TRV
“Christ's Obedience Replaces Sacrifices”· Hebrews 10:5–10
Translation
King James Version
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Complete Jewish Bible
This is why, on coming into the world, he says,
“It has not been your will
to have an animal sacrifice and a meal offering;
rather, you have prepared for me a body.
“It has not been your will
to have an animal sacrifice and a meal offering;
rather, you have prepared for me a body.
Berean Standard Bible
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.
American Standard Version
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, But a body didst thou prepare for me;
World English Bible Messianic
Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me;
Geneva Bible (1599)
Wherefore when he commeth into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offring thou wouldest not: but a body hast thou ordeined me.
Young's Literal Translation
Wherefore, coming into the world, he saith, `Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not will, and a body Thou didst prepare for me,
In the KJVVerse 30,139 of 31,102 · 96.9%
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Hebrews 10:1–6. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Passage under commentHebrews 10:1–6
1¶ For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
Here the apostle, by the direction of the Spirit of God, sets himself to lay low the Levitical dispensation; for though it was of divine appointment, and very excellent and useful in its time and place, yet, when it was set up in competition with Christ, to whom it was only designed to lead the people, it was very proper and necessary to show the weakness and imperfection of it, which the apostle does effectually, from several arguments. As,
I.That the law had a shadow, and but a shadow, of good things to come; and who would dote upon a shadow, though of good things, especially when the substance has come? Observe,
1.The things of Christ and the gospel are good things; they are the best things; they are best in themselves, and the best for us: they are realities of an excellent nature.
2.These good things were, under the Old Testament, good things to come, not clearly discovered, nor fully enjoyed.
3.That the Jews then had but the shadow of the good things of Christ, some adumbrations of them; we under the gospel have the substance.
II.That the law was not the very image of the good things to come.
An image is an exact draught of the thing represented thereby. The law did not go so far, but was only a shadow, as the image of a person in a looking-glass is a much more perfect representation than his shadow upon the wall. The law was a very rough draught of the great design of divine grace, and therefore not to be so much doted on.
III.The legal sacrifices, being offered year by year, could never make the comers thereunto perfect; for then there would have been an end of offering them, Heb 10:1, Heb 10:2. Could they have satisfied the demands of justice, and made reconciliation for iniquity, - could they have purified and pacified conscience, - then they had ceased, as being no further necessary, since the offerers would have had no more sin lying upon their consciences. But this was not the case; after one day of atonement was over, the sinner would fall again into one fault or another, and so there would be need of another day of atonement, and of one every year, besides the daily ministrations. Whereas now, under the gospel, the atonement is perfect, and not to be repeated; and the sinner, once pardoned, is ever pardoned as to his state, and only needs to renew his repentance and faith, that he may have a comfortable sense of a continued pardon.
IV.As the legal sacrifices did not of themselves take away sin, so it was impossible they should, Heb 10:4. There was an essential defect in them.
1.They were not of the same nature with us who sinned.
2.They were not of sufficient value to make satisfaction for the affronts offered to the justice and government of God. They were not of the same nature that offended, and so could not be suitable. Much less were they of the same nature that was offended; and nothing less than the nature that was offended could make the sacrifice a full satisfaction for the offence.
3.The beasts offered up under the law could not consent to put themselves in the sinner's room and place. The atoning sacrifice must be one capable of consenting, and must voluntarily substitute himself in the sinner's stead: Christ did so.
V.There was a time fixed and foretold by the great God, and that time had now come, when these legal sacrifices would be no longer accepted by him nor useful to men. God never did desire them for themselves, and now he abrogated them; and therefore to adhere to them now would be resisting God and rejecting him. This time of the repeal of the Levitical laws was foretold by David (Psa 40:6, Psa 40:7), and is recited here as now come. Thus industriously does the apostle lay low the Mosaical dispensation.
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Historical interpretation
Six Centuries of Reception
12 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Post-NiceneEarly Medieval
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Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
If they had become perfect, their priesthood would have ceased, because they should have abstained from their sacrifices. And if their conscience was cleansed from sin, at the same time they would have been cleansed from the impurity of flesh. But “in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin” every day. “For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.” Therefore our Lord, who came to this world, said through the mouth of David, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me,” so that the victims of sacrifices might be abolished through his sacrifice.
"Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo! I come, in the volume of the book it is written of Me, to do Thy will, O God."
The types therefore contain the figure only, not the power; just as in images, the image has the figure of the man, not the power. So that the reality and the type have somewhat in common with one another. For the figure exists equally in both, but not the power.
Do you see that the law takes its force from the place? And, since the city is gone, there can no longer be a priesthood. There can be no emperor if there are no armies, no crown, no purple robe, none of the other things that weld together an empire. So, too, there can be no priesthood if sacrifice has been destroyed, if offerings are forbidden, if the sanctuary has been trampled into the dust, if everything that constituted it has disappeared. For the priesthood depended on all these things.…That great and wonderful prophet, David … made it clear that the one kind of sacrifice would be abolished and another brought in to take its place when he said, “You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered.” See how wise the prophet is. He said, “You have multiplied your wondrous deeds,” and he stood aghast at God’s power to work miracles. But he did not go on to tell us about the creation of the things we see—of heaven, earth, and oceans, of water in Egypt or of any other miracles like those. What did he say were wondrous works? “Sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” …
David went on to say, “But a body you have fitted to me.” By this he meant the Lord’s body which became the common sacrifice for the whole world, the sacrifice which cleansed our souls, canceled sin, put down death, opened heaven, gave us many great hopes and made ready all the other things which Paul knew well and spoke of when he exclaimed, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways.”56
David, then, foresaw all this when he said, “Many are the wondrous works you have done, O Lord my God.” He went on to say, speaking of the person of Christ, “In holocausts and sin offerings you had had no pleasure,” and then continued, “Then I said, ‘Lo, I come.’ ” When was “then”? When the time was ripe for more perfect instructions. We had to learn the less perfect lessons through his servants, but the loftier lessons which surpass the nature of humankind we had to learn from the lawgiver himself.
These things have been spoken to those in Babylon who wanted to say to God, “You did not demand sacrifices from me but only to obey you and to do your will.” And right away the things pertaining to the quotation have become unambiguous as far as I am concerned. Changing it he speaks in this way about the person of Christ, saying, “I will establish a body” instead of “I will establish ears.”
How could the blood of brute beasts declare guiltless some murderer or parricide? This is the reason blessed David also said, “Had you wanted it, I would have offered sacrifice; you will take no delight in burned offerings.”
He showed both the law’s limitations and its usefulness: while it cannot remove sins, it mounts an accusation against them, instills fear and obliges one to have recourse to grace.
By “first” he meant the sacrifice of brute beasts, by the “second” the rational one, offered by himself.… He brought out clearly that God’s will is the salvation of humankind. The Lord also said as much, “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who believes in me may not be lost but may have eternal life.”
Christ spoke, “while coming into the world,” not “after he had entered it.” But manifestly he was already entering it when he promised David and maintained that he would seat one from the fruit of his loins on his throne until the age would come. Therefore, “while entering into the world” because of the promises made to David, he also says this through him, since “you did not wish for sacrifice and offering, neither were you well pleased” with the rites in the law. And he did not say, “you are not well pleased nor wish,” but “you did not want nor were you well pleased,” all but saying, “From their very institution and introduction the sacrifices were not entirely satisfactory and well pleasing. But really if any of them were accepted by you, it was accepted owing to the weakness of the one who brought them. Since then I reject these things and ‘I prepare a body for myself,’ then ‘I have come’ in order ‘to do your will.’ For this also is spoken concerning me not in a simple manner and in passing, but as the chief matter and the supposition of the book which foretold about me.” And he calls the book the whole Old Testament. For the chief thing and the most noteworthy supposition of the Old Testament are the predictions about Christ.
He calls them “the same sacrifices” because they are always being offered for the same things, since those sacrifices and offerings which have taken place and are taking place are not strong enough to strip away any sin purely and completely.
“Therefore, when he comes into the world.” Christ, he says, entering the world in a body, speaks through David. If sacrifices are useless, he says, why were they made at all? Why? Because of the dispute of the Jews, and because they always oppose God. And he shows them, even before the incarnation of the Lord, as hated by God; for he did not say, When Christ enters, but, when he comes into, indicating that before he enters, they were hated.
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire." Those prescribed by the law, evidently. But offering here signifies something different from sacrifice; and I think the bloodless ones are indicated by the name. From here the person of Christ is introduced, saying to the Father, Since, He says, O Father, “Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you did not desire nor did you take pleasure in," which are offered according to the law."
"for sin." That is, an offering concerning sin. Commonly, you have taken pleasure. And he rightly says, "for sin." For of the sacrifices, some were offered for salvation, and others for sin; as if he said, "Since in no way did you will any offering or sacrifice, nor burnt offerings, neither concerning salvation, nor concerning sin, I have come, having taken a body, to become a pleasing sacrifice to you, which I myself have prepared."
For the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High overshadowed the Virgin. (Luke 1:35) And it was said, that I may do your will, O Father (Jn. 6:38); that those whom you have given me, I may not lose any of them. (Jn. 18:9) The title of the book, the Hebrews say, is the Law. Isaiah, teaching about the mystery of the Incarnation of the Only Begotten, heard; "Write for me in it with a man's pen." (Isa. 8:1) That it is a sacrifice and offering. Do you see that the sacrifices were cast aside even before the incarnation?
For after not wanting, he says, Burnt offerings and sacrifices, Then I said, "Behold, I have come. Who said, Behold, I come? Christ, obviously. I have come to do your will. But what is the will of the Father, but that the Son be crucified? And that I have come, he says, and I will do your will, it is written in the scroll of the book, he says, about me these things. Thus it is necessary to arrange. For being prophetic, it is a difficulty. The scroll of the book is the bundle of the law, that is, the book of the Old Testament. Therefore, in this Scripture it is written concerning my coming and that I am to be offered for the world.
"you did not desire nor did you take pleasure in."Paul himself interprets the Davidic more clearly.
"which are offered according to the law," that is, the Jewish law, and they are offered by the Jews. Do you see that before the descent, the sacrifices were hated?
"to do your will, O God." What then? Were the sacrifices according to the law not the will of God? They were, but necessarily. For he did not say to them only this, that in general the sacrifices of animals are detestable to me, the incorporeal one. But since you desire to offer sacrifices, at least offer them to me and not to the idols, which was not of a pure and original will.
"the first in order to establish the second.” What is the first? The sacrifices. What is the second? The cross. Therefore, the sacrifices are expelled, and the cross, that is, the sacrifice of Christ, is introduced.
“we have been sanctified.” By which will, he says, you are sanctified. Of which? Of the cross, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. For we have not only obtained forgiveness, but we have also been sanctified.
"the offering of the body of Jesus Christ." Behold, he has interpreted what the will of the Father is; the offering of the body of Christ. For since he was speaking above and below about the will, he then said what the will is.
"Once," he says, that is, not in the manner of the Jewish sacrifices, but once. "Once, indeed." The offering of the body of Jesus Christonce for all.That is, those who are sanctified through the once-for-all offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
when coming into the world, Christ said, but coming into. He was coming into, namely, when he promised to David, and he was extending, from the fruit of his womb, to sit him upon his throne forever. (Ps. 131:11) Therefore, entering the world through the covenants with David, and this he says through him, that "Since you did not desire sacrifice and offering," (Ps. 39:7) nor were you pleased with the things done in the law. And he did not say, "You do not take pleasure nor desire," but, "you did not desire, you did not take pleasure in," only saying, as if from the very foundation of them and the beginning of those things, that the whole sacrifices were not acceptable and pleasing to you. But even if something of theirs has been accepted by you, it has been accepted due to the weakness of those presenting it. Therefore, when I have also dismissed these things and have prepared a body for myself, then I come to do your will. For this has been said about me not simply and in passing, but as the main point and premise of the book concerning my proclamation. And the book speaks of the whole old one. For the chief point and the most esteemed hypothesis of the old covenant is the prophecies concerning Christ.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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Summary
Hebrews 10:5 introduces a profound declaration from Christ upon His entrance into the world, quoting Psalm 40:6-8 (LXX) to assert God's ultimate disinterest in animal sacrifices and offerings as a means of true atonement. Instead, the verse reveals God's divine provision and pre-ordained plan: a perfectly prepared human body for His Son, Jesus, through which He would accomplish the singular, efficacious sacrifice necessary for humanity's redemption and the establishment of the New Covenant.
Context
Literary Context
Hebrews 10:5 is a pivotal verse within the author's sustained argument for the absolute superiority of Christ's sacrifice over the Old Covenant's animal sacrifices. Chapters 9 and the beginning of 10 meticulously detail the limitations of the Levitical system, emphasizing that the blood of bulls and goats could never truly take away sins, but merely served as a temporary covering and a perpetual reminder of sin (as stated in Hebrews 10:1-4). This verse, by quoting from Psalm 40, transitions the discourse from the inadequacy of the old to the perfect efficacy of the new, presenting Christ's incarnation and obedience as the divinely appointed solution. It sets the stage for the full exposition of Christ's "once for all" sacrifice that follows in Hebrews 10:10-18).
Historical & Cultural Context
The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were likely facing persecution and social pressure, tempting them to revert to the familiar and culturally accepted practices of Judaism, including its elaborate sacrificial system. For centuries, the temple rituals and animal sacrifices had been the bedrock of Israelite worship and their understanding of atonement. The author's audience would have been deeply ingrained in this worldview. Therefore, to declare that "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not" was a radical, even scandalous, theological statement that directly challenged their deeply held traditions. The author's use of the Septuagint (LXX) version of Psalm 40, which reads "a body hast thou prepared me" instead of the Masoretic Text's "my ears you have opened," was crucial for directly connecting the Old Testament prophecy to the physical incarnation of Christ and His unique ability to fulfill God's redemptive will.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Hebrews. Primarily, it underscores the Superiority of Christ and His sacrifice over the Old Covenant system, presenting Him as the ultimate High Priest and the perfect offering. It highlights the Inadequacy of the Old Covenant sacrifices, revealing God's true desire was not for ritual but for perfect obedience embodied in Christ. The phrase "when he cometh into the world" directly points to the Incarnation of Christ, emphasizing that His taking on human flesh was not an accident but a pre-ordained, divine act essential for atonement. Finally, it implicitly introduces the theme of Christ's Obedience to the Father's will, which is further developed in Hebrews 10:7 and is foundational to His redemptive work.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This particle serves as a strong connective, indicating a logical consequence or conclusion. Here, it signals that what follows is the divine answer or necessary outcome in light of the inadequacy of the Old Covenant sacrifices discussed in the preceding verses. It emphasizes the divine initiative and purpose behind Christ's coming.
This verb signifies a strong will, desire, or determination. When paired with the negative particle "not," it conveys God's definitive rejection of animal sacrifices as the ultimate means of atonement. It's not merely a passive disinterest but an active preference for a different, more perfect way to achieve reconciliation, highlighting that the Old Covenant sacrifices were never God's final or perfect solution.
This verb means "to complete thoroughly," "to equip," "to fit," or "to adjust." In the context of "a body hast thou prepared me," it signifies God's deliberate, precise, and perfect fashioning or equipping of a human body for Jesus. This was not a haphazard event but a divine act of intentionality, ensuring that Christ's physical presence was perfectly suited and equipped for the specific purpose of fulfilling God's redemptive mission through His life, death, and resurrection.
Verse Breakdown
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith"
This clause establishes the speaker as Christ Himself, entering into human existence. The "wherefore" links this divine declaration directly to the preceding argument about the insufficiency of the Old Testament sacrifices. It signals that Christ's incarnation is the divinely appointed solution to the problem of sin that the old system could not solve.
"Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not"
This is a direct statement of God's ultimate disposition regarding the Levitical system. It reveals that the elaborate rituals of animal sacrifices and grain offerings, while commanded under the Old Covenant, were never God's ultimate desire for true atonement or the means by which humanity would be perfectly reconciled to Him. They were shadows, not the substance.
"but a body hast thou prepared me"
This is the pivotal declaration, presenting God's alternative and perfect provision. Instead of the blood of animals, God Himself meticulously "prepared" a human body for His Son. This prepared body was essential for Christ to live a sinless life under the law, to perfectly obey the Father's will, and ultimately to offer Himself as the unique, unblemished, and once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. It underscores the divine initiative and the intentionality of the Incarnation as the means of salvation.
Literary Devices
The author of Hebrews masterfully employs several literary devices in this verse. Quotation/Allusion is central, as the verse directly quotes from the Septuagint (Greek translation) of Psalm 40:6-8, attributing these words to Christ Himself upon His incarnation. This use of an Old Testament text, reinterpreted and applied to Christ, demonstrates the continuity and fulfillment of God's plan. A powerful Contrast is evident in the juxtaposition of "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not" with "but a body hast thou prepared me." This highlights the fundamental shift from the temporary, ineffective rituals of the Old Covenant to the perfect, efficacious reality of Christ's incarnate sacrifice. Furthermore, the verse employs Prosopopoeia (personification), as the pre-incarnate Christ is depicted speaking these words as He enters the world, giving a voice to His divine mission and obedience.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hebrews 10:5 is a cornerstone for understanding the nature of God's redemptive plan and the finality of Christ's work. It reveals that the Old Covenant sacrificial system, while divinely instituted, was never intended to be the ultimate solution for sin. God's ultimate desire was not for the blood of animals, which could only cover sin temporarily, but for perfect obedience and a perfect sacrifice, which could only be accomplished through the incarnation of His Son. This verse underscores the divine initiative in salvation, demonstrating that God Himself provided the means for atonement by preparing a body for Christ, thereby fulfilling His will and establishing a new and better covenant based on Christ's single, perfect offering. It points to the profound truth that true worship and reconciliation are found not in ritual, but in the obedient, self-sacrificial life and death of Jesus Christ.
Reflection and Application
Hebrews 10:5 offers profound assurance and a clear call to discipleship. The realization that God Himself prepared a body for Christ to accomplish a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice should fill believers with immense gratitude and confidence. Our salvation is not dependent on our own imperfect efforts or repeated rituals, but on the finished work of Christ, whose sacrifice perfectly fulfilled God's will. This truth liberates us from the burden of trying to earn God's favor and invites us into a life of joyful response to His grace. Just as Christ willingly took on a body to obey the Father, we are called to offer our own bodies—our lives, talents, and resources—as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). This involves a daily commitment to discerning and doing God's will, not out of obligation, but out of love and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice made on our behalf.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Hebrews 10:5 quote Psalm 40:6-8 differently from the Hebrew Masoretic Text?
The author of Hebrews, writing in Greek, quotes from the Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Hebrew Masoretic Text of Psalm 40:6 reads, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have opened." The Septuagint, however, translates this phrase as, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me." The difference in translation is significant for the argument in Hebrews. While both versions convey God's preference for obedience over ritual sacrifice, the Septuagint's "a body you prepared for me" directly supports the author's theological point about Christ's incarnation and the necessity of His physical body for the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. The author uses the LXX because it more explicitly articulates the truth of Christ's pre-ordained physical existence as the means of fulfilling God's will for atonement, fitting perfectly into the broader argument of Christ's superiority and the obsolescence of the old sacrificial system.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hebrews 10:5 profoundly articulates the Christ-centered fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. The "he" who "cometh into the world" is none other than the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, whose incarnation was the pre-ordained means by which God's ultimate will for salvation would be accomplished. The Old Covenant sacrifices, though divinely commanded, were mere shadows, unable to truly cleanse sin or perfect the worshiper (Hebrews 10:1). Christ's entrance into the world with a "body... prepared" by God signifies that His physical humanity was essential for His redemptive mission. This prepared body enabled Him to live a life of perfect obedience, fulfilling the law where humanity had failed, and crucially, to offer Himself as the spotless, once-for-all sacrifice that truly takes away sin (Hebrews 10:10). Thus, the verse highlights Christ's willing submission to the Father's will (Philippians 2:7-8) and His unique capacity, through His incarnate life and sacrificial death, to establish the New Covenant and secure eternal redemption, making obsolete all previous forms of atonement (Hebrews 10:12-14).