Hebrews 5:3

5:1-10 The High Priest must be a man, a partaker of our nature. This shows that man had sinned. For God would not suffer sinful man to come to him alone. But every one is welcome to God, that comes to him by this High Priest; and as we value acceptance with God, and pardon, we must apply by faith to this our great High Priest Christ Jesus, who can intercede for those that are out of the way of truth, duty, and happiness; one who has tenderness to lead them back from the by-paths of error, sin, and misery. Those only can expect assistance from God, and acceptance with him, and his presence and blessing on them and their services, that are called of God. This is applied to Christ. In the days of his flesh, Christ made himself subject to death: he hungered: he was a tempted, suffering, dying Jesus. Christ set an example, not only to pray, but to be fervent in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wetted with tears, do we offer up to God! He was strengthened to support the immense weight of suffering laid upon him. There is no real deliverance from death but to be carried through it. He was raised and exalted, and to him was given the power of saving all sinners to the uttermost, who come unto God through him. Christ has left us an example that we should learn humble obedience to the will of God, by all our afflictions. We need affliction, to teach us submission.

His obedience in our nature encourages our attempts to obey, and for us to expect support and comfort under all the temptations and sufferings to which we are exposed. Being made perfect for this great work, he is become the Author of eternal salvation to all that obey him. But are we of that number?

Hebrews 5:3 . καὶ διʼ αὐτὴν … ἀμαρτιῶν “and because of it is bound as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins”. Vaughan recommends the deletion of the stop at the end of Hebrews 5:2 . The law which enjoined that the high priest should on the Day of Atonement sacrifice for himself and his house ( ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ) before he sacrificed περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ , is given in Leviticus 16:6 ; Leviticus 16:15 . Hebrews 5:4 . καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμήν “And no one taketh to himself this honourable office.” καί introduces a second qualification of the priest, implied in καθίσταται of Hebrews 5:1 , but now emphasised. An additional reason for trusting in the priest is that he has not assumed the office to gratify his own ambition but to serve God’s purpose of restoring men to His fellowship. All genuine priesthood is the carrying out of God’s will. The priest must above all else be obedient , in sympathy with God as well as in sympathy with man. God’s appointment also secures that the suitable qualifications will be found in the priest. The office is here called τιμή , best translated by the German “Ehrenamt” or “Ehrenstelle.” For τιμή meaning an office see Eurip., Helena , 15; Herodot., ii. 65, παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς ἐκδέκεται τὴν τιμήν ; and especially Aristotle, Pol. , iii. 10, τιμὰς γὰρ λέγομεν εἶναι τὰς ἀρχάς . Cf. Hor. i. 1, 8 “tergeminis honoribus”.

Frequently in Josephus τιμή is used of the high priesthood, see Antiq. , xii. 2–5, Hebrews 4:1 , etc.; and the same writer should be consulted for the historical illustration of this verse ( Antiq. , iii. 8–1). In this remarkable passage he represents Moses as saying ἔγωγε … ἐμαυτὸν ἂν τῆς τιμῆς ἄξιον ἔκρινα … νῦν f1δʼ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς Ἀαρῶνα τῆς τιμῆς ταύτης ἄξιον ἔκρινε . The nolo episcopari implied in the words is amply illustrated in the case of Augustine, of John Knox, and especially of Anselm who declared he would rather have been cast on a stack of blazing faggots than set on the archiepiscopal throne, and continued to head his letters “Brother Anselm monk of Bec by choice, Archbishop of Canterbury by violence”. On the other hand, see the account of the appointment by his own act ( αὐτόχειρ ) of the priest king in Aricia, in Strabo Hebrews 5:3-12 and elsewhere. ἀλλὰ καλούμενος … καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών . “but when called by God as in point of fact even Aaron was”. If the article is retained before καλ . we must translate “but he that is called,” καλούμενος “in diesem amtlichen Sinne nur hier,” says Weiss, but see Matthew 4:21 , Galatians 1:15 . For Aaron’s call, see Exodus 28:1 ff. Schöttgen and Wetstein appositely quote from the Bammidbar Rabbi “Moses said to Korah and his associates:—If my brother Aaron took to himself the priesthood, then ye did well to rebel against him; but in truth God gave it to him, whose is the greatness and the power and the glory.

3 . And by reason hereof ] i.e. because of this moral weakness. he ought ] He is bound not merely as a legal duty, but as a moral necessity. so also for himself ] The Law assumed that this would be necessary for every High Priest ( Leviticus 4:3-12 ). In the High Priest’s prayer of intercession he said, “Oh do thou expiate the misdeeds, the crimes, and the sins, wherewith I have done evil, and have sinned before Thee I and my house!” Until he had thus made atonement for himself, he was regarded as guilty, and so could not offer any atonement for others who were guilty ( Leviticus 4:3 ; Leviticus 9:7 ; Leviticus 16:6 , and comp. Hebrews 7:27 ). to offer for sins ] The word “offer” may be used absolutely for “to offer sacrifices” ( Luke 5:14 ); but the words “for sins” are often an equivalent for “sin-offerings” (see Hebrews 10:6 ; Leviticus 6:23 ; Numbers 8:8 , &c).

(3) To be closely joined with Hebrews 5:2 : “Is compassed with infirmity, and by reason thereof is bound . . .” The law of the Day of Atonement required a sin-offering of a bullock and a burnt-offering of a ram for the high priest himself, and for the congregation a sin-offering of two he-goats and a burnt-offering of a ram. Over his own sin-offering the high priest made confession of sins, first for himself and his household, then for the priests; over the goat sent into the wilderness the sins of the people were confessed.

3. by reason hereof—"on account of this" infirmity. he ought … also for himself, to offer for sins—the Levitical priest ought; in this our High Priest is superior to the Levitical. The second "for" is a different Greek term from the first; "in behalf of the people … on account of sins."

Verse 3. - And by reason hereof he ought (or, is bound , ὀφείλει ), as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. This obligation is evident in the case of the high priests of the Law. Consequently, their sin offering for themselves, in the first place, was a prominent part of the ceremonial of the Day of Atonement, which the writer may be supposed to have especially in view ( Leviticus 16 .). But can we suppose any corresponding necessity in the case of Christ? The argument does not absolutely require that we should, since the obligation of the Levitical high priest may be adduced only in proof of his own experience of ἀσθενεία . Christ, though under no such obligation, might still fulfill the requisites of a high priest, expressed in the case of sinful high priests by the obligation to offer for themselves; and we may (as Ebrard says) leave it to the writer to show hew he does fulfill them. Whether, however, there was in Christ's own experience anything corresponding to the high priest's offering for himself will be considered under vers. 7, 8. Hebrews 5:3