‏ Hebrews 9

Summary for Heb 9:1-10:18: 9:1–10:18  ^a This section argues that Christ’s death, the sacrifice in the new covenant, is superior to the sacrifices in the old covenant. In 9:1-10  ^b, the author describes aspects of worship under the regulations of the old covenant (see Exod 28–29  ^c; Lev 1–10  ^d; 16:1–17:16  ^e). In Heb 9:11–10:18  ^f, these regulations are contrasted with Christ’s superior offering.
Summary for Heb 9:1-5: 9:1-5  ^g These verses describe the Tabernacle, Israel’s place of worship before the Temple was constructed.
9:2  ^h Israel’s Tabernacle was a tent with two rooms (see Exod 25–31  ⁱ; 35:1–40:38  ^j).

• a lampstand: Exod 25:31-40  ^k; 26:35  ^l.

• a table: Exod 25:23-30  ^m.

• The priests went into the Holy Place daily in their ritual duties (Heb 9:6  ⁿ; see Exod 28:43  ^o; Num 28:3-8  ^p).
9:3  ^q At the back of the first room of the Tabernacle was a curtain that separated the first room from the second room called the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:31-33  ^r). This curtain was a sacred barrier: Only the high priest could go behind it into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Heb 9:7  ^s; see Exod 30:6  ^t, 10  ^u; Lev 16:2-34  ^v; 23:27-32  ^w).
9:4  ^x The gold incense altar probably stood just outside the inner curtain (Exod 30:1-10  ^y); its location is ambiguous at points in the Old Testament, but it was closely associated with the Most Holy Place (Exod 30:6  ^z; Lev 16:13  ^aa; 1 Kgs 6:22  ^ab).

• Since it represented the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant was the most important item in the Tabernacle (see Exod 25:10-22  ^ac).

• The gold jar containing manna was a reminder of God’s provision in the wilderness (Exod 16:32-34  ^ad).

• Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves (see Num 17:1-11  ^ae) was a reminder not to rebel against God’s chosen leaders (Num 17:10  ^af; cp. Heb 13:17  ^ag).

• The stone tablets of the covenant held the Ten Commandments and were to remind the people of the terms by which they were to live out the covenant (Exod 25:16  ^ah; 31:18  ^ai; Deut 9:9–10:5  ^aj).
9:5  ^ak The cherubim of divine glory were statues of angels formed into the Ark’s cover. This category of angels is especially associated with God’s glorious presence (Gen 3:24  ^al; Pss 80:1  ^am; 99:1  ^an; Isa 37:16  ^ao). The Ark’s cover itself was the place of atonement, on which the blood from the Day of Atonement sacrifice was to be sprinkled (Lev 16:14-16  ^ap).

• But we cannot explain these things in detail now: The main focus of the discussion is the offering of sacrifices under the old covenant (Heb 9:6-10  ^aq).
Summary for Heb 9:6-8: 9:6-8  ^ar The worship practices in the Holy Place, the first room of the Tabernacle (9:2  ^as), were the duty of the priests, who kept the lamps lit and the sacred loaves of bread replenished (Exod 27:20-21  ^at; Lev 24:8  ^au).
9:7  ^av The yearly duty was carried out on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins not covered by other sacrifices during the previous year (Lev 16:1-25  ^aw).
9:8  ^ax was not freely open: Free entrance into the presence of God was not available to all of the people under the old covenant system.

• The outer room of the Tabernacle, which served as a sacred barrier keeping the people from the presence of God in the Most Holy Place, was symbolic of the whole system. Under that system, people were kept out of God’s presence rather than led into it.
9:9  ^ay This is an illustration: The problem with the gifts and sacrifices of the old covenant is that they were not able to cleanse the consciences of the people—they could not remove people’s guilt before a holy God (cp. 9:14  ^az; 10:2  ^ba, 22  ^bb; 13:18  ^bc).
9:10  ^bd The old system dealt only with physical regulations, and it could not deal with the condition of the heart (8:10  ^be; 10:21-24  ^bf). Consequently, it was provisional, only intended to last until Christ could come and establish a better system (9:11–10:18  ^bg).
Summary for Heb 9:11-10:18: 9:11–10:18  ^bh The author now contrasts the old system (9:1-10  ^bi) with the superior sacrifice made by Christ as High Priest: The blood of Christ’s offering was his own blood, not the blood of animals (9:13-22  ^bj; cp. 9:7  ^bk); Christ’s offering was made in the heavenly Tabernacle, not the earthly one (9:23-24  ^bl; cp. 9:1-5  ^bm); and Christ’s offering, rather than being made continually, was made just one time (9:25–10:18  ^bn; cp. 7:27  ^bo; 9:6-7  ^bp). 9:11  ^bq Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things of the new covenant. He was appointed by God in accord with Ps 110:4  ^br (Heb 5:1-10  ^bs; 7:1-28  ^bt) and offered a superior offering.

• that have come: Some manuscripts read that are about to come, either from the perspective of the old covenant era or looking forward to the culmination of God’s plan in the future.

• Christ’s sacrifice is superior because of where it was made: in that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven rather than the earthly Tabernacle (see 8:5  ^bu and corresponding study note).
9:12  ^bv Christ’s offering is superior because it was made with his own blood rather than the blood of goats and calves (e.g., cp. Lev 16:3-5  ^bw).

• Christ’s offering is superior because he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time. Unlike the sacrifices in the old covenant, which had to be made year after year (Heb 10:1  ^bx), Jesus’ sacrificial death only had to be made once and was decisive in securing our redemption forever.
9:13  ^by The ashes of a heifer were used with water to cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity (see Num 19  ^bz).
9:14  ^ca how much more: This is an argument from lesser to greater, a traditional Jewish rhetorical strategy; the logic is that if something is true in a lesser situation, it will be even more true in a greater situation (see also 2:1-4  ^cb; 12:25-29  ^cc). If the blood of animals had some effect in cleansing, the blood of Christ will be much more effective.

• will purify our consciences: Christ’s sacrifice, unlike the sacrifices of the old covenant, removes the paralyzing guilt that keeps us from God by decisively cleansing us from sinful deeds.
9:15  ^cd the one who mediates: This term refers to an arbiter in a difficult legal dispute or political disagreement. In the old covenant, Moses and the angels were understood as mediators between God and the people (Gal 3:19-20  ^ce). In the new covenant, Christ mediates the relationship between God and people by his sacrificial death (Heb 8:6  ^cf; 12:24  ^cg; Rom 6:23  ^ch; 1 Tim 2:5  ^ci; 1 Pet 3:18  ^cj) and ongoing intercession (Heb 7:25  ^ck).
Summary for Heb 9:16-22: 9:16-22  ^cl The author gives a general principle about the nature of wills or covenants (9:16-17  ^cm), which he then expounds in light of the inauguration of the first covenant (9:18-22  ^cn).
Summary for Heb 9:18-19: 9:18-19  ^co was put into effect: Exod 24:3-8  ^cp records Moses’ inauguration of the old covenant with the blood of the sacrifice.

• Hebrews alone among ancient sources states that Moses sprinkled the book of God’s law (cp. Exod 24:6-8  ^cq).

• Hyssop branches have blue flowers and strongly aromatic leaves; they were used with sacrifices for cleansing (Exod 12:22  ^cr; Lev 14:4  ^cs; Num 19:6  ^ct, 18  ^cu).
9:20  ^cv “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you” (Exod 24:8  ^cw): Jesus used similar language at the Lord’s Supper, referring to his own death (Matt 26:28  ^cx; Mark 14:24  ^cy; 1 Cor 11:25  ^cz).
9:21  ^da he sprinkled blood: See Exod 24:3-8  ^db; Lev 16:14-19  ^dc.
9:22  ^dd Many of the rituals of cleansing in the law of Moses involved the death of a sacrificial animal; blood was involved both in the rites of cleansing (see Exod 29:12  ^de; 30:10  ^df; Lev 4:6  ^dg, 17  ^dh; 16:14-19  ^di; Num 19:4  ^dj) and in making atonement (see Lev 16  ^dk). The shedding of Christ’s blood established the new covenant, providing permanent purification and complete forgiveness of sins (Heb 8:12  ^dl; 10:15-18  ^dm; Matt 26:28  ^dn; Eph 1:7  ^do).
9:23  ^dp This verse argues from lesser to greater (see study note on 9:14). Just as heaven is greater than the earthly Tabernacle, so Christ’s sacrifice had to be . . . far better than the earthly sacrifices.

• That is why: See 9:16-22  ^dq; Lev 16:14-19  ^dr.

• copies of things in heaven: See study note on Heb 8:5.

• in heaven, had to be purified: Just as the Tabernacle had to be cleansed because of the sin of the Israelites (Lev 16:16-19  ^ds), the heavenly Tabernacle required that the uncleanness be removed from those who would enter heaven under the new covenant.
9:24  ^dt Under the new covenant, Christ did not offer his sacrifice in the earthly Tabernacle. Rather, he entered into the very presence of God in heaven to act on our behalf. His sacrifice makes him a much better mediator to bring us into a right relationship with God (2 Cor 5:19-21  ^du).
Summary for Heb 9:25-26: 9:25-26  ^dv Under the old covenant, the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement had to be made again and again (Lev 16:29-34  ^dw). Christ’s superior sacrifice was made once for all time.
9:26  ^dx If that had been necessary: The author makes an argument using reductio ad absurdum (reduction to absurdity), logically showing that Christ’s one-time sacrifice must be permanently effective. Since Christ himself is the sacrifice as well as the high priest, if his offering were made every year as with the earthly high priests, he would have to die again and again. But of course this is absurd; so, clearly, Christ died once for all time . . . to remove sin.
Summary for Heb 9:27-28: 9:27-28  ^dy Christ’s first coming was to take away the sins of many people. When he will come again, it will not be to deal with sins, since that has already been accomplished. Instead, he will bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (see study note on Gal 5:5).

‏ Hebrews 10:1-18

10:1  ^dz The old system under the law of Moses (literally The law), like the Tabernacle itself (8:5  ^ea), was only a shadow, a dim preview of a greater reality—namely, the good things that Christ inaugurated in the new covenant. Under the old covenant, sacrifices had to be repeated again and again because they were not able to cleanse worshipers permanently or in such a way that they could come into the presence of God perpetually.
10:2  ^eb The perpetual nature of the sacrifices demonstrates their inadequacy. If the sacrifices of the old covenant had offered true, lasting purity, they would have stopped.

• their feelings of guilt would have disappeared: Cp. 9:9  ^ec, 14  ^ed; 10:22  ^ee; 13:18  ^ef.
10:3  ^eg Instead of removing guilt, the ongoing sacrifices actually reminded those who wished to come near to God, year after year, that they were guilty before God.
10:4  ^eh The blood of bulls and goats in the sacrifices of the old covenant offered a degree of cleansing (9:13  ^ei, 23  ^ej), but that cleansing was limited in that it could not take away sins. It could not eradicate sin in a way that would offer permanent cleansing and peace with God (see Acts 10:36  ^ek; Rom 5:1  ^el; 11:26-27  ^em).
Summary for Heb 10:5-7: 10:5-7  ^en These verses quote Ps 40:6-8  ^eo. Psalm 40  ^ep is a hymn of praise to God in which the psalmist confesses his desire to do God’s will. The author of Hebrews understands Christ to be the speaker. 10:5  ^eq But you have given me a body to offer: God had prepared the psalmist to be obedient, ready to do God’s will; Hebrews now applies this idea to Christ. For Hebrews, the preparation of a human body, specifically Christ’s body, shows that God would use it as a superior sacrifice.
Summary for Heb 10:8-10: 10:8-10  ^er The author follows the flow of thought in the psalm with great precision.

• First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices ...”: The author of Hebrews understands this as God’s rejection of the old system of sacrifices.

• Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will”: The author of Hebrews takes this to be Christ’s willingness to be the supreme sacrifice for sins.

• The author of Hebrews concludes that because of Christ’s sacrifice, God has canceled the first covenant—God’s will, as shown by Ps 40:6-8  ^es, was that Christ would die for sins as a sacrifice, and this only had to be done once for all time.
Summary for Heb 10:11-14: 10:11-14  ^et Christ’s superior offering was decisive, in contrast with the sacrifices made by the priests of the old covenant. 10:11  ^eu the priest stands: See Deut 18:5  ^ev.

• day after day: E.g., 2 Chr 13:11  ^ew.
Summary for Heb 10:12-13: 10:12-13  ^ex Christ’s sacrifice contrasts with that of the earthly high priests in that he offered himself to God as a . . . sacrifice, rather than offering animal sacrifices.

• After the sacrifice was accomplished, he sat down in the place of honor (see Ps 110:1  ^ey). Instead of standing daily like the priests of the old covenant (Heb 10:11  ^ez), he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet (Ps 110:1  ^fa).
10:14  ^fb made perfect: See study notes on 7:11, 28.

• those who are being made holy: What the author has in mind is complete purification from sins.
Summary for Heb 10:15-17: 10:15-17  ^fc The author again quotes from Jer 31:33-34  ^fd (see Heb 8:7-12  ^fe) to support the statement in 10:14  ^ff, that Christ’s one offering under the new covenant has made worshipers perfect forever.

• God’s laws have now been placed in their hearts and on their minds. This has internalized the believer’s relationship with God.

• I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds: As the author has shown (9:11–10:14  ^fg), the superior sacrifice of Christ has made this new covenant reality possible.
10:18  ^fh The logical conclusion when sins have been forgiven—that is, when sins have been taken away completely and permanently (10:1-4  ^fi, 11  ^fj)—is that there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. Thus, the superior sacrifice of Christ has made the entire sacrificial system of the old covenant obsolete.