The New Testament with Commentary Hebrews 9

The earthly sanctuary

1 Now that first covenant did indeed have regulations for divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 Yes, a tabernacle was set up: the first part, which is called the Holy Place, in which were the lamp stand, the table and the showbread; 3 and behind the second curtain an area called the Holy of Holies, 4 having a golden censer* and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold—in it were a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant; 5 while above it were cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat (this is not the place to go into detail about them).†

The service of the sanctuary

6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests continually went into the first part, performing the divine services, 7 but into the second one only the high priest could go, once a year and only with blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins of ignorance;‡ 8 the Holy Spirit was making clear that the way into the Most Holy Place was not yet open to the public while the first tabernacle was still in existence. 9 It was a figure during the time then present, a time when both gifts and sacrifices were being offered that were incapable of clearing the conscience of the worshiper— 10 they were only about foods and drinks and various ceremonial washings and physical regulations, things imposed until the time of restructuring.§

Christ serves in the heavenly sanctuary

11 But Christ entered once for all into the real Holy Places, having obtained eternal redemption—He had come as High Priest of the good things that are about to be, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12 and with His own blood, not that of goats and calves. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who had been ceremonially defiled, restored ceremonial purity to the body, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit* offered Himself† unblemished to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason He is mediator of a new covenant, so that those who have been called‡ may receive the promised eternal inheritance—since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.§

The earthly sanctuary inaugurated with blood

16 Now where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be established; 17 because a will is in force after men are dead, since it never takes effect while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore, not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood; 19 because when every commandment of the Law had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself* and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has decreed to you.”† 21 Then he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the divine service with the blood in the same way. 22 In fact, according to the Law nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.‡

The heavenly sanctuary inaugurated with Christ's blood

23 So then, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with such, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than those.§ 24 For Christ did not enter into Holy Places made by hands, mere copies of the true ones,* but into Heaven itself, now to appear in God's presence on our behalf; 25 but not in order to offer Himself repeatedly, like the high priest who entered the Most Holy Place year by year with another's blood 26 —otherwise He would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world; but now, once for all at the end of the ages, He has been revealed to nullify sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 Also, inasmuch as men are destined to die but once, after which the judgment,† 28 so the Christ also, having been offered once for all to bear the sins of many—He will appear a second time to those who are eagerly waiting for Him, apart from sin, into salvation.‡

*9:4 The normal meaning of the Greek word here is precisely ‘censer’, but unfortunately modern versions like NIV, TEV, LB, NASB render ‘altar of incense’, thus setting up a contradiction with the Old Testament. According to Exodus 30:6 the altar of incense was placed in front of the curtain leading into the Holy of Holies, and so it was in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies. The only reference to this particular censer appears to be in Leviticus 16:12, where it was to be used behind the second curtain to hide the Ark with smoke. Since that censer would only be used once a year (on the day of atonement), it may well have been stored just behind a corner of the second curtain (where the high priest could retrieve it without looking in) and thus the author of Hebrews would be correct in saying that the censer was behind the second curtain, whereas the altar was in front of it. In any event, evidently that censer was only used within the Holy of Holies, and so it would be appropriate to say that the area ‘had’ a golden censer.

†9:5 Oh, but I wish he had!

‡9:7 There was no sacrifice for deliberate sin.

§9:10 Or, ‘the time of getting it right’.

*9:14 We are accustomed to ‘the Eternal Spirit’, an attractive reading; I have followed the best line of transmission, albeit supported by only some 30% of the Greek manuscripts, plus the Latin tradition.

†9:14 If Christ “offered Himself”, He was both High Priest and Lamb. The Holy Spirit was with Him all the time. Verse 14 overtly mentions all three persons of the Trinity.

‡9:15 “Who have been called”—the author alludes to God's sovereignty.

§9:15 All the animals sacrificed under the first covenant could not redeem; their effect was temporary. The salvation of all Old Testament saints depends upon the shed blood of God's Lamb.

*9:19 Some of the Law had already been written down.

†9:20 See Exodus 24:8.

‡9:22 “Without shedding of blood there is no remission”—an important statement.

§9:23 Dear me, how could anything in Heaven be in need of cleansing? Well, Satan (Lucifer) had been there, and probably did some contaminating before his open rebellion. In fact, he still appears before God's throne.

*9:24 The ‘real’ world is the spirit world, not the physical.

†9:27 This verse contradicts any notion of ‘reincarnation’. We only die once, physically.

‡9:28 I suppose this is a reference to the Rapture, but however we receive our glorified bodies, at that point we receive our definitive transferal “into salvation”.