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Hebrews 9 – Text and Notes
Question – As you read this text, question why the Hebrew writer states that the Tabernacle had two compartments (vv.2-3)?
1 [Extended Notes] Now [oun (3767) – then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so (Thayer); Heb.2:14; Heb.4:1; Heb.4:6; Heb.4:11; Heb.4:14; Heb.4:16; Heb.7:11; Heb.8:4; Heb.9:1; Heb.9:23; Heb.10:19; Heb.10:35; Heb.13:15] even [implying the second covenant does also; but what is ironic is that this chapter the “regulations of divine worship” under the better covenant do not appear to be performed by believers, but by Jesus. In verse 14, we have believers involved in latreia.] the first covenant had [imperfect] [#1] regulations [God’s covenant was not, and is not, one-sided.] of divine [no word for divine] worship [latreia (2999) – sacred service performed by priests and Levites in the Temple; also the priestly service offered by any believer whose life becomes a living sacrifice to God” (The Discovery Bible, p.546)] and [#2] the earthly sanctuary [hagion (39); Extended Notes].
- Purpose of Tabernacle – (Ex.25:8 NASB) – “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.
- Purpose of Christ – To let God dwell in us; and ultimately for us to go to heaven so that we can dwell with God (1 Thess.4:16-17)
2 For there was a tabernacle [or, sacred tent/skene] prepared, the outer [lit., first] one [common for large tents to have two parts], in which were the lampstand [The menorah had seven branches and was made of gold. The lampstand was both practical, since there were no windows, and “typical,” representing Christ. “Candlestick” is an incorrect translation (an anachronism) since candlesticks were not yet invented.] and the table and the sacred bread [lit., loaves of presentation; also called the Bread of the Presence; contained one loaf for each tribe; replaced every Sabbath; only the priests could eat it]; this is called the holy place.
3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle [or, sacred tent] which is called the Holy of Holies [hagia hagion], [Notice how the writer speaks of “two” tabernacles.]
4 having a golden altar [or, censer] of incense [Extended Notes] and the ark of the covenant [which contained: 1) a pot of manna (Ex.16:32-34); 2) Aaron’s budded rod (Num.17:1-11); 3) Ten Commandment Tablets (both sets) (Ex.25:16f; 31:18; Deut.9:9; 10:5; 1 Kgs.8:9).] covered [perfect] on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables [2 Cor.3:3] of the covenant [2nd set for Moses had destroyed the 1st at the scene of the Golden Calf];
5 and above it were the cherubim [Gen.3:24] of glory overshadowing the mercy seat [Lev.16:2]; but of these things we cannot now speak [present] in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared [perfect], the priests are continually entering the outer [lit., first – The Holy Place] tabernacle[or, sacred tent; the Holy Place] performing the divine worship [cf., v.1],
7 but into the second [The Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters once a year [Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur], not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance [lit., ignorance of the people; agndema – ignorance of what one should have known” (Trench)]. [Lev.16]
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place [context demands this is the Most Holy Place although the Greek, agia, was used for both (vv.12,24,25; 10:19,22; 13:11)] has not yet been disclosed [perfect passive] while the outer [lit., first] tabernacle [Old Covenant Tabernacle] is still standing, [“holy place” equals presence of God, access to God; new covenant; “outer tabernacle” equals Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system; old covenant; it is obvious that the O.T. tabernacle itself had not been in existence for a thousand years therefore the tabernacle must stand for something more than the tent itself.]
9 which is a symbol [parabole; 11:19] for the present time [Christian Dispensation but before 70 A.D.?]. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make [aorist] the worshiper perfect in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body [lit., flesh] imposed until a time of reformation. [Nonmessianic Judaism today teaches that neither sacrifices nor priests are necessary for God to forgive sins.]
- “Religion is access to God. Its function is to bring a man into God’s presence.” (Barclay, Hebrews, p.102)
- “The function of all worship is to bring men into contact with the eternal realities.” (Barclay, Hebrews, p.102)
- “There can be no religion without sacrifice.” (Barclay, Hebrews, p.102)
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good [agathos (18) – “inwardly good; ‘of a good constitution or nature’ (Thayer); hence, that which produces benefit and genuinely good effects and results; (agathos has its focus on the inward character and thus carries the idea of ‘morally’ or ‘inherently’ virtuous or brave; worthy of admiration and respect.” (The Discovery Bible, p.533)] things to come [some mss. Read, that have come; i.e., access to God], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle [or, sacred tent], not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; [Heaven or God’s presence – i.e., the spiritual realm]
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place [i.e., heaven] once for all, having obtained [or, obtaining] eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer [Num.19; but also, “According to Maimonides (Yad-HaChazakah 1, Halakhah 4), the cohen hagadol was sprinkled with this water in order to restore purity before entering the Holiest Place on Yom-Kippur; if so, this offers an explanation as to why these ashes are mentioned here. A curious phenomenon that attracted the attention of the rabbis that the ashes of the red heifer both purified and defiled. After the ceremony the person who had touched a corpse was no longer defiled (Numbers 19:11-12), but anyone touching the ashes was impure until evening (Numbers 19:7-8,10). Yeshua has a similar dual role – see Yn.9:39, Lk.20:18)” (David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, p.695)] sprinkling those who have been defiled [koinoo (2840) – “literally, ‘make common’; to strip something of its special or sacred status by treating it as common or ordinary.” (The Discovery Bible, p.529)] sanctify for the cleansing [lit., purity] of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit [or, His eternal spirit] offered Himself without blemish [amomos (299b) – “being without defect or blemish; able to meet the requirements and prerequisites for sacred service to God; acceptable and without fault in the inner man as well as the outward man” (The Discovery Bible, p.526)] to God, cleanse your [some ancient mss. read our] conscience from dead works [Heb.6:1; Extended Notes] to serve [“latreuo (3000) – to serve; often in the capacity of officiating as priest or public official; used also as the sacred service and priestly ministering performed by the believers through their heartfelt worship and prayer to God” (The Discovery Bible, p.543); present]the living God?
15 For this reason [the perfect sacrifice] He is the mediator of a new [kainos (2537) – “new in quality; new and different; kainos usually involves bringing in a superior innovation or advance and corresponds to heteros, another of a different kind” (The Discovery Bible, p.541)] covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions [parabasis (3847) – “an ‘overstepping’ (Arndt/Gingrich); a deliberate breaking of the moral law; the willful overstepping of the clearly drawn line or boundary.” (The Discovery Bible, p.544)] that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called [perfect] may receive [aorist] the promise [epaggelia (1860) Heb.4:1; Heb.6:12; Heb.6:15; Heb.6:17; Heb.7:6; Heb.8:6; Heb.9:15; Heb.10:36; Heb.11:9; Heb.11:13; Heb.11:17; Heb.11:33; Heb.11:39] of the eternal inheritance.
16 For where a covenant [or, testament/diatheke (1242)] is, there must of necessity be [lit., be brought] the death of the one who made it. [In the Hebrew the word for covenant, birith, is derived from a word meaning “cutting.” Maybe this is the reason the author of Hebrews brings in the specific concept of a covenant being a testament.]
17 For a covenant [or, testament/diatheke (1242)] is valid only when men are dead [lit., over the dead], for it is never in force while the one who made it lives [some ancient mss. read, for is it then . . . lives?]. [Mt.26:28]
18 Therefore [hothen (3606) – Heb.2:17; Heb.3:1; Heb.7:25; Heb.8:3; Heb.9:18; Heb.11:19] even the first covenant was not inaugurated [perfect] without blood. [How did God die in establishing the first covenant? Two possibilities: 1) The animal sacrifices represented Deity as well as humanity; 2) Jesus’ death ratified not only the New Covenant, but the Old Covenant as well.]
19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle [or, sacred tent; this time the “tabernacle” is spoken of as a single unit and not as two tabernacles as in the beginning of the chapter] and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.
22 And according to the Law [or, law, almost all things things], one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore [oun (3767) – then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so (Thayer); Heb.2:14; Heb.4:1; Heb.4:6; Heb.4:11; Heb.4:14; Heb.4:16; Heb.7:11; Heb.8:4; Heb.9:1; Heb.9:23; Heb.10:19; Heb.10:35; Heb.13:15] it was necessary for the copies [earthly tabernacle and contents] of the things in the heavens [plural – why?] to be cleansed [present] with these, but the heavenly things [Question – What “heavenly things” need to be cleansed? To be cleansed meant to be set apart for God. Here are some guesses as to what was cleansed: Heaven; Jesus’ physical body; the church; no one knows] themselves with better [kreittōn (2909) – Heb.1:4; Heb.6:9; Heb.7:7; Heb.7:19; Heb.7:22; Heb.8:6; Heb.9:23; Heb.10:34; Heb.11:16; Heb.11:35; Heb.11:40; Heb.12:24] sacrifices [Why plural? Jesus had only one sacrifice (v.28)] than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear [aorist] in the presence of God for us; [This verse defines for us the “Real Tabernacle”. The question is, while we know that heaven is the presence of God, is heaven the only place where one can enter into the presence of God? The never next chapter suggests otherwise (10:19-22).]
25 nor was it that He would offer [present] Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
26 Otherwise, He would [imperfect] have needed to suffer [aorist] often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested [perfect] to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself [or, by His sacrifice].
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed [lit., laid up] for men to die [aorist] once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear [aorist] the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
Question – Why is the Judgment Day being discussed in v.27? The whole chapter has been about the finality of death, and the reality of sin. Plus, Christ was fully human – men die once. He could not have been offered over and over and be a man.
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