"Behold, the days are coming*, saith the Lord, when I will maket a new covenant with the house of Israel, 9 and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt when they continued not in my covenant, and I 10 regarded them not, saith the Lord: for this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and will write them on their hearts; and I will be to 11 them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen ‡, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:' for all shall 12 know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins 13 and their iniquities I will remember no more.” In that God saith, "A new covenant,” he hath declared the former void. Now that which is declared void¶ and groweth old, is ready to disappear. 6 CH. IX. Now the first covenant** also had ordinances of wor2 ship, and a worldly sanctuary. For the first tabernacle was prepared††, which is called Holy; in which was the 3 candlestick, and the table, and the shew-bread ‡‡. And, behind the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the 4 Holy of Holies: having the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant covered all over with gold, in which was the golden pot that had the manna, and Aaron's rod 5 that budded, and the tables of the covenant: and above which were ¶¶ the cherubim of glory, shadowing the mercy-seat: of which things we cannot at present speak 6 particularly. Now these things having been thus pre * the days come, N. his neighbour, R. T. ¶ decayeth, N. + Or, complete, or execute. See Wakefield. he maketh the first old, N. See Schleusner. ** the first tabernacle, R. T. ++ Or, the outer division of the tabernacle was fitted up. See Newcome's note. Or, the setting forth of loaves. ¶ "above in the tabernacle were," etc. N. Wakefield, overlaid round about, N. 517 pared, the priests enter always into the first tabernacle*, 7performing the services of God: but into the second the high-priest alone entereth once every year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the sins of 8 ignorance of the people †: the holy spirit signifying this, that the way into the most Holy Place is not yet laid open, 9 while the first tabernacle yet standeth : which tabernacle is a figure for the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him that worship10 peth perfect as concerning his conscience; consisting only in meats and drinks, and different washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed till the time of reformation. 11 But Christ, a high-priest of the future good things, being come, entered once for all into the most Holy Place, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands; that is, not of this present building'; 12 nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own 13 blood; having obtained ¶ an everlasting redemption. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the cleansing of 14 the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the everlasting spirit †† offered himself spotless to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works ‡‡, that And for this cause Christ is the mediator of the new covenant; that, death having 15 ye may serve the living God? *Or, the outer tabernacle. + So Macknight. the errors of the people, N. Or, while the outer tabernacle is still standing. But Christ having become a high-priest of future good things, entered once into the most Holy Place, N. having obtained for us, N. + who offered himself with a spotless mind unto God, Wakefield, who, with the Ethiopic, leaves out atavis, “everlasting." The Clermont and some other copies read 18, the holy spirit; which is supported by the Coptic and the Vulgate versions. The phrase "everlasting spirit," is very unusual: but if admitted as genuine, it must signify that Christ offered himself by divine appointment. tti. e. release you from the condemning sentence of the law. Dead works are those, the non-performance of which exposes the delinquents to legal condemnation. See ch. vị. 1. taken place for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant*, those who are called might re16 ceive the promise of the everlasting inheritance. For where a covenant is, there is a necessity for the death of 17 that which establisheth the covenant †. For a covenant is firm over the dead: whereas it is of no force while that 18 which establishes the covenant‡ liveth. Wherefore neither 19 was the first covenant confirmed without blood. For when Moses had spoken to all the people every commandment according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and 20 sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God hath enjoined 21 unto you." Moreover, in like manner he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle also, and all the vessels of the mi22 nistry. And, according to the law, almost all things are cleansed with blood; and without the shedding of blood 23 there is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be cleansed by these things; but the heavenly things themselves, with 24 better sacrifices than these. For Christ hath not entered into the Holy Place made with hands, which answereth to the true one; but into heaven itself, now to appear 25 in the presence of God for us: nor was it necessary that *The Primate has supplied the words by his death, which are not necessary. See Wakefield. That is, of the victim by which the covenant is ratified. See Wakefield and Doddridge. The Primate's version is," there is a necessity that the death of the covenanter should be brought in." Theol. Repos. vol. i. p. 215, 216; vol. iv. p. 139–152. "when the covenanter," N. See ver. 16. Observe here, that even inanimate things, the books, the tabernacle, the vessels, etc. are, represented as in a sinful state till they obtain remission by the shedding of blood: i. e. they are ceremonially impure and unholy till they are ceremonially consecrated. See ch. vii. 27, note. ¶ The patterns of heavenly things are things under the legal dispensation; heavenly things themselves are things under the Christian dispensation, of which the former was a type. The writer alludes to the celestial pattern shewn to Moses in the Mount, ch. viii. 5, which he here represents as the true tabernacle; of which Jesus is the highpriest, and in which he is gone to officiate. he should offer himself often*, as the high-priest entereth into the most Holy Place every year with the blood of 26 others; (for then he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world;) but now he hath been manifested once, at the end of the ages †, to put away sin by 27 the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men 28 to die once, and after this the judgement; so Christ also was offered once, to bear away the sins]] of many; and to those who wait for him he will appear a second time, without a sin offering††, to salvation. CH. x. For the law having a shadow of future good things, and not the very image of the things, can never make those who come to the altar perfect by the same sacrifices 2 which are offered year by year continually. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers once cleansed would have had no more con3 sciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a re4 membrance made of sins every year: for it is impossible ‡‡ that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when Christ cometh into the world, he saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a 6 body thou hast prepared me. In burnt-offerings and 7 sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I come (in the volume of the book | it is writ8 ten of me) to do thy will, O God." Above he saith¶¶, sacrifice, and offering, and burnt-offerings, and sacrifices 5 See ch. vii, 27, note. Or, for a removal of sin. i. e. dispensations. N. m. to bear the sins, N. to cause the forgiveness of them. See Newcome's note. + In what sense the death of Christ is a sin-offering,-See ch. vii. 27, note. # That is, legally impossible; for the law limited the efficacy of these sacrifices to one year. After which, new sacrifices were to be offered upon the annual day of atonement for sins of ignorance only, which, however free from moral turpitude, would exclude from the benefit of the Mosaic covenant, if not cancelled by the appointed sacrifices. See ch. ix. 7. All the holy book, N. In a volume of a book," Gr. for sin, thou wouldest not, and hadst no pleasure in them ;” (namely those which are offered according to the law;) 9 then he saith*, "Behold, I come to do thy will†." He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By which will we have been sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all ‡. 11 And every priest standeth ministering daily, and offering frequently the same sacrifices, which can never take 12 away sins: but this person¶, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, is for ever seated at the right hand of 13 God; waiting after this †† till his enemies be made his 14 footstool. For by one offering he hath made perfect for 15 ever those that are sanctified ‡‡. Of which the holy spirit also is a witness to us: for, after having said before, 16" This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds | I will write them;" it then 17 saith ¶¶," and their sins and iniquities I will remember 18 no more." Now where remission of these is, there is no more any offering for sin ttt. 19 WHEREFORE brethren, having confidence to enter into Or, he then said, or added. thy will, O God. R. T. The one sacrifice of Christ, a victim of the highest value, so consecrates all who by faith in him enter into the Christian covenant, that they can never exclude themselves from its benefits by sins of ignorance; so as to need another sacrifice to re-instate them. They are sanctified by the offering of Christ once for all. See ch. ix. 7. that is, sins of ignorance, ix. 7. The sacrifices of the law could not take away sin, as their efficacy was limited to a year. See ver. 4. ¶ Or, but he, or, this priest. + Or, thenceforth. See ver. 10. Believers are so far consecrated by this great sacrifice, that they can never forfeit their privileges by sins of ignorance. The writer labours to reconcile the Hebrews to a suffering Messiah, by these bold figurative representations of the efficacy of his death., "Our Lord," says Mr. Lindsey (Sequel, p. 88), “never called himself a high-priest, nor is he so styled by any of the writers of the New Testament, except the author of this epistle; whence we may conclude, that neither Christ nor the evangelists esteemed this to be any real part of his character, or needful to be attended to by his followers." ¶¶God then saith, N. Or, on their minds. "The author here finishes the argumentative part of his epistle, in which he illustrates and proves the excellence of the New Covenant when compared with the Old. The practical part follows." Newcome. |