Hebrews 10
10
Christʼs Sacrifice Once for All
1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll —
I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”#10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
8First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” — though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”#10:16 Jer. 31:33
17Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”#10:17 Jer. 31:34
18And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”#10:30 Deut. 32:35 and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”#10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”#10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3
38And,
“But my righteous#10:38 Some manuscripts But the righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”#10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)
39But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
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Hebrews 10
10
Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted
1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.#tn Grk “those who approach.” 2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have#tn Grk “the worshipers, having been purified once for all, would have.” no further consciousness of sin? 3 But in those sacrifices#tn Grk “in them”; the referent (those sacrifices) has been specified in the translation for clarity. there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.#tn Grk “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” 5 So when he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am:#tn Grk “behold,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2). I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’”#sn A quotation from Ps 40:6-8 (LXX). The phrase a body you prepared for me (in v. 5) is apparently an interpretive expansion of the HT reading “ears you have dug out for me.”
8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them”#sn Various phrases from the quotation of Ps 40:6 in Heb 10:5-6 are repeated in Heb 10:8. (which are offered according to the law), 9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.”#tc The majority of mss, especially the later ones (א2 0278vid 1739 Ï lat), have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”) at this point, while most of the earliest and best witnesses lack such an explicit addressee (so Ì46 א* A C D K P Ψ 33 1175 1881 2464 al). The longer reading is a palpable corruption, apparently motivated in part by the wording of Ps 40:8 (39:9 LXX) and by the word order of this same verse as quoted in Heb 10:7. He does away with#tn Or “abolishes.” the first to establish the second. 10 By his will#tn Grk “by which will.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands day after day#tn Or “daily,” “every day.” serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again – sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest#tn Grk “this one.” This pronoun refers to Jesus, but “this priest” was used in the translation to make the contrast between the Jewish priests in v. 11 and Jesus as a priest clearer in English. had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand#sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. of God, 13 where he is now waiting#tn Grk “from then on waiting.” until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.#sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. 14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying,#tn Grk “after having said,” emphasizing the present impact of this utterance. 16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put#tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.” my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,”#sn A quotation from Jer 31:33. 17 then he says,#tn Grk “and.” “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.”#sn A quotation from Jer 31:34. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters,#tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11. since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us#tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19. through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,#sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence. 21 and since we have a great priest#tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19. over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings,#tn Grk “in assurance of faith.” because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience#sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16). and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,#tn Grk “let us consider one another for provoking of love and good deeds.” 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day#sn The day refers to that well-known time of Christ’s coming and judgment in the future; see a similar use of “day” in 1 Cor 3:13. drawing near.#tn This paragraph (vv. 19-25) is actually a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments for English idiom. It begins with several subordinate phrases (since we have confidence and a great priest), has three parallel exhortations as its main verbs (let us draw near, hold, and take thought), and concludes with several subordinate phrases related to the final exhortation (not abandoning but encouraging).
26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us,#tn Grk “is left,” with “for us” implied by the first half of the verse. 27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury#tn Grk “zeal,” recalling God’s jealous protection of his holiness and honor (cf. Exod 20:5).sn An allusion to Zeph 1:18. of fire that will consume God’s enemies.#tn Grk “the enemies.”sn An allusion to Isa 26:11. 28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death#tn Grk “dies.” without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.#sn An allusion to Deut 17:6. 29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for#tn Grk “tramples under foot.” the Son of God, and profanes#tn Grk “regarded as common.” the blood of the covenant that made him holy,#tn Grk “by which he was made holy.” and insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,”#sn A quotation from Deut 32:35. and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”#sn A quotation from Deut 32:36. 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. 33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. 34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison,#tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א D2 1881 Ï), read δεσμοῖς μου (desmoi" mou, “my imprisonment”) here, a reading that is probably due to the widespread belief in the early Christian centuries that Paul was the author of Hebrews (cf. Phil 1:7; Col 4:18). It may have been generated by the reading δεσμοῖς without the μου (so Ì46 Ψ 104 pc), the force of which is so ambiguous (lit., “you shared the sufferings with the bonds”) as to be virtually nonsensical. Most likely, δεσμοῖς resulted when a scribe made an error in copying δεσμίοις (desmioi"), a reading which makes excellent sense (“[of] those in prison”) and is strongly supported by early and significant witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (A D* H 6 33 81 1739 lat sy co). Thus, δεσμίοις best explains the rise of the other readings on both internal and external grounds and is strongly preferred. and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly#tn Grk “you yourselves.” had a better and lasting possession. 35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it#tn Grk “which,” but showing the reason. has great reward. 36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.#tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself. 37 For just a little longer#sn A quotation from Isa 26:20. and he who is coming will arrive and not delay.#sn A quotation from Hab 2:3. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I#tn Grk “my soul.” take no pleasure in him.#sn A quotation from Hab 2:4. 39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.#tn Grk “not…of shrinking back to perdition but of faith to the preservation of the soul.”
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