Bible Commentaries
Hebrews 9

Verse 1

The Structure of the Tabernacle and the Placement of Its Furniture

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service: Paul returns to his comparison of the two covenants that he left in verse 6 of the last chapter. He does not intend for his remarks about the Old Covenant to be critical; rather here he is teaching about worship. The Old Covenant with its elaborate arrangements and rituals fulfilled the purpose for which it was given. Paul speaks of the "first covenant" in the past tense by using the verb "had" indicating it is no longer in existence. The term "covenant" is not found in the Greek text; however, the preceding verses as well as the verses that follow imply it; therefore, it is added for clarity. The "covenant" itself and all the "ordinances" are a type of the original. The term "ordinances" (dikaioma) means "what has been established and ordained by law" (Thayer 151). By divine "service" (latreia), Paul has specific reference to "the service or worship of God according to the requirements of the levitical law" (Thayer 372); therefore, the expression "ordinances of divine service" refers to what God has ordained about public worship.

and a worldly sanctuary: The translation "worldly sanctuary" is somewhat misleading. Generally, when something is classified as "worldly," it suggests the thing is sinful; however, Paul does not intend that implication here. There was nothing sinful about the first covenant or the sanctuary. The term "worldly" (kosmikos) here means "earthly" (Thayer 356) in contrast with the "heavenly things" alluded to in chapter eight, verse 5 and chapter nine, verse 23. Paul says the first covenant had a worldly or earthly sanctuary.

The word "sanctuary" (hagion) sometimes refers to one or the other of the two rooms in the tabernacle; however, in this verse it refers to the complete tabernacle with all of its furnishings. Obviously, Paul is speaking of the physical tabernacle made by the hands of man in contrast to the tabernacle "not made with hands" mentioned in verse 11 of this chapter; the Israelites used the first one in their journey across the wilderness.

As Paul advances his comparison, he shows the contrast between the material features and the services of the two covenants.

Verse 2

For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

For there was a tabernacle made: The term "tabernacle" is a synonym for the word "sanctuary" in verse 1. The tabernacle was designed by a "pattern" shown to Moses in the mountain (8:5). The purpose of the tabernacle was to set up a place for God to exist among the children of Israel as they traveled. Moses recorded the words of the Lord: "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).

Tabernacle

The tabernacle was a tent-like structure measuring fifteen feet wide by forty-five feet in length. It was surrounded by a 75 feet by 150 feet courtyard constructed with a seven feet high fabric fence. There was only one entrance into the courtyard and one entrance from the courtyard into the tabernacle. The roof of the tabernacle was covered with four layers of thick rug-like fabric that shielded the interior from rain and the sun. The innermost layer was beautifully woven with fine linen. God designed the fence and the tabernacle in such a way that it could be set up, taken down, moved, and reassembled as often as God instructed the Israelites to move throughout their wilderness journey.

The tabernacle’s interior was separated into two rooms by a thick curtain or veil made of fine linen: The first room – the holy place – was fifteen feet wide by thirty feet in length and foreshadowed the church. The second room—the Holiest of all—located in the back of the tabernacle was a cube fifteen feet wide, fifteen feet in length and fifteen feet high and was the most sacred room in the tabernacle because it was the dwelling place of God, foreshadowing heaven. The design of the tabernacle shows that one must enter the holy place (the church) to enter into the Holiest of all (heaven).

In Exodus 26:1-37, Moses records in detail the Lord’s instruction about how to build the tabernacle, the material to be used, and the care to be taken in transporting it and its furnishings. Also, the priest and the high priest had to wear specific garments when they entered the tabernacle. These "holy garments" were made by people to whom God gave special abilities. Moses records:

And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office" (Exodus 28:3-4).

the first, wherein was the candlestick: "The first" does not refer to the first of many tabernacles but to the first room of the one tabernacle, called the holy place, where the "candlestick" (luchnia) or a "lampstand" (Thayer 384) made of pure gold was placed. As instructed by God, Moses placed the candlestick on the south side of the tabernacle. Moses records:

And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses (Exodus 40:24-25).

Candlestick

Moses presents God’s elaborate instructions about the candlestick in Exodus 25:31-40. The tabernacle was designed in such a way that the high priest had to enter the first room of the tabernacle to get to the second room (see verse 3); there were no other entrances into the Holiest of all. The holy place had only one door, no windows, and only one candlestick; therefore, the candlestick was the only source of light for the tabernacle. The candlestick had one shaft and six branches, making a total of seven candles on the candelabra. The Lord instructed Moses to command the Israelites to burn the lamps continually:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually (Leviticus 24:1-4).

The seven candles on the candlestick were symbolic of the "perfect light of the Gospel" (Milligan 310). The "candlestick," representing the light to the world, is a type of the Lord’s church—not a church as a building or an organization but a church providing spiritual guidance to mankind.

The Apostle John, the Revelator, writes:

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches (Revelation 1:20).

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, says of His followers:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

While the candlestick represents the church’s giving out light to the world, it "served only to support and dispense the light. It was the oil, not the candlestick, that produced this light; and throughout the Bible, oil is used as the appropriate symbol of the Holy Spirit" (Milligan 309) (see comments on "oil of gladness" in 1:9). The Apostle John writes of the link between oil and the Holy Spirit:

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things…But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him (1 John 2:20; 1 John 2:27).

and the table: In the first room of the tabernacle, on the opposite side from the candlestick, was a table. The "table" (trapeze) was "a table on which food is placed" (Thayer 629), in this case the shewbread. This table represented life, and God gave Moses elaborate instructions about the way it was to be built:

Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me always (Exodus 25:23-30).

As commanded by God, Moses placed the table on the north side of the tabernacle within the holy place. Moses records:

And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses (Exodus 40:22-23).

Every Sabbath day the high priest placed twelve loaves of flour on this table. Each loaf represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel—one loaf for one tribe.

and the shewbread: The "shewbread" (artos) was "food composed of flour mixed with water and baked" (Thayer 75). The Lord gives detailed instructions about the shewbread:

And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute (Leviticus 24:5-9).

Table of Shewbread

The "shewbread" is the antitypical bread of life that signifies Jesus Christ; it is symbolic of spiritual food for all priests. In the New Testament, all Christians are priests (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9), and they all partake of Jesus’ body. Paul speaks of the bread in the Christian communion, saying:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

John records Jesus’ speaking of Himself as the bread of life in John 6:27-35; John 6:41-58.

which is called the sanctuary: The "sanctuary" (hagion) (see verse 1) was that part of the tabernacle called "the holy place" (Thayer 6). In the sanctuary, there was always to be a candlestick, a table, and shewbread.

Verse 3

And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

And after the second veil: The "veil" (katapetasma) is "a curtain" (Thayer 335), used to create a separation from one room to another or from the outside to the inside. The first veil served as the door at the entrance of the tabernacle. There was only one exterior door and no windows in the tabernacle; thus, everyone came into the tabernacle by the same way. The "second veil" was suspended by hooks from the ceiling to create two separate rooms (the holy place and the Holiest of all) inside the tabernacle. Like the candlestick and the table of shewbread, the veil was elaborately covered with gold. Moses records God’s instructions concerning the fabrication of the veil that served as an entry door. He gave instructions for the installation, the type of material, and even the colors that were to be used:

And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them (Exodus 26:36-37).

Moses also gives God’s commands for manufacturing the "second veil" that created two apartments inside the tabernacle:

And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place (Exodus 26:31-34).

the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all: The outer room of the tabernacle, consisting of the candlestick and the table of shewbread, was called the holy place; and the second room separated by the second veil was called the Holiest of all (hagion) or "the Most Holy Place" (Thayer 6).

Verse 4

Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Which had the golden censer: Only the high priest could enter the Holiest of all. Paul records this room had the "golden censer," sometimes called "the Altar of Incense" (Thayer 293). The adjective "golden" (chruseos) shows the "censer" was elaborately "overlaid" or "covered with gold" (Thayer 673). The Old Testament does not mention the "golden censer" as being part of the Holiest of all, which actually contained only one piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant. The item called the "golden censer" apparently sat in the holy place at the entrance to the Holiest of all. Paul, then, must have reference to the incense itself and not the "golden censer." The censer distributed a fog of incense into the Holiest of all before the high priest entered once a year. He could not enter, light the incense, and leave until the incense filled the room because he was allowed to enter only one time each year. Therefore, the altar of incense was placed in such a way that before the high priest entered the Holiest of all, he lit the incense, allowing smoke to fill the room; the Ark of the Covenant would then be veiled in smoke. This "golden censer" or the incense from it is associated with the prayers of the saints by the Revelator:

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake (Revelation 8:3-5).

Aaron performed the following actions:

And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not (Leviticus 16:11-13).

Golden Altar of Incense

Moses recorded God’s instruction about how the altar of incense was to be constructed in Exodus 30:1-10.

and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold: The word "ark" (kibotos) refers to "a wooden chest" (Thayer 346); however, the wooden chest called the "ark of the covenant" was to be "overlaid" (perikalupto) or "cover(ed) up" (Thayer 503) with gold. As with the other furnishings in the tabernacle, the "ark of the covenant" had to be constructed by many strict guidelines given by the Lord:

And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee (Exodus 25:10-16).

Ark of the Covenant

The "ark of the covenant" was a storage unit for specified sacred items that God instructed the Israelites to keep.

wherein was the golden pot that had manna: The "pot" (stamnos) was "a earthen jar" (Thayer 585) or a bowl covered with gold that contained "manna." Thayer says:

The Israelites in their journey through the wilderness met with a great quantity of food of this kind; and tradition, which the biblical writers follow, regarded it as bread sent down in profusion from heaven, and in various ways gave the occurrence the dignity of an illustrious miracle (389).

This manna (manna) was the Israelites’ food that daily showered down from heaven during the forty years of their journey to Canaan. God provided this bread that was like "coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31). Moses says:

And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat (Exodus 16:13-15).

Even though God provided the manna, it was given in such a way that the children of Israel were required to develop self-discipline. The manna, for example, came only as the dew, early each morning. They were not allowed to gather and store it for days and weeks at a time. They had to gather only enough for their family for the day, except for the sixth day when they gathered enough for two days. It was essential to gather the manna early in the morning because once the sun rose the manna, just as the dew, would evaporate. If they violated this law and intentionally gathered more than needed for the day, it bred worms and immediately began to smell; however, if they accidentally gathered too much for their family, miraculously none was left over. If they accidentally failed to gather enough for their family, miraculously no one went hungry (see Exodus 16:16-22).

The Lord commanded Moses to fill a vessel with manna and keep it forever for a memorial. It was kept to remind future generations of how God fed them in the wilderness (Exodus 16:32-33). This is the golden pot of manna that was placed inside the "ark of the covenant" in the Holiest of all portion of the tabernacle.

and Aaron’s rod that budded: The second item inside the Ark of the Covenant was Aaron’s "rod" (rhabdos), which was "a staff (or) walking-stick" (Thayer 560) that "budded" (blastano): it would "sprout, bud, (or) put forth leaves" (Thayer 102).

The rod that "budded" was God’s proof to the Israelites that His choice was for Aaron to lead His people to the land of Canaan. The historical account of the purpose behind Aaron’s rod begins in Numbers 16. A priest named Korah, who was the son of Izhar and the great grandson of Levi, became jealous of Moses and Aaron; therefore, he gathered a large group of men and mounted a challenge to their leadership, saying, "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3). After hearing Korah, Moses told him and his followers that the next day the Lord would prove to them who His choice was. They were instructed to fill bronze incense burners and place them before the Lord. God was furious with Korah and his followers, and they died as recorded by Moses in Numbers 16:21-33.

The death of Korah and his followers did not end this situation because at their death the whole congregation began to murmur against Moses and Aaron because they have killed two hundred fifty "people of the Lord" (Numbers 16:41). God once again reacted furiously with His people because of their murmuring. God told Moses and Aaron to look toward the tabernacle, and they noticed that a "cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared" (Numbers 16:42). When Moses and Aaron approached the tabernacle, the Lord told Moses:

Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed (Numbers 16:45-50).

God still wanted to prove positively, once and for all, that Aaron was his choice for the priesthood. He told Moses to instruct the children of Israel to take a rod (staff) from each of the twelve tribes and write the name of the tribe on each rod. These twelve rods were then placed in the tabernacle before the testimony where God met with them. Moses records the process of one of the rods’ budding:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you (Numbers 17:1-5).

When Moses returned the next day, Aaron’s rod had budded. God instructed Moses to return Aaron’s rod to the Ark of the Covenant to be kept as a reminder for everyone who would murmur against him. Moses records: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not" (Numbers 17:10).

and the tables of the covenant: The word "tables" (plavx) means "a flat thing, broad tablet, plane, level surface" (Thayer 515) and refers to the two tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments. Paul refers to them as the "tables of the covenant" because, just as the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded, the two tables (Ten Commandments) were also stored inside the Ark of the Covenant.

God gave the two "tables" containing the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, writing them on the front and back of each stone. The weight and dimensions of the tables are unknown; however, they were small enough for Moses to hold both stones as he left the mountain top:

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables (Exodus 32:15-16).

Moses destroyed these two original tables of stone before he reached the Israelites. In his absence and because of his delay in returning, God’s children gathered gold and made gods of gold (Exodus 32:1-4). As Moses neared the Israelites’ camp, he saw them worshiping the golden gods. Out of anger he threw down the tables, and they broke. Moses records, "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount" (Exodus 32:19). For their punishments for building these gods, Moses took the golden calf, melted it down to a powder, spread it in their water and made the children of Israelites drink of it. The scriptures record:

And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it (Exodus 32:20).

Afterwards Moses came to the camp and asked,, "Who is on the Lord’s side?" (Exodus 32:26). The sons of Levi responded by coming to him. Moses rebuked them for their sins and returned to the mountain to make an atonement for their sins:

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made (Exodus 32:31-35).

Since the tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments had been destroyed, God instructed Moses to carve out two new stones; and He promised to write the original words on them. These two new stones were eventually placed in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holiest of all. Moses says:

At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like

unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me (Deuteronomy 10:1-5).

The laws God wrote on the two new stones are as follows:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).

2. You shall not make for yourselves any graven image, or bow down to any golden images (Exodus 20:4-5).

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7).

4. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8).

5. Honour your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12).

6. You shall not kill (Exodus 20:13).

7. You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).

8. You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15).

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16).

10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour (Exodus 20:17).

These Ten Commandments were the basis for God’s covenant with the children of Israel (Exodus 19:5-7). They specified the righteous requirements of the law; however, there were no instructions to help them obey them. Once any of these laws were broken, there was no way to gain forgiveness until God sent Jesus into this world to die as a sacrifice for sins. Paul says:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).

Verse 5

And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat: The "cherubims" and "mercyseat" were designed by God, and He gave specific directions for their construction:

And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel (Exodus 25:17-22).

The "cherubims" (cheroubim) were "two golden figures of living creatures with two wings" (Thayer 668). Both cherubims were fastened to the ends of the lid of the Ark of the Covenant found in the Holiest of all in the tabernacle. The cherubims of "glory" (doxa), referring to their "brightness" (Thayer 156), were placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Their faces were turned towards each other and down towards the lid so that they were "shadowing" (kataskiazo) (Thayer 337) the "mercyseat" with their expanded wings. Moses records, "And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place" (Exodus 26:34). The "mercyseat" (hilasterion) is described as:

…the well-known cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement (this rite signifying that the life of the people, the loss of which they had merited by their sins, was offered to God in the blood as the life of the victim, and that God by this ceremony was appeased and their sins were expiated); hence the lid of expiation, the propitiatory (Thayer 301).

The cherubims overshadowed the mercy seat so as to protect God’s throne. The psalmist speaks of the area between the two cherubims as God’s dwelling place: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth" (Psalms 80:1).

The "mercyseat" (hilasterion) was literally "the lid of expiation (or) the propitiatory" (Thayer 301). This area was the section of the Ark of the Covenant where the high priest placed the expiatory blood. The actual propitiation was not made on the mercy seat, for it was made at the brazen altar; however, the "mercyseat," translated from the same Greek as "propitiation" in Romans 3:25, was where the animal blood (representing the blood of Christ) bore witness before God. In writing to the Christians in Rome about the redemption of sins, Paul says:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

The Greek word hilasterion translated "propitiation" in Romans is translated "mercyseat" in Hebrews to describe the Ark of the Covenant. Symbolically, the mercy seat represented Jesus Christ. He became our propitiation, that is, our mercy seat.

of which we cannot now speak particularly: About the tabernacle and the furnishings, Paul says we cannot speak "particularly" (meros), that is, he could not speak "in detail" at that time (Thayer 401). He gives many details but not everything. Vincent says:

The writer will say all that can be said for this transitory, shadowy tabernacle; but all that he can say about the costliness of the apparatus only emphasises the inferior and unspiritual character of the worship. The vessels are superior to the service (477).

Verse 6

Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

Now when these things were thus ordained: In the last five verses, Paul describes in detail the construction of the tabernacle and some of its furnishings. He now describes the historical religious activities within the tabernacle and enters into a discussion about specific details of its worship. The term "ordained" (kataskeuazo) is from the same Greek word translated "made" in verse 2 and means "to construct" (Thayer 337).

the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God: The priests entered into the first room of the tabernacle (the holy place) two times every day for the purpose of "accomplishing" (epiteleo) the religious services of God, that is, they would enter "to perform religious services (or) discharge religious rites" (Thayer 244). The word "service" (latreia) refers "to sacred services" (Thayer 372) instructed by God. Moses records:

And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations (Exodus 30:7-8).

Only ordinary "priests" could enter into the "first tabernacle" (holy place) and, as is noted in the next verse, only the "high priest" could enter into the "second" tabernacle (Holiest of all) once a year. Paul’s point is that these areas of the tabernacle were only a shadow of what has now come to pass, that is, all Christians are priests and are allowed to enter into the holy place, which represents the church, and Jesus Christ is the High Priest, who is in the Holiest of all, representing heaven. Through Jesus, the way to heaven is made available.

Verse 7

But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

But into the second went the high priest alone once every year: The word "once" specifically means on one day; the one day is on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tisri). Moses records the actions and the multiple entrances into the Holiest of all by the high priest on this day:

And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel (Leviticus 16:12-17).

The significance of Paul’s teaching is that the high priest was allowed access on only one specific day.

not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: "Not without blood" indicates the high priest always took blood to make an atonement for himself and for the errors of the Israelites. The term "offered" (prosphero) means "to bring to (or to) lead to" (Thayer 550). All the priests would daily bring blood to the holy place; however, on one occasion each year, the day of atonement, the high priest alone would take blood and enter the Holiest of all to offer a sacrifice for the sins of everyone. The word "errors" (agnoema) is "strictly, that committed through ignorance or thoughtlessness" (Thayer 8). The word translated "errors" is from the same root word as the word "ignorant" in chapter five, verse 2 where Paul says, "Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity" (5:2). Paul has reference to inadvertent errors committed by everyone, in contrast to sins committed willfully as referred to in chapter ten, verse 26. These inadvertent sins would include sins that Moses spoke of as violations done in oversight as in Genesis 43:12: "And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight." Even though these errors were unintentionally committed, the offenders were not exempt from punishment; thus, sacrifices had to be repeatedly offered, showing the Levitical system could not provide real access to God. The veil prevented the priest from going from the holy place to the Holiest of all. Writing about the crucifixion of Jesus, Mark records, "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (15:37-38). Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, man is now in contact with God, the Father, at all times through prayer. Waiting for one specific day of the year to approach God is no longer necessary.

Verse 8

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest: The term "signifying" (deloo) means "to make known by relating (or) to declare" (Thayer 131). The work of the Holy Spirit was to instruct the Old Testament prophets about what to speak to the people in order that they might know God’s instructions. Paul’s message is that during the Israelites’ journey across the wilderness while the tabernacle was in use, the Holy Spirit had not explained and prophecy had not revealed the "way" (hodos) to the Holiest of all, that is, the way to the presence of God. The word "way" (hodos) in this verse indicates "a travelled way (or a) road" (Thayer 437). "The Holy Spirit this signifying" means that the Holy Spirit is God’s messenger in communicating God’s instructions about rituals and worship. All of these activities in the tabernacle were types of the mysteries leading to true redemption in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter also speaks about salvation:

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow (1 Peter 1:9-11).

Paul’s illustration of the high priest’s entrance into the Holiest of all once a year is used to demonstrate the way to heaven; however, the Israelites’ understanding of this matter and of the way to have true access to God through Jesus was "not yet made manifest." Therefore, God was inaccessible in the Old Testament as illustrated by the veil that separated the Holiest of all from the holy place. Bloomfield explains that Paul’s meaning involves a figurative and spiritual application: "that the true approach to God, and access to the real holy of holies, HEAVEN, by the expiation of sin, was not clearly revealed while the Jewish economy subsisted" (511). Accessibility to God came through Jesus Christ:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (10:19-22).

The Israelites’ inaccessibility to God does not suggest that all those under the Patriarchal and Jewish ages were lost. Even though they did not know about the eventual coming of Jesus as a sacrifice for their sins, God did know. God allowed for the salvation of Old Testament believers when Jesus shed His blood for everyone. Obvious proof of the salvation of Old Testament believers is found in Exodus 3:6 where God says, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." It is further witnessed in the salvation of the prophet Elijah:

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:1; 2 Kings 2:11).

Further proof of the salvation of Old Testament believers is seen in the life and writings of the prophet Daniel as he prophesies about the end times in Daniel 12:1-13.

The Apostle Paul, earlier in this epistle, writes of the salvation of the Patriarch Abraham, saying:

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise (6:13-15).

Paul, furthermore, writes of the salvation of other Old Testament believers, such as Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Abel, and Sarah in the eleventh chapter:

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city (11:13-16).

while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: The meaning of "the first tabernacle" has given rise to discussion among Bible writers. Some (Alford, Delitzsch, and many others) believe Paul refers to the first room of the tabernacle (the holy place) in contrast to the second room, the Holiest of all. This view carries weight because this is certainly the meaning of "the first tabernacle" in verse 6. Others, such as Milligan, however, believe the better interpretation is that "the first tabernacle" is the "perfect tabernacle" mentioned in verse 11, referring to the heavenly tabernacle. This view coincides better with the upcoming text. Neither view does harm to the contextual teaching. If it were Paul’s intent to refer to the tabernacle as a whole, the message is that the Old Testament tabernacle made by the hands of man is used as a shadow of the tabernacle not made with hands, that is, heaven (verse 11). On the other hand, if Paul’s reference is to the "first" room of the tabernacle in contrast to the second room, the message is the same, that is, the way into the Holiest of all was not made accessible until the veil was removed by the death of Jesus. The main emphasis is that the tabernacle constructed by Moses consisted of two rooms, prohibiting the ordinary priests from coming into contact with God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the way to God was made possible.

Verse 9

Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

Which was a figure for the time then present: Verses 9 and 10 establish that these Old Testament references clearly foreshadow the future; these figures were not removed until Jesus came on the scene. The word "which" refers to the holy place, and the word "figure" (parabole) is a metaphor, a "comparison of one thing with another" (Thayer 479). Thayer continues by saying the term "figure" in this place is "an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated" (Thayer 479). Paul’s thoughts here correspond with his teaching in Galatians 3:24, proving the Old Testament is a "schoolmaster." The "schoolmaster" teaches that the outer room of the Jewish tabernacle ("then present") represents the New Testament church. The second room, the Holiest of all, represents heaven. Just as the high priest had to go through the holy place to get to the Holiest of all, so those who belong to Jesus must go through the church to get to heaven. Robertson points out that "This age of crisis foreshadowed by the old tabernacle, pointed on to the richer fulfillment still to come" (397). In other words, the symbolic worship in the tabernacle was designed to continue until Jesus came and died for our sins. Since Jesus has fulfilled His plan and the veil has been removed, we are no longer under the schoolmaster (Galatians 3:25). The church and its worship services have replaced the tabernacle and its rituals. In the next chapter, the Apostle Paul explains clearly:

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified…Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (10:9-14, 19-22).

in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices: "Which" means a similitude, that is, in the tabernacle both "gifts and sacrifices" were offered as a likeness to the New Testament worship (see comments on 5:1 for explanation of "gifts and sacrifices").

that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience: Because "gifts and sacrifices" were offered "him," the Israelites remained in good standing with God during their time; but their consciences were not made "perfect," that is, they were not forgiven of their sins at that time. The term "conscience" (suneidesis) refers to "the soul as distinguishing between what is morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter, commending the one, condemning the other…so to perfect one that his own conscience is satisfied, i.e. that he can regard himself as free from guilt" (Thayer 602). The Old Testament could not have provided forgiveness of sins because there was no perfect sacrifice. The Old Testament high priests and their services ("gifts and sacrifices") were only a shadow of that which was to come. Paul explains this fact clearly in the next chapter:

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. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 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. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (10:1-14).

Verse 10

Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Which stood only in meats and drinks: Paul connects "gifts and sacrifices" in verse 9 with the carnal ordinances of meats, drinks, divers washings, and other carnal ordinances of the earthly tabernacle as all involving the complete ceremonial purifications and rituals. The "meats" (broma) refer to "food" (Thayer 106) and "drinks" (povma) refer to what we consume to quench our thirst. It is the same "drink" that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 10:4.

and divers washings, and carnal ordinances: The word "divers" (diaphoros) implies "different, varying in kinds" (Thayer 143) of "washings." The term "washings" (baptismos) implies "purification effected by means of water" (Thayer 95). Paul probably is referring to the washings that every priest administered at the time of his consecration, as mentioned in Exodus 29:4: "And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water." The entire body of Aaron, the high priest, was washed on other occasions as instructed by the Lord:

He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on…And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people (Leviticus 16:4; Leviticus 16:24).

The book of Numbers also mentions other "washings":

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even…And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even (19:7, 8, 19).

All of these and many other "washings" were simple "carnal ordinances," not designed to perfect the conscience, but to purify the flesh. The word "ordinances" (dikaioma) means "precepts concerning the public worship of God" (Thayer 151); therefore, these washings were a type of cleansing that would come with Jesus Christ through baptism, not to cleanse the flesh, but the soul, thus, providing forgiveness of sins. Peter speaks at length about cleansing in the Old and New Testaments:

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him (1 Peter 3:18-22).

In writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul speaks of Jesus’ love for His glorious church:

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27).

imposed on them until the time of reformation: Paul’s statement, "the time of reformation," refers to the temporary nature of the Levitical system as he explains in his epistle to the churches in Galatia:

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster (Galatians 3:15-25).

These carnal ordinances were not observed merely by choice, but they were "imposed" upon the Israelites, meaning they were "laid or placed upon" (Thayer 239) them by the laws of God until Jesus became the High Priest. All of these carnal ordinances and rituals were burdensome because of their repetition over a number of years. However, the repetition had to continue until "the time of reformation," which Jesus calls the regeneration. In Matthew, Jesus says, "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (19:28). The "reformation" (diorthosis) refers to "the perfecting of things, referring to the times of the Messiah" (Thayer 152). Paul’s meaning is that God made sinful man right when Jesus became our High Priest, thus, fulfilling the shadows and symbols of the Old Testament. All of the carnal ordinances in their public worship, including the various types of washings, remained until Jesus appeared as the High Priest and ultimate sacrifice. When Jesus died, the veil was removed; and all Christians are now priests with free access to the presence of God.

Verse 11

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come: By the word "But" (de), Paul is proving the ineffectiveness of the Levitical offerings by showing a contrast between the blood of animals which "could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience" (verse 9), and the blood of Jesus that brings forgiveness. Paul’s main thought is that Jesus has come and has presented Himself to the world, and His sacrifice provides eternal redemption for mankind. His coming was the beginning of the change from the Old Testament dispensation with its symbolic atonement to the New Testament dispensation that provides true forgiveness of sins. The prophet Isaiah prophesies of this coming of salvation when he says:

Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken (Isaiah 62:11-12).

The words "good things" (agathos) refer to "the benefits of the Messianic kingdom" (Thayer 3). The "good things" are the outcome of Jesus’ high-priestly activity. Specifically, the "good things" are the blessings of everlasting salvation or eternal life (verse 12). Paul has just written about the inability of the Old Testament laws, rituals, and priesthood to remove the sins of mankind; however, now he says, speaking in the present tense, that Jesus Christ is come as a High Priest of "good things" that will provide forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ becoming a High Priest is the pivotal point leading to true forgiveness of sins for God’s children. Before Jesus fulfilled His mission on this earth, God commanded all of His children to keep the Levitical ordinances; however, when Jesus came as High Priest, His New Covenant took over and the types and shadows of the Old Covenant were no longer needed. Paul writes of the taking away of the Old Covenant and issuing in of the New Covenant in his epistle to the church at Colosse:

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:13-15).

Jesus became the High Priest of "good things." These "good things" in the New Covenant exceed all expectation and are emphasized by Paul in this letter:

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (8:10-13).

by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building: The preposition "by" indicates the reason Jesus’ priesthood is greater than the Old Testament priesthood. Jesus’ tabernacle, unlike the Old Testament tabernacle, is spoken of as being "perfect" (teleios), suggesting His tabernacle is "wanting nothing necessary to completeness" (Thayer 618). The tabernacle is "greater and more perfect" because it is spiritual instead of earthly. This perfect tabernacle, the church of Christ, is not a building "made with hands" (cheiropoietos), that is, not constructed by "the skill of man" (Thayer 668) as was the first, but by God Himself. This tabernacle has a more perfect sacrifice, Jesus Himself. The message here is the same as Paul presents earlier in this epistle:

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man (8:1-2).

Obviously, the earthly Old Testament tabernacle could be only a symbolic dwelling place for God. In the New Testament, however, the holy place is the church made available for all of God’s children. Speaking of Jesus and His church, Paul says:

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-22).

In the tabernacle of the New Covenant, the Most Holy Place is not a separate inner room of the tabernacle, but it is heaven itself. Paul will later address this sacred place where Jesus is to go:

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (9:23-24).

Verse 12

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place: Not only is the place, that is, the tabernacle, different, but the sacrifice itself is also different. Paul continues his comparison between the services of the Old Testament high priest in the wilderness and the services of Jesus as our eternal High Priest. In this verse, the writer refers to the Old Covenant activities:

And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness (Leviticus 16:14-16).

Vincent is right on target in emphasizing that "the distinction is not between the different bloods, but between the victims" (482). Paul’s contrast is between Jesus and the animals. The high priests in both periods of Biblical history did the same thing in that they all offered bloody sacrifices for the sins of man. Jesus, however, did not enter the earthly tabernacle’s Holiest of all separated by a veil to offer "the blood of goats and calves" as did the high priests of the Old Testament; instead, He, on one occasion only (7:27), went into the spiritual "holy place" (haion), heaven itself, which is symbolized by "the most hallowed portion of the temple, ’the holy of holies’" (Thayer 6) by offering His "own blood" as a perfect, once for all sacrifice. There is no reason to continue offering sacrifices for sin because Jesus offered Himself to provide "eternal redemption." The Old Testament high priest, on the other hand, presented sacrifices annually. Jesus’ actions were, as Milligan explains, "the key by means of which the heavenly Sanctuary was opened, and Christ was allowed to enter, once for all in our behalf, into the immediate presence of the King eternal, immortal and invisible" (323).

having obtained eternal redemption for us: Jesus, by shedding His blood, thus sacrificing His life for man’s sins, "obtained eternal redemption" for man. The term "eternal" (aionios), meaning "without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be" (Thayer 20), proves that "redemption" (lutrosis) and "specifically, redemption from the penalty of sin" (Thayer 384), has always been God’s plan. Jesus’ one time sacrifice of Himself is so superior to any of the animal sacrifices that His shed blood removed all of man’s sins forever. Paul, writing to Titus about God’s grace, teaches that all are redeemed from all sins:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:11-14).

The forgiven sins are in the past and forgotten forever. Jesus ransomed His life for all mankind as He promised He would, saying, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Paul writes to Christians in Ephesus about the salvation of man coming through the blood of Jesus and says, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

Man has the responsibility to obey God to gain forgiveness of his sins. Peter points out that redemption from sins by the blood of Christ is not given to the ungodly or to those who deliberately disobey God’s instructions; instead, redemption is given to all who obey the truth:

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (1 Peter 1:18-23).

Verse 13

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean: "The blood of bulls and of goats" refers to the animal sacrifices under the Levitical system. The "ashes of an heifer" were used to prepare the water of purification to cleanse (symbolically) everyone who was deemed "unclean," that is, "defile(d)" (Thayer 351) for coming near a dead body. God gave this law to Moses and Aaron:

And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin... Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him…But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even (Numbers 19:9; Numbers 19:13; Numbers 19:20-21).

sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: The word "sanctifieth" (hagiazo) means "to purify levitically" (Thayer 6), suggesting "cleanness" in a Levitical sense (Thayer 313). Under the Old Covenant, these items ("blood of bulls and goats" and "ashes of an heifer") symbolically cleansed defiled bodies. One’s flesh was considered defiled when he came in contact with a dead body; therefore, only the flesh had to be cleansed. The cleaning of the flesh was symbolic of the cleansing of the conscience that Paul mentions in verse 14. A bowl of water mixed with the ashes of the burned heifer was provided for purification. When the worshiper washed in this special water, he was rendered fit and purified; therefore, he was permitted entrance into the tabernacle to worship God.

Verse 14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

How much more shall the blood of Christ: Paul now speaks of the incomparable and more effective sacrifice of Jesus. During the Levitical system, the act of sacrifice was an external one, fashioned in accordance with ordinances; Christ’s act of sacrifice, on the other hand, was one arising out of the disposition of the heart, thus a moral one. His sacrifice had a twofold purpose. First, it was an act of spiritual obedience to God as Paul explains in his epistle to the church at Philippi: "And being found in fashion as a man, he (Jesus) humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). Secondly, Jesus’ sacrifice was proof of His spiritual love for mankind, as Paul writes to the church at Corinth:

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

The sacrificial animals of the Old Covenant were for physical cleansings. Paul proves two essential points: (1) Even though the blood of animals provided cleansing to some degree, much more cleansing comes by the blood of Jesus. (2) Even though the sacrifices of animals brought purity of the flesh, Jesus’ sacrifice is greater because it brings purity of conscience. The sacrificial animals of the Old Testament rituals were symbolic of the better sacrifice that was prophesied, that is, Jesus, the crucified Son of God. The Apostle John says, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God: The expression "the eternal Spirit" does not refer to God the Father or to the Holy Spirit as it may be concluded from the translation of the King James Version. Paul, instead, is reinforcing and strengthening the value of Jesus’ death. He is proving the superiority of Jesus’ sacrifice (Himself) by pointing out its spiritual significance. The monetary value of the bulls and goats (verse 13) was not great; but what Christ offered was of immeasurable value: it was the most precious of all sacrifices. The intent of Paul’s reference to "through the eternal Spirit" is to prove the superiority of Jesus’ sacrifice compared to the sacrifice of animals (to which Paul’s readers were considering returning). He points out Jesus’ readiness to lay down His own life as a sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus is pictured as superior to the sacrifices of animals because Jesus, unlike animals, gave consent to His death. Alford explains:

The animals which were offered had no will, no spirit of their own, which could concur with the act of sacrifice. Theirs was a transitory life, of no potency or virtue. They were offered through the law rather than through any consent, or agency, or counteragency, of their own. But Christ offered Himself, with His own consent assisting and empowering the sacrifice. And what was that consent? The consent of what? Of the spirit of man? Such a consent as yours or mine, given in and through our finite spirit whose acts are bounded by its own allotted space in time and its own responsibilities? No: but the consenting act of His divine Personality – His "eternal Spirit," His Godhead, which from before time acquiesced in, and wrought with, the redemption–purpose of the Father (The New Testament for English Readers 1529).

purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God: The term "purge" (katharizo) means to "free from the guilt of sin" (Thayer 312). It is sometimes translated "to purify" (RSV) or probably better to "cleanse" (NIV, ASV). Bloomfield says the conscience being purged from dead works is "a strong expression, to denote the removal of guilt, by a comparison of the washing the surface of any unclean vessel with water, or other liquid, so as to thoroughly cleanse it" (513). Paul is referring to the cleansing of man’s sins.

The Apostle John writes a similar message about man’s sins being washed in the blood of Jesus: "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5). Sometimes the words "purge your conscience from dead works" is mistakenly removed from its context so as to teach that man is to purge his conscience; however, contextually, Paul is not saying his readers are to purge their "conscience from dead works to serve the living God." It is not man who is purging, purifying, or cleansing his conscience. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that accomplishes this task.

Paul is teaching Christians the importance of not leaving Jesus to return to their former beliefs and practices. He emphasizes that Jesus’ shed blood is the power that frees man from sins. His shed blood cleanses man’s "conscience" (suneidesis) by making it possible for him to distinguish "between what is morally good and bad" (Thayer 602). A cleansed conscience will lead one away from "dead works" (nekros ergon) or "works devoid of that life which has its source in God" (Thayer 248). God’s children must be cleansed from the pollution of "dead works" before they can enter His presence. This purging or cleansing is preparatory to the worship of God. Instead of "dead works," if one will follow Jesus and accept His sacrifice, His blood will guide and prepare him "to serve" or "to worship" (Thayer 372) the living God acceptably.

Verse 15

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament: The phrase "And for this cause" refers to the power of the blood of Jesus mentioned in the preceding verse. Because of Jesus’ pureness, innocence, and sinlessness, His shed blood allowed Him to become "the mediator of the new testament."

The term "mediator" (mesites) means an arbitrator or "a medium of communication" (Thayer 401). Jesus proved His love for mankind when He voluntarily became our mediator by placing Himself between God and man. Through sin, man separated himself from God; but through Jesus’ death, He restores the harmony between God and man. The restoration between man and God issues in the "new testament." The word "new" (kainos) when expressed as the "new testament" means that "which…is superior to what it succeeds" (Thayer 317). This new "testament" (diatheke) means "covenant" (Thayer 136) and is the same as "new covenant" in chapter eight, verse 8. This testament (covenant) is essential to provide forgiveness of sins for man because it expresses God’s will for man.

that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament: The expression "by means of death" refers to Jesus’ death and signifies that His death has already taken place. Paul is plainly declaring that the death of Jesus was essential to man’s salvation. Because of His death, "redemption" (apolutrosis) or "deliverance" (Thayer 65) from "transgressions" (parabasis) is possible. "Transgressions" refers to man’s "disregarding (or) violating" (Thayer 478) the instructions of God.

A testament must be sealed with blood; thus, Jesus’ death qualifies Him as a mediator. There are two main covenants. Paul refers to the "first" testament. Today, we often refer to the covenants as the Old Covenant or Old Testament and the New Covenant or New Testament. The Old Testament (which is the "first") had only carnal rituals and carnal promises; it had only the blood of bulls and goats; therefore, the Old Testament had outward rituals. Jesus’ blood, however, is connected with the New Covenant or New Testament. His commandments and promises far exceed those of the Old Testament, and His blood is more precious and more powerful. Because of the greatness of Jesus’ blood, He becomes the mediator of the new and better covenant (testament). His blood, however, reaches, not only to those in the present and future, but retroactively to those in the past who lived under the Old Testament.

Through Jesus Christ and His death, redemption from sin is available to every child of God living today as well as those living "under the first testament." Paul says all have sinned according to Romans 3:23.

Those "that were under the first testament" are not restricted only to those of the covenant with Israel but to everyone from Adam to Christ. The significance of Paul’s message here is that those who lived before Jesus did not have a way for redemption. It shows the insufficiency of all previous atoning provisions. The blood of animals was offered, but eternal redemption was provided through the blood of Jesus. The sacrifices of animals were not enough, as Paul plainly teaches:

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins…And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God (10:4, 11, 12).

they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance: God’s intent for man in every dispensation has been that he might come to live with Him. He provided opportunities for obedience in every age, even though the opportunities of the New Covenant are broader than those of the Old. In order to obtain this "eternal inheritance" from God, there had to be a real propitiation for sin.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

Those who are spiritually "called" (kaleo) are those who by faith and obedience are invited to be a part of something. It means "to invite one" (Thayer 321). The expression of one’s being "called" that Paul and Peter use in their epistles suggests God is inviting men by the preaching of the gospel. To the church in Ephesus, Paul writes:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power (Ephesians 1:17-19).

In his first epistle to the Christians in the church of the Thessalonians, Paul writes:

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13).

Later, in the writings of the Apostle Peter, he says:

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

The term "promise" (epaggelia) refers to an announcement of a pledge. Paul is referring to God’s divine assurance of eternal inheritance to all who have been called. The "inheritance" (kleronomia) mentioned here denotes "the eternal blessedness in the consummated kingdom of God which is to be expected after the visible return of Christ" (Thayer 349). In the context of this epistle to the Hebrews, Paul emphasizes that God’s calling and His promise of eternal inheritance are not limited only to those of the New Testament church but also to those who followed God during the Old Testament dispensation. Through Jesus’ blood, God’s call reaches back to those of the Levitical system and annihilates their sins because their system was inadequate to acquire and insure eternal salvation and to gain the eternal "inheritance."

The term "might" refers to the fact that they are given the opportunity to obtain the inheritance as long as they are alive. Later in this epistle, Paul speaks of men and women of faith who lived and died before Jesus came to the earth. These great men and women did not "receive the promise" during their lifetime because they sinned, and no sin was ever forgiven without the blood of Jesus Christ; however, they were promised they would receive the blessing of forgiveness after the coming of Jesus. Paul is speaking of God’s promise of an inheritance to people such as Abraham and his children when he says:

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise (Galatians 3:16-18).

Again, the Apostle Peter speaks of God’s abundant mercy and promise of an incorruptible inheritance:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

For any man under the Levitical system or the Christian system to obtain the promised eternal inheritance, the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood had to take place.

Verse 16

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Paul asserts the "testator" (diatithemai) (Jesus Christ in this context) must die for the testament to be in effect. The term "necessity" is something "imposed either by the eternal condition of things, or by the law of duty" (Thayer 36). Paul reaffirms an axiomatic truth.

The term "testament" (diatheke) is used more in the sense of a will than a covenant; however, Paul uses it as a substitute for the term covenant. He shows that in both cases death must take place. Thayer says the word "testament":

…substitutes for the meaning covenant which diatheke bears elsewhere in the epistle that of testament and likens Christ to a testator, - not only because the author regards eternal blessedness as an inheritance bequeathed by Christ, but also because he is endeavoring to show, both that the attainment of eternal salvation is made possible for the disciples of Christ by his death (137).

Verse 17

For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Paul continues to emphasize his point: a "testament" is of "force" (bebaios) or becomes "valid" (Thayer 99) "after men are dead," or as better translated, "where there hath been a death" (RV). The testament holds no value until the testator’s death. Paul says the testament has no "strength" (ischuo) or "force" as long as the testator is alive (Thayer 309). It is the privilege of the testator to change his testament in any way he chooses while he lives. Furthermore, during the lifetime of the testator, the heirs may be permitted to enjoy some of the benefits of the testator’s assets; however, they cannot claim ownership to their inheritance until the death of the testator. For example, Paul earlier in this epistle writes of Abraham’s being given a promised inheritance (6:13). Because of Abraham’s obedience to God, Paul says he obtained the promise (6:15); however, it was not until after the death of Jesus that Abraham (and others) received these promises. Paul will later explain that promises were made and enjoyed but not fully received:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God… These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (11:8-10, 13).

Verse 18

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

In verses 18 through 22, Paul proves his statements in verses 16 and 17 by providing an Old Covenant illustration of those who lived in the days of Moses. Paul emphasizes that shedding of blood is a requirement under both testaments. The "first testament" (during the Levitical priesthood) was "dedicated" (egkainizo), meaning "to initiate" or "consecrate" after blood was shed (Thayer 166). The major point Paul is making to his readers is that even though the promises of an inheritance were made under the Levitical system, these promises were not ratified until the death of Jesus (whom they were on the verge of abandoning).

Verse 19

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law: Paul is referring to the events in Exodus chapters twenty through twenty-three where Moses received God’s law. After Moses narrated every "precept" (entole), every "commandment," of God to God’s people, they promised to obey every law (Thayer 218). Moses records this event, saying:

And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel…And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words (Exodus 24:3-4; Exodus 24:7-8).

he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people: Paul gives details about how the laws of God were ratified or set in effect. The blood was mixed with water, which was probably a reference to the Lord’s instruction to Moses when He said:

And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer...And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel (Numbers 19:6; Numbers 19:17).

Water was probably added to the blood to prevent coagulation, that is, the change from a fluid into a thickened mass, or possibly the water was added to the blood as a symbol of cleansing. The Apostle John refers to blood and water together when he says, "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth" (1 John 5:6). John is probably referring to Jesus’ side being pierced after His death as he records in his gospel account: "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water" (John 19:34). Paul also mentions "scarlet wool" that was mixed with the blood and water. "Hyssop" was also mixed with the blood, water, and scarlet wool. An example of this usage is found when the Lord gave Moses instructions about how to sprinkle the blood on the doorposts at the Passover:

And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning (Exodus 12:22).

Verse 20

Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Paul refers to Moses’ words: "And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words" (Exodus 24:8). The "blood" (haima) was not just any blood, but "It is used specifically of the blood of sacrificial victims having a purifying or expiating power" (Thayer 15). By the phrase "blood of the testament," Paul is explaining that the shedding of blood he mentions in verse 19 is how this Old Covenant was ratified; however, the shed blood not only brought the law into effect, it also brought the people into a covenant relationship, requiring them to obey God’s law. The term "enjoined" (entellomaiis) means "to command to be done" (Thayer 218); therefore, to please God, His people had to obey the laws that He gave and that they unconditionally accepted and agreed to obey. A similar expression is found in Luke’s account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper: "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20).

Verse 21

Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

This sprinkling of the tabernacle referred to a different occasion from that mentioned in verse 19. On the previous occasion, the tabernacle was not in existence. Later, however, God gave instructions to Moses to set up the tabernacle and to anoint it and the furniture with oil.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, in discussing Aaron’s priesthood, writes of the anointing of the tabernacle with animal blood:

Now when Moses had bestowed such honorary presents on the workmen as it was fit they should receive who had wrought so well, he offered sacrifices in the open court of the tabernacle, as God commanded him: a bull, a ram, and a kid of the goats, for a sin-offering. Now I shall speak of what we do in our sacred offices in my discourse about sacrifices; and therein shall inform men in what cases Moses bade us offer a whole burnt-offering, and in what cases the law permits us to partake of them as of food. And when Moses had sprinkled Aaron’s vestments, himself, and his sons, with the blood of the beasts that were slain, and had purified them with spring waters and ointment, they became God’s priests. After this manner did he consecrate them and their garments for seven days together. The same he did to the tabernacle, and the vessels thereto belonging, both with oil first incensed, as I said, and with the blood of bulls and of rams, slain day by day one, according to its kind. But on the eighth day he appointed a feast for the people, and commanded them to offer sacrifice according to their abilities. Accordingly they contended one with another, and were ambitious to exceed each other in the sacrifices which they brought, and so fulfilled Moses’ injunctions (110)

Verse 22

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: The general rule was that defiled things were purged with blood. The term "purged" (katharizo) means "to consecrate by cleansing or purifying" (Thayer 312). Purging with blood was obviously not a concrete rule, and Paul leaves room for exceptions because there were cases where the purification was done by water. Regarding the removal of Aaron’s garments after coming into the tabernacle from the holy place, Moses says:

And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp (Leviticus 16:24-28).

On other occasions fire and water were used for purification. The priest Eleazar told the men of war who had been in battle:

…This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses; Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water. And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp (Numbers 31:21-24).

and without shedding of blood is no remission: Every sin always requires an atonement by the shedding of blood, and there is no exception to this rule. The three English words "shedding of blood" come from the one Greek word haimatekchusia. This is the only place where it is found in the scriptures. The Lord told Moses, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus expresses this fact in the institution of the Lord’s Supper when He, speaking of the fruit of the vine, says, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Jesus and Paul make the same point: the shedding of Jesus’ blood was necessary for God’s people to receive remission of sins.

Verse 23

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these: The term "necessary"

(anagke) refers to something obligatory because of "the law of duty" (Thayer 36). Specifically, Paul says that the necessary things are the "patterns" of things in the heavens. The term "patterns" (hupodeigma) signifies they are a "figure" or "copy" (Thayer 642) of things in heaven. It was essential, therefore, for the "things" not to be unclean, so that the "patterns" or representations could be "purified" (katharizo), indicating "consecrate(ing) by cleansing" (Thayer 312). Without this purification, as Milligan points out, "The very existence of the Theocracy depended, therefore, on the shedding and sprinkling of blood, without which the whole nation of Israel would have been cast off as an unclean thing" (335).

but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these: "Heavenly things," represented by the types under the Levitical law, must be purified with better sacrifices. The "heavenly things" referred to every type found in the two rooms of the tabernacle. The first room, the holy place, and its furniture represented the church of today; and the second room, the Holiest of all (verse 2), represented the dwelling place of God, heaven. By "the heavenly things," therefore, Paul refers to the church on earth and the home of the saved in heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice, offered once for all, is better than the many Levitical sacrifices.

The difficulty of this verse, which may never be totally understood while we live on this earth, is in attempting to understand what is meant by the sacrificial cleansing of the "things in the heavens." It is fairly easy to understand the need for the earthly church (Christians) to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The church must be purified in preparation for the eternal home in heaven; however, the need for heaven and the things in heaven to be purified by the blood of Jesus is a much more difficult challenge. Some allege that heaven needs to be cleansed because of the sins of the angels who were cast out (2 Peter 2:4). Others have assumed that the heavens would need to be cleansed because of our earthly sins. These conclusions are nothing more than speculation. The need for the heavens to be cleansed cannot be denied because the inspired Apostle Paul clearly states there is a need; however, the reason is never given; thus, we cannot know for sure.

Verse 24

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself: With this verse Paul brings to a close his discussion that began in verse 15 about the necessity of the death of Jesus, the Son of God. If Jesus had not died, an eternal home in heaven would have been impossible for mankind. The services in the earthly tabernacle had sacrifices requiring blood, but it was the blood of animals. Without these animal sacrifices, the high priest would not have been allowed to enter into the Holiest of all to intercede for the sins of God’s people. These sacrifices, as essential as they were, were not good enough to redeem man from his sins; thus, God appointed His Son, Jesus Christ, as our High Priest. Even though Jesus became our High Priest, He "is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true." Jesus, as High Priest, never entered into the earthly tabernacle made by the hands of man. These earthly "holy places" built by man were only "figures" (antitupos—"formed after some pattern") (Thayer 51) of something that was "true" (alethinos—"real and true, genuine") (Thayer 27). Man’s earthly tabernacle was a figure of the "true," heaven itself.

now to appear in the presence of God for us: As the earthly high priest entered into the most holy place once a year to present himself before the presence of God, so also Jesus’ entrance into heaven was to "appear" (emphanizo) or to place Him in the "presence of God for us." To "appear" (emphanizo) means "to present oneself before a tribunal or court, either as a plaintiff or advocate. Here, from the context, the latter must be the sense intended" (Bloomfield 517). The term "presence" (prosopon) is defined as "the face" (Thayer 551) and contextually means that Jesus, not in a symbolic or figurative way, but in an absolute literal way, appeared before the face of God for mankind. There is no doubt that Jesus, described as being in the presence of God, had returned to the position He held before the world was created. Nearing the end of Jesus’ work on earth, He prayed:

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was (John 17:4-5).

Verse 25

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Paul has used several contrasts between the Old Testament and the New Testament to prove that Jesus’ shed blood was the only ground of redemption for mankind. His readers know that under the Old Covenant sacrificial blood was essential for purification; therefore, Paul builds on this same reasoning and argues their forgiveness of sins under the New Covenant can come only from the shed blood of Jesus Christ. While showing the similarities and differences between the Old and New Testaments, Paul takes every opportunity to prove the superiority of the sacrifice of Jesus over the Old Testament sacrifices. In verse 24, he explains that unlike Aaron and his successors, Jesus did not enter into the tabernacle’s Holiest of all made by the hands of man, but instead, He appeared in the presence of God in heaven itself. Likewise, in verse 25, Paul now points out another contrast showing that unlike Aaron and his successors, who offered the "blood of others" (animal sacrifices), Jesus offered Himself one time, and His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father.

Verse 26

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: If it were not true that Jesus did not have to continue to offer Himself as a sacrifice, it would have been essential for Him to have repeatedly "suffered" (pascho) or "be afflicted" (Thayer 494), that is, to die His horrible death every year since the "foundation" (katabole) (the beginning) (Thayer 330) of this physical world from the days of Adam to the present time.

but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself: Jesus did not die every year; however, He did die one time. Paul emphasizes that He died "once in the end of the world." The term "end" (sunteleia) implies the "completion" or "consummation" (Thayer 606) of the "world" (aion), referring to the point at which the Mosaic dispensation ended and the Christian dispensation began. The Christian dispensation is the final age. It is "the end, or rather consummation, of the age preceding Christ’s return, with which will be connected the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment" (Thayer 19). The sacrifice of Jesus extended backward and forward from this middle point where His sacrifice abolished the guilt and power of sin. This one-time sacrifice of Himself is sufficient to redeem man from every sin committed from the days of Adam to the end of time. Paul here refers to another contrast between the Old and New Covenants. Under the Old Covenant, he points out in verse 25, the high priest annually entered the holy place to make a sacrifice "with blood of others" (animals); however, Jesus Christ entered into the true tabernacle (heaven), not with the blood of others, but with His own blood to provide redemption for man’s sins.

Verse 27

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Paul mentions another known fact that is true of all mankind: "it is appointed unto men once to die." The term "appointed" (apokeimai) means that death is "reserved" (Thayer 63) for all men (including Jesus) one time, and one time only. After death the only thing lacking is the "judgment" (krisis), referring to "the last judgment" when God will declare that time shall be no more (Thayer 361). Paul’s purpose in making this statement is to reemphasize the fact that Jesus died only one time for man’s sins. He is here building up to his important message in chapter ten, verse 26: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." He will not die again—He will not be sacrificed again. Paul’s message is that death and judgment are connected as a cause and effect; therefore, Jesus’ death and Christians’ salvation are similarly connected. Paul addresses this same message of salvation by grace in his epistle to the Christians in Rome:

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:17-19).

Verse 28

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many: The term "bear" (anaphero), as to "bear the sins of many," means by metonymy man’s justifiable "punishment" (Thayer 43) for the many sins committed. To "bear the sins" is to suffer the punishment because of sin, that is, to subject oneself to its consequences. The sacrifice of Jesus was so superior to all other repeated sacrifices that His one-time offering (sacrifice) of Himself redeemed from sin every penitent sinner from Adam to the end of time. Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for every person; however, in this verse Paul says Jesus was offered to bear the sins of "many." The obvious reason that Paul states "many" instead of "all" is that he is speaking only of those who accept His terms of salvation. Some people accept Jesus as the Messiah and thus accept His death as a sacrifice for their sins; however, others do not accept Jesus as the Messiah; thus, Paul refers only to the "many" who accept Jesus and who continually hold to His teaching. Once again, Paul encourages his Hebrew readers not to abandon Jesus and His teaching, not to apostatize, but to continue to follow Him.

and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation: Jesus, our High Priest, today is in the Holiest of all (9:3), meaning heaven. When God the Father decides that time will be no more, Jesus will leave the most holy place (heaven) and will return in the sky and appear again to "them that look for him." At this time every person (good and evil) will see Him and give account of their actions to Him; however, in this context Paul refers only to "them that look for him," that is, His true followers, the saved. Jesus, Paul says, will appear to those this second time who are "without sin." Those who are "without sin" does not mean they have never sinned. In writing his epistle to Christians in Rome, Paul says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23); however, by the grace of God, we now are able to meet Jesus at His second coming as people who are "without sin." Paul says that even though we all have sinned, we are now "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Those who are "without sin" (the saved) will gain eternal "salvation" (soteria), referring to the "future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God" (Thayer 612).