandment going before'. 'Once' (hapax) answers the 'often' of v.25. 'The end of the world' joins sunteleia with aion, the pairing of Matt 28:20, the completion of the age; 'the foundation of the world' is katabole.

Verse 27

it is appointed unto men once to die — Apokeimai, to be laid up, reserved; it is 'laid up for you in heaven' in Col 1:5 and 'laid up for me a crown of righteousness' in 2 Tim 4:8. Death and judgment (krisis) are the settled order for men; the next verse sets Christ's one offering beside that 'once'.

Verse 28

to bear the sins of many — Anaphero, to carry up, in the words of Isa 53:12, 'he bare the sin of many'. 'Look for him' is apekdechomai, to wait eagerly, as in Phil 3:20, 'we look for the Saviour'. His second appearing is 'without sin' (choris hamartias), because sin was borne at the first, 'once' (v.26), and it is 'unto salvation'.