9:15 And so he is the mediator 3 of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, 4 since he died 5 to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. 9:16 For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. 6 9:17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. 9:18 So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. 7 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 9:20 and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.” 8 9:21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. 9:22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 9:23 So it was necessary for the sketches 9 of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, 10 but the heavenly things themselves required 11 better sacrifices than these. 9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation 12 of the true sanctuary 13 – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. 9:25 And he did not enter to offer 14 himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, 9:26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. 9:27 And just as people 15 are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 16 9:28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, 17 to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin 18 but to bring salvation. 19
1 tn Grk “for the purifying of the flesh.” The “flesh” here is symbolic of outward or ritual purity in contrast to inner purity, that of the conscience (cf. Heb 9:9).
2 tc The reading adopted by the translation is attested by many authorities (A D* K P 365 1739* al). But many others (א D2 0278 33 1739c 1881 Ï lat sa) read “your” instead of “our.” The diversity of evidence makes this a difficult case to decide from external evidence alone. The first and second person pronouns differ by only one letter in Greek, as in English, also making this problem difficult to decide based on internal evidence and transcriptional probability. In the context, the author’s description of sacrificial activities seems to invite the reader to compare his own possible participation in OT liturgy as over against the completed work of Christ, so the second person pronoun “your” might make more sense. On the other hand, TCGNT 599 argues that “our” is preferable because the author of Hebrews uses direct address (i.e., the second person) only in the hortatory sections. What is more, the author seems to prefer the first person in explanatory remarks or when giving the logical grounds for an assertion (cf. Heb 4:15; 7:14). It is hard to reach a definitive conclusion in this case, but the data lean slightly in favor of the first person pronoun.
3 tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesith", “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.
4 tn Grk “the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
5 tn Grk “a death having occurred.”
6 tn Grk “there is a necessity for the death of the one who made it to be proven.”
7 sn The Greek text reinforces this by negating the opposite (“not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood”), but this double negation is not used in contemporary English.
8 tn Grk “which God commanded for you (or in your case).”
9 tn Or “prototypes,” “outlines,” referring to the earthly sanctuary. See Heb 8:5 above for the prior use of this term.
10 tn Grk “with these”; in the translation the referent (sacrifices) has been specified for clarity.
11 tn Grk “the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
12 tn Or “prefiguration.”
13 tn The word “sanctuary” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.
14 tn Grk “and not that he might offer,” continuing the previous construction.
15 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
16 tn Grk “and after this – judgment.”
17 sn An allusion to Isa 53:12.
18 tn Grk “without sin,” but in context this does not refer to Christ’s sinlessness (as in Heb 4:15) but to the fact that sin is already dealt with by his first coming.
19 tn Grk “for salvation.” This may be construed with the verb “await” (those who wait for him to bring them salvation), but the connection with “appear” (as in the translation) is more likely.