Hebrews 9:12

9:11-14 All good things past, present, and to come, were and are founded upon the priestly office of Christ, and come to us from thence. Our High Priest entered into heaven once for all, and has obtained eternal redemption. The Holy Ghost further signified and showed that the Old Testament sacrifices only freed the outward man from ceremonial uncleanness, and fitted him for some outward privileges. What gave such power to the blood of Christ? It was Christ's offering himself without any sinful stain in his nature or life. This cleanses the most guilty conscience from dead, or deadly, works to serve the living God; from sinful works, such as pollute the soul, as dead bodies did the persons of the Jews who touched them; while the grace that seals pardon, new-creates the polluted soul. Nothing more destroys the faith of the gospel, than by any means to weaken the direct power of the blood of Christ. The depth of the mystery of the sacrifice of Christ, we cannot dive into, the height we cannot comprehend. We cannot search out the greatness of it, or the wisdom, the love, the grace that is in it. But in considering the sacrifice of Christ, faith finds life, food, and refreshment.

{8} Neither by the blood of {i} goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (8) Another comparison of the blood of the sacrifices with Christ, the Levitical high priests entering by their holy places into the sanctuary, offered corruptible blood for one year only: but Christ entering into that holy body of his, entered by it into heaven itself, offering his own most pure blood for an everlasting redemption: for Christ is both the High Priest, Tabernacle, Sacrifices and Offerings themselves, indeed all those both truly and for ever. (i) For in this yearly sacrifice of reconciliation, there were two kinds of sacrifices, the one a goat, the other a heifer, or calf.

By the blood of goats and calves (δι' αἵματος τράγων καὶ μόσχων) Διὰ with, as Hebrews 9:11. Μόσχος originally a tender shoot or sprout: then offspring generally. Everywhere in the Bible calf or bullock, and always masculine. His own blood The distinction is not between the different bloods, but between the victims. The difference of blood is unimportant. Regarded merely as blood, Christ's offering is not superior to the Levitical sacrifice. If Christianity gives us only the shedding of blood, even Christ's blood, it does not give us a real or an efficient atonement. Whatever significance may attach to the blood is derived from something else. See on Hebrews 9:14. Once (ἐφάπαξ) Rend. once for all. Having obtained eternal redemption (αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος) Having found and won by his act of entrance into the heavenly sanctuary. This is better than to explain "entered the sanctuary after having obtained redemption by his life, death, and resurrection"; for the work of redemption is crowned and completed by Christ's ascension to glory and his ministry in heaven (see Romans 6). Even in the old sanctuary the rite of the Day of Atonement was not complete until the blood had been offered in the sanctuary. Eternal, see or Hebrews 6:2.

Not mere duration is contemplated, but quality; a redemption answering in its quality to that age when all the conditions of time shall be no more: a redemption not ritual, but profoundly ethical and spiritual. Λύτρωσιν redemption, only here, Luke 1:68; Luke 2:38. See on might redeem, Titus 2:4.

Hebrews 9:12 . οὐδὲ διʼ αἵματος τράγων … Not only was the place of ministry different, the sacrifice offered also was different. “Not without blood,” could the High Priest make his annual entry ( Hebrews 9:7 ), but it was with the blood of a calf for himself and of a he-goat for the people. In LXX of Leviticus 16 the τράγος is uniformly called χίμαρος but in Aquila’s version τράγος is used in Hebrews 9:8 and in Symmachus in Hebrews 9:8 ; Hebrews 9:10 . διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος , “So only could He enter for us . As the Eternal Son He has a right there; as the High Priest of man, He enters in virtue of the sacrifice of Himself” (Vaughan). ἐφάπαξ , as in Hebrews 7:27 , in contrast to the ever-recurring annual entrance; and preparing the way for the statement of the last clause, αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑ ράμενος . Rutherford ( New Phryn. , p. 215) says εὑράμην for εὑρόμην represents a common corruption of late Greek, but Veitch seems to think instances of its occurrence in Attic have been tampered with. See Tholuck in loc .; and Blass, G.G. , p. 45. Probably the aorist participle here expresses the result of the action of the main verb, εἰσῆλθεν . “But it is possible that εἰσῆλθεν is used to describe the whole High Priestly act, including both the entrance into the holy place and the subsequent offering of the blood, and that εὑράμενος is thus a participle of identical action.

In either case it should be translated not having obtained as in R.V. but obtaining or and obtained ” (Burton M. & T. , 66). [Weiss accurately “Der nachgestellte Participialsatz drückt aus, was in und mit diesem Eingehen geschah”.] On the use of the Mid. in N.T. see Thayer, s.v . Here it can only mean that Christ obtained salvation by offering Himself. λύτρωσις must, in consistency with the passage, be understood of the deliverance from guilt which enabled the worshipper to enter God’s presence. From this flow all other spiritual blessings. It is here termed αἰωνία in contrast to the deliverance achieved by the Levitical High Priest, which had to be repeated year by year. Christ obtained a redemption which was absolute and for ever valid.

Hebrews 9:12 . Τράγων καὶ μόσχων , of goats and calves ) One goat and one bullock was sacrificed at one time, Leviticus 16:9 ; Leviticus 16:3 : but that particular animal was not by itself better than all the animals of the same species; therefore it is here put in the plural number An additional reason besides, for the plural, was the annual repetition of the sacrifices. פר , LXX., μόσχος , Leviticus 16:9 ; Leviticus 16:3 , and elsewhere.— εἰς τὰ ἅγια , into the holy place) into heaven, Hebrews 9:24 . αἰωνίαν , eternal) not merely for a day or a year.— εὑράμενος , having found or obtained) So, I have found a ransom, Job 33:24 . The zeal of Him who has found or obtained, as also His fidelity and wisdom, are denoted: the newness and joyousness of the finding or thing found, ch. Hebrews 10:20 . The access of Christ to the Father was arduous; ch. Hebrews 5:7 . No one previously had trodden the way of life; Acts 2:28 ; John 3:13 . Christ could not but find: but yet to seek was a matter of labour and difficulty. Hebrews 9:12

12 . neither ] “Nor yet.” by the blood of goats and calves ] “by means of the blood of goats and calves,” (this is the order of the words in the best mss.). It is not meant that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant were useless , but only that when they were regarded as meritorious in themselves —apart from the faith, and the grace of God, by which they could be blessed to sincere and humble worshippers—they could neither purge the conscience, nor give access to God. When the Prophets speak of sacrifices with such stern disparagement they are only denouncing the superstition which regarded the mere opus operatum as sufficient apart from repentance and holiness ( Hosea 6:6 ; Isaiah 1:10-17 , &c.). by his own blood ] His own blood was the offering by which He was admitted as our High Priest and Eternal Redeemer into the Holy of Holies of God’s immediate presence ( Hebrews 13:20 ; Revelation 5:6 ). once ] “once for all.” into the holy place ] i.e. into the Holiest, as in Leviticus 16:3 ; Leviticus 16:9 . eternal redemption ] i.e. “the forgiveness of sins” ( Ephesians 1:7 ), and ransom from sinful lives ( 1 Peter 1:18-19 ) to the service of God ( Revelation 5:9 ). It should always be borne in mind that the Scriptural metaphors of Ransom and Propitiation describe the Atonement by its blessed effects as regards man .

All speculation as to its bearing on the counsels of God, all attempts to frame a scholastic scheme out of metaphors only intended to indicate a transcendent mystery, by its results for us have led to heresy and error. To whom was the ransom paid? The question is idle, because “ransom” is only a metaphor of our deliverance from slavery. For nearly a thousand years the Church was content with the most erroneous, and almost blasphemous notion that the ransom was paid by God to the devil , which led to still more grievous aberrations. Anselm who exploded this error substituted for it another —the hard forensic notion of indispensable satisfaction . Such terms, like those of “substitution,” “vicarious punishment,” “reconciliation of God to us” (for “of us to God”), have no sanction in Scripture, which only reveals what is necessary for man, and what man can understand, viz. that the love of God in Christ has provided for him a way of escape from ruin, and the forgiveness of sins. having obtained … for us ] The “for us” is rightly supplied; but the middle voice of the verb shews that Christ in His love to us also regarded the redemption as dear to Himself.

12. Neither—"Nor yet." by—"through"; as the means of His approach. goats … calves—not a bullock, such as the Levitical high priest offered for himself, and a goat for the people, on the day of atonement (Le 16:6, 15), year by year, whence the plural is used, goats … calves. Besides the goat offered for the people the blood of which was sprinkled before the mercy seat, the high priest led forth a second goat, namely, the scapegoat; over it he confessed the people's sins, putting them on the head of the goat, which was sent as the sin-bearer into the wilderness out of sight, implying that the atonement effected by the goat sin offering (of which the ceremony of the scapegoat is a part, and not distinct from the sin offering) consisted in the transfer of the people's sins on the goat, and their consequent removal out of sight. The translation of sins on the victim usual in other expiatory sacrifices being omitted in the case of the slain goat, but employed in the case of the goat sent away, proved the two goats were regarded as one offering [Archbishop Magee]. Christ's death is symbolized by the slain goat; His resurrection to life by the living goat sent away.

Modern Jews substitute in some places a cock for the goat as an expiation, the sins of the offerers being transferred to the entrails, and exposed on the housetop for the birds to carry out of sight, as the scapegoat did; the Hebrew for "man" and "cock" being similar, gebher [Buxtorf]. by—"through," as the means of His entrance; the key unlocking the heavenly Holy of Holies to Him. The Greek is forcible, "through THE blood of His own" (compare Heb 9:23). once—"once for all." having obtained—having thereby obtained; literally, "found for Himself," as a thing of insuperable difficulty to all save Divine Omnipotence, self-devoting zeal, and love, to find. The access of Christ to the Father was arduous (Heb 5:7). None before had trodden the path. eternal—The entrance of our Redeemer, once for all, into the heavenly holiest place, secures eternal redemption to us; whereas the Jewish high priest's entrance was repeated year by year, and the effect temporary and partial, "On redemption," compare Mt 20:28; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 1Ti 2:5; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 1:19.

From his office and sanctuary he proceeds to clear up his service. Neither by the blood of goats and calves; it was not about weak, typical, vanishing sacrifices, the blood of goats or young bulls, that he was concerned, as the Aaronical priests were, Leviticus 16:14,15 , opened before, Hebrews 9:7 ; and this annually on the expiatory day, Leviticus 16:29,34 ; which could not satisfy injured justice, nor expiate sin, nor purge nor quiet the conscience of the offender, Hebrews 10:1-5 . But by his own blood; but with his own pure, precious, and unspotted blood, 1 Peter 1:19 . Not a drop or few drops must go for it; then what dropped from his body in his agony, from his head pierced by thorns, from his back when whipped, from his hands and feet when nailed on the cross, might have done; but it must be his own life-blood, the blood of the Second Adam dying by it for the first, Romans 5:8-20 Philippians 2:6,8 . And as it is the blood of Adam, that it may have value enough and worth, it must be the blood of him who is God too, with his own blood, Acts 20:28 . This price surmounts all treasures, John 6:51 10:11,15 .