Hebrewschapter 10
39 verses · unknown · AD 60 to 69 · The general letters
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
Introduction
unknown, The general letters, Hebrews Overview.
The writer of this sermon now brings his long teaching on the priesthood to its end and turns to his hearers directly. They had once suffered for their faith with joy, and now some were staying away from the gatherings of believers. He speaks to them with both tenderness and severity. Listen for the words let us, heard five times in four verses. Listen also for the word confidence, which opens the appeal and returns near its close. The chapter asks each hearer to keep holding on, and it shows them that the One they trust is worth it.
Context
- Who
- Believers who had lost property and watched friends jailed, and were tempted to stop meeting
- What
- The close of the letter's teaching on the sacrifice of Christ, followed by a call to draw near to God, a severe warning and a reminder of earlier endurance.
- Where
- Written to a community of Jewish believers, most likely in or near Rome, who had already endured a great conflict of suffering in their early days.
- When
- Most likely in the 60s AD, while the temple sacrifices went on and some years after the hearers' first sufferings for the faith.
- Why
- To keep believers from throwing away their confidence and their meetings, now that the one sacrifice of Christ had done what the old sacrifices never could.
Historical context
The temple sanctuary had no seats. Priests stood daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over, and the sermon points at the standing as the proof: unfinished work has no chair. Then it says this priest sat down.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
The losses the chapter recalls were legal as well as mob-driven. Property confiscation was a recognized Roman penalty, and Jewish believers in Rome had already lived through the emperor Claudius expelling Jews from the city around AD 49, which meant abandoned homes and businesses.
Being 'publicly exposed to insult and persecution' describes a real practice. Public shaming, parading, mocking in the theater, denunciation in the street, was a normal weapon against groups a city disliked, and it did the work that formal prosecution did not.
'Not neglecting to meet together' had a cost attached. Assembling in a private house with people of another loyalty could look like an illegal club to Roman eyes, and staying home was the safe, sensible, quietly fatal choice.
Significance
The hearers had already been brave once. The sermon reminds them of it, you joyfully accepted the seizure of your property, and asks them not to throw away the confidence that carried them then.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
Between the reminder and the encouragement sits the second severe warning: no sacrifice remains for those who go on sinning deliberately after receiving the truth. Coming right after the argument that the temple sacrifices could never take sins away, it means there is nothing to go back to.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
The Shadow Ends: A Body Prepared to Do God's Will
Hebrews 10:1-2
a shadow of the good things: The law is only a shadow of the good things to come, skia in Greek, set against eikon, the form of the things themselves. Its same sacrifices offered year after year could never make the worshipers perfect, and verse 2 asks whether they would have ceased.
Hebrews 10:1
“For the law having a shadow - That is, the whole of the Mosaic economy was a shadow; for so the word “Law” is often used. The word “shadow” here refers to a rough outline of anything, a mere sketch, such as a carpenter draws with a piece of chalk, or such as an artist delineates when he is about to make a picture. He sketches an outline of the object which he designs to draw, which has “some” resemblance to it, but is not the “very image;” for it is not yet complete.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Hebrews 10:1
“The "image" here means the archetype (compare Heb 9:24), the original, solid image [BENGEL] realizing to us those heavenly verities, of which the law furnished but a shadowy outline before. Compare 2Co 3:13, 14, 18; the Gospel is the very setting forth by the Word and Spirit of the heavenly realities themselves, out of which it (the Gospel) is constructed.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
would not the offerings have ceased?: Theophylact of Ohrid and Oecumenius both read the first clause as a question, the form the Berean keeps. Adam Clarke presses it on the single worshiper. If one offering had carried lasting merit, the man who brought it would never have needed to bring another.
Hebrews 10:2
“Would they not have ceased to be offered? - Had they made an effectual reconciliation for the sins of the world, and contained in their once offering a plenitude of permanent merit, they would have ceased to be offered, at least in reference to any individual who had once offered them; because, in such a case, his conscience would be satisfied that its guilt had been taken away.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:2
“For--if the law could, by its sacrifices, have perfected the worshippers. they--the sacrifices. once purged--IF they were once for all cleansed (Heb 7:27). conscience--"consciousness of sin" (Heb 9:9).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:3-4
an annual reminder of sins: The yearly sacrifices were an annual reminder of sins, anamnesis in Greek, so each Day of Atonement recalled guilt again. Verse 4 gives the reason, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, and the adunaton names that impossibility.
Hebrews 10:3
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year - The reference here is to the sacrifices made on the great day of atonement. This occurred once in a year. Of course as often as a sacrifice was offered, it was an acknowledgment of guilt on the part of those for whom it was made. As these sacrifices continued to be offered every year, they who made the offering were reminded of their guilt and their desert of punishment.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:3
“The Gospel remission, on the contrary, is so complete, that sins are "remembered no more" (Heb 10:17) by God. It is unbelief to "forget" this once-for-all purgation, and to fear on account of "former sins" (2Pe 1:9). The believer, once for all bathed, needs only to "wash" his hands and "feet" of soils, according as he daily contracts them, in Christ's blood (Joh 13:10).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the blood of bulls and goats: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown grant these sacrifices a real power in type, borrowed from the one sacrifice of Christ they pictured. They displayed the need for atonement. Theophylact of Ohrid compares them to a physician offering a common herb to a leper.
Hebrews 10:4
“For it is not possible - Common sense must have taught them that shedding the blood of bulls and goats could never satisfy Divine justice, nor take away guilt from the conscience; and God intended that they should understand the matter so: and this the following quotation from the Psalmist sufficiently proves.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Hebrews 10:5-7
a body You prepared for Me: The writer places Psalm 40:6 to 8 in the mouth of Christ. He follows the Greek Septuagint, a body You prepared for Me, where the Hebrew speaks of ears opened. The body serves the argument, since verse 10 grounds sanctification in its sacrifice.
Hebrews 10:5
“When he cometh into the world - In the fortieth Psalm the Messiah's coming into the world is represented. It is said, into the world, not into the tabernacle, chap. ix, 1; because all the world is interested in his sacrifice.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Cross references
Hebrews 10:5
- QuotingPsalms 40:6“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.”
'Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me'
ConnectionsPsalms 40:6
burnt offerings and sin offerings: The Greek word behind burnt offerings means whole burnt offerings. Theophylact of Ohrid names the kinds behind the other term, the offering for sin at Leviticus 4:3 and for trespass at Leviticus 6:5. The psalm says of them all, You took no delight.
Hebrews 10:6
“Thou hast had no pleasure - Thou couldst never be pleased with the victims under the law; thou couldst never consider them as atonements for sin; as they could never satisfy thy justice, nor make thy law honorable.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
it is written about Me in the scroll: John Wesley takes the scroll as this very psalm. Matthew Henry reaches back to the beginning of the book of God, the promise of the woman's seed at Genesis 3:15. Albert Barnes finds no event in David's life that these words fit, so he reads the Messiah as the speaker.
Hebrews 10:7
“Then said I - “I the Messiah.” Paul applies this directly to Christ, showing that he regarded the passage in the Psalms as referring to him as the speaker. Lo, I come - Come into the world; Heb 10:5. It is not easy to see how this could be applied to David in any circumstance of his life. There was no situation in which he could say that, since sacrifices and offerings were not what was demanded, he came to do the will of God in the place or stead of them.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:7
“It was written of Christ, in the beginning of the book of God, that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head; and the Old Testament abounds with prophecies concerning Christ. Now since he is the person so often promised, so much spoken of, so long expected by the people of God, he ought to be received with great honour and gratitude.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Hebrews 10:8-9
offered according to the law): The writer reads the two halves of Psalm 40 as two moments. Sacrifices offered according to the law come first, then I have come to do Your will. So He takes away the first to establish the second.
Hebrews 10:8
“Above when he said - That is, the Messiah. The word “above” refers here to the former part of the quotation. That is, “having in the former part of what was quoted said that God did not require sacrifices, in the latter part he says that he came to do the will of God in the place of them.” Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings ... - These words are not all used in the Psalm from which the apostle quotes, but the idea is, that the specification there included all kinds of offerings.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:8
“Sacrifice, &c.--The oldest manuscripts read, "Sacrifices and offerings" (plural). This verse combines the two clauses previously quoted distinctly, Heb 10:5, 6, in contrast to the sacrifice of Christ with which God was well pleased.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
He takes away the first: Verse 9 repeats one line of the psalm, Here I am, I have come to do Your will, and concludes He takes away the first. The first is the sacrifices of the law, and the second is the will of God done by the Son.
Hebrews 10:9
“Then said he - In another part of the passage quoted. When he had said that no offering which man could make would avail, then he said that he would come himself. He taketh away the first - The word “first” here refers to sacrifices and offerings. He takes them away; that is, he shows that they are of no value in removing sin. He states their inefficacy, and declares his purpose to abolish them. That he may establish the second - To wit, the doing of the will of God.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:9
“Then said he - in that very instant he subjoined. Lo, I come to do Thy will - To offer a more acceptable sacrifice; and by this very act he taketh away the legal, that he may establish the evangelical, dispensation.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
through the sacrifice of the body: The will just quoted is the ground, by that will, we have been sanctified. Once for all translates ephapax, one Greek word set against every repeated sacrifice. Sanctified is a Greek perfect, a finished act with a lasting result.
Hebrews 10:10
“By the which will we are sanctified - Closing in with this so solemnly declared Will of God, that there is no name given under heaven among men, by which we can be saved, but Jesus the Christ, we believe in him, find redemption in his blood, and are sanctified unto God through the sacrificial offering of his body.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:10
“The whole work of redemption flows from "the will" of God the Father, as the First Cause, who decreed redemption from before the foundation of the world. The "will" here (boulema) is His absolute sovereign will. His "good will" (eudokia) is a particular aspect of it. are sanctified--once for all, and as our permanent state (so the Greek).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
One Offering, and Then He Sat Down
Hebrews 10:11-12
every priest stands to minister: Day after day every priest stands to minister, offering sacrifices which can never take away sins. This Priest sat down at the right hand of God, the words of Psalm 110. The sanctuary held no seat for a priest, so the sitting marks finished work.
Hebrews 10:11
“And every priest standeth daily ministering - That is, this is done every day. It does not mean literally that every priest was daily concerned in offering sacrifices, for they took turns according to their courses, (notes on Luk 1:5), but that this was done each day, and that every priest was to take his regular place in doing it; Num 28:3. The object of the apostle is to prove that under the Jewish economy sacrifices were repeated constantly, showing their imperfection, but that under the Christian economy the great sacrifice had been offered once, which was sufficient for all.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:11
“And every priest standeth daily ministering,.... The Alexandrian copy, one of Stephens's, the Complutensian edition, the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, read, "every high priest"; who might minister daily, if he would; but since the daily sacrifice was generally offered by the common priests, these are rather designed.”
offered for all time one sacrifice: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown join for all time to the one sacrifice, whose power lasts without end. Bengel, cited by the same commentary, says no other offering will ever take its place. John Wesley says He sat down as a Son, in majesty.
Hebrews 10:12
“But this man - The Lord Jesus. The word “man” is not in the original here. The Greek is literally “but this;” to wit, this priest. The apostle does not state here whether he was a man, or a being of a higher order. He merely mentions him as a priest in contradistinction from the Jewish priests. After he had offered one sacrifice for sins - By dying on the cross. This he did but once; this could not be repeated; and need not be repeated, for it was sufficient for the sins of the world.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:12
"The offering of Christ, once for all made, will continue the one and only oblation for ever; no other will supersede it" [BENGEL]. The mass, which professes to be the frequent repetition of one and the same sacrifice of Christ's body, is hence disproved. For not only is Christ's body one, but also His offering is one, and that inseparable from His suffering (Heb 9:26).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:13-14
He waits for His enemies: The seated Priest waits for His enemies to be made a footstool, finishing the words of Psalm 110. Verse 14 gives the reason, by a single offering He has made perfect for all time. Made perfect is a Greek perfect, a completed act with a standing result.
Hebrews 10:13
“From henceforth expecting - Or waiting. He waits there until this shall be accomplished according to the promise made to him that all things shall be subdued under him; see the notes on 1Co 15:25-27. Till his enemies - There is an allusion here to Psa 110:1, where it is said, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” The enemies of the Redeemer are Satan, the wicked of the earth, and all the evil passions of the heart.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:13
“So Christ's total and absolute conquest at His coming is symbolized. be made his footstool--literally, "be placed (rendered) footstool of His feet." his enemies--Satan and Death, whose strength consists in "sin"; this being taken away (Heb 10:12), the power of the foes is taken away, and their destruction necessarily follows.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
those who are being sanctified: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown hold both tenses together. The believer's consecration to God is complete in Christ once for all, and its working out in life goes on by degrees. Matthew Henry names what is finished, deliverance from the guilt, power and punishment of sin.
Hebrews 10:14
“For by one offering - His death upon the cross. He hath perfected for ever - He has procured remission of sins and holiness; fur it is well observed here, and in several parts of this epistle, that τελειοω, to make perfect, is the same as αφεσιν ἁμαρτιων ποιεω, to procure remission of sins. Them that are sanctified - Τους ἁγιαζομενους· Them that have received the sprinkling of the blood of this offering. These, therefore, receiving redemption through that blood, have no need of any other offering; as this was a complete atonement, purification, and title to eternal glory.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:14
“For--The sacrifice being "for ever" in its efficacy (Heb 10:12) needs no renewal. them that are sanctified--rather as Greek, "them that are being sanctified." The sanctification (consecration to God) of the elect (1Pe 1:2) believers is perfect in Christ once for all (see on Heb 10:10).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:15-18
The Holy Spirit also testifies: through Jeremiah 31, quoted a second time in the letter and cut to two promises. Verse 18 draws the conclusion, where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.
Hebrews 10:15
“Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us - That is, the Holy Spirit is a proof of the truth of the position here laid down - that the one atonement made by the Redeemer lays the foundation for the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified. The witness of the Holy Spirit here referred to is what is furnished in the Scriptures, and not any witness in ourselves. Paul immediately makes his appeal to a passage of the Old Testament, and he thus shows his firm conviction that the Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:15
“He had proved this before by a quotation from Jeremiah; which he here repeats, describing the new covenant as now completely ratified, and all the blessings of it secured to us by the one offering of Christ, which renders all other expiatory sacrifices, and any repetition of his own, utterly needless.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Hebrews 10:15
“The Greek, has "moreover," or "now." is a witness--of the truth which I am setting forth. The Father's witness is given Heb 5:10. Now is added that of the Holy Spirit, called accordingly "the Spirit of grace," Heb 10:29.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
I will put My laws in their hearts: Matthew Henry reads this promise as the gift of the Spirit, who gives God's people wisdom, will and power to obey His word. Duty becomes plain, easy and pleasant. Adam Clarke takes the citation as proof that Jeremiah spoke by the inspiration of the Spirit of God.
Cross references
Hebrews 10:16
- QuotingJeremiah 31:33“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
'I will put my laws into their hearts' (new-covenant reprise, 'the Holy Ghost is a witness')
ConnectionsHebrews 8:8, Jeremiah 31:33
John Gill notes that the same words serve a different purpose here than at Hebrews 8:12. Here the point is remission of sin. Matthew Henry adds that no sin will be remembered against a true believer, either to shame him now or to condemn him later.
Hebrews 10:17
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. See Gill on Heb 8:10. The words are cited to a different purpose here than there; the principal thing for which they are cited here, is to observe God's promise of non-remembrance of sin; which is no other than remission of sin, and which is not consistent with legal sacrifices, in which there is a remembrance of sin every year, Heb 10:3 and consequently, since this new covenant has taken place, legal sacrifices must be abolished, as the apostle argues in the next verse.”
an offering for sin is no longer needed: This verse closes the letter's central teaching, which runs from Hebrews 7:1 in three parts and presents Christ as the High Priest like Melchizedek. It ends on the result, an offering for sin is no longer needed. From verse 19 the letter turns from doctrine to its use.
Hebrews 10:18
“Now where remission of these is - In any case, where sin is once pardoned, there is no farther need of a sin-offering; but every believer on Christ has his sin blotted out, and therefore needs no other offering for that sin. “If,” says Dr.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Draw Near, Hold Fast, Stir One Another Up
Hebrews 10:19-21
enter the Most Holy Place: Verse 19 turns the argument into an invitation, confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. Confidence is parrhesia, a right the high priest once held alone. Verse 20 names the way, through the curtain of His body.
Hebrews 10:19
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom’Matthew 27:50-51. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which be hath consecrated for us, through the, veil, that is to say, his flesh’Hebrews 10:19-20.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:19
“Taking a hint from what has been said by Paul, who partially uncovered the mystery of these things, we say that Moses was earlier instructed by a type in the mystery of the tabernacle that encompasses the universe. This tabernacle would be "Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God," who in his own nature was not made with hands, yet capable of being made when it became necessary for this tabernacle to be erected among us.”
Gregory of Nyssa · written before 395 · Life of Moses 2.174patristic
Hebrews 10:19
“Compare Eph 3:12, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence." It is His having once for all entered as our Forerunner (Heb 6:20) and High Priest (Heb 10:21), making atonement for us with His blood, which is continually there (Heb 12:24) before God, that gives us confident access. No priestly caste now mediates between the sinner and his Judge.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the new and living way: The verb behind opened for us is the one used at Hebrews 9:18 for the dedication of the first covenant, so the way was inaugurated. The Greek word for new means recent. The way runs through the curtain of His body.
Hebrews 10:20
“By a living way - The way of faith, whereby we live indeed. Which he hath consecrated - Prepared, dedicated, and established for us. Through the veil, that is, his flesh - As by rending the veil in the temple, the holy of holies became visible and accessible; so by wounding the body of Christ, the God of heaven was manifested, and the way to heaven opened.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:20
“By a new and living way - It is a new way; no human being had ever before entered into the heaven of heavens; Jesus in human nature was the first, and thus he has opened the way to heaven to mankind, his own resurrection and ascension to glory being the proof and pledge of ours. The way is called ὁδον προσφατον και ζωσαν, new or fresh, and living. This is evidently an allusion to the blood of the victim newly shed, uncoagulated, and consequently proper to be used for sprinkling.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Hebrews 10:20
“It is a way that Christ has consecrated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh. The veil in the tabernacle and temple signified the body of Christ; when he died, the veil of the temple was rent in sunder, and this was at the time of the evening sacrifice, and gave the people a surprising view into the holy of holies, which they never had before.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
ConnectionsExodus 26:31
a great priest over the house of God: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the letter uses archiereus, high priest, everywhere else, and here says great priest. They read a royal Priest here, as at Zechariah 6:13. Theophylact of Ohrid takes the house as the believers, as at Hebrews 3:6, or else as heaven.
Hebrews 10:21
“And having an high priest over the house of God. The church of God, over which Christ is as prophet, priest, and King, and as the Son and owner of it; See Gill on Heb 3:6; See Gill on Heb 4:14. In the Greek text it is, "a great priest"; so the Messiah is called by the Targum on Zec 6:12 כהן רב, "a great priest", as he is; even a great high priest, as in Heb 4:14, and greater than Aaron, and any of his sons.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:21
“And having an High Priest over the house of God - Over the spiritual house of God; that is, the church; compare the notes on Heb 3:1-6. Under the Jewish dispensation there was a great high priest, and the same is true under the Christian dispensation. This the apostle had shown at length in the previous part of the Epistle.”
Hebrews 10:22-25
draw near with a sincere heart: Three exhortations turn doctrine into duty, let us draw near, Let us hold resolutely and let us consider one another. The sprinkled hearts and bodies washed with pure water recall the priests' consecration at Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8.
Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near - To God. With a true heart - In godly sincerity. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience - So as to condemn us no longer And our bodies washed with pure water - All our conversation spotless and holy, which is far more acceptable to God than all the legal sprinklings and washings.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:22
“On the "pure water," the symbol of consecration and sanctification, compare Joh 19:34; The perfects "having . . . hearts sprinkled . . . body (the Greek is singular) washed," imply a continuing state produced by a once-for-all accomplished act, namely, our justification by faith through Christ's blood, and consecration to God, sealed sacramentally by the baptism of our body.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near - Let us come with the blood of our sacrifice to the throne of God: the expression is sacrificial. With a true heart - Deeply convinced of our need of help, and truly in earnest to obtain it. In full assurance of faith - Being fully persuaded that God will accept us for the sake of his Son, and that the sacrificial death of Christ gives us full authority to expect every blessing we need.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the hope we profess: John Wesley takes the hope professed as the confession made at baptism. Albert Barnes calls steadfastness one of the chief aims of the whole letter, written to readers under persecution. Theophylact of Ohrid names that hope as rising to heaven.
Hebrews 10:23
“Those who begin to waver in matters of Christian faith and practice are in danger of falling away. (3.) The motive or reason enforcing this duty: He is faithful that hath promised. God has made great and precious promises to believers, and he is a faithful God, true to his word; there is no falseness nor fickleness with him, and there should be none with us.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering - To secure this was one of the leading designs of this Epistle, and hence, the apostle adverts to it so frequently. It is evident that those whom he wrote were suffering persecution Heb. 12, and that there was great danger that they would apostatize.”
Hebrews 10:23
THE Apostle is drawing certain inferences from the Covenant of Grace upon which he has been enlarging. He shows that God has made a Covenant with His people by which they are effectually preserved. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put My Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
spur one another on: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown trace the order of these verses, faith in verse 22, hope in verse 23 and love here. Adam Clarke reads consider as close attention to one another's trials, difficulties and weaknesses. Such care bears fruit in good works.
Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider one another - Κατανοωμεν· Let us diligently and attentively consider each other’s trials, difficulties, and weaknesses; feel for each other, and excite each other to an increase of love to God and man; and, as the proof of it, to be fruitful in good works. The words εις παροξυσμον, to the provocation, are often taken in a good sense, and signify excitement, stirring up, to do any thing laudable, useful, honorable, or necessary.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:24
“There is, too, that will of God which the Lord accomplished in preaching, in working, in enduring: for if He Himself proclaimed that He did not His own, but the Father's will, without doubt those things which He used to do were the Father's will; unto which things, as unto exemplars, we are now provoked; to preach, to work, to endure even unto death.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Prayerpatristic
Hebrews 10:24
“Here, as elsewhere, hope and love follow faith; the Pauline triad of Christian graces. consider--with the mind attentively fixed on "one another" (see on Heb 3:1), contemplating with continual consideration the characters and wants of our brethren, so as to render mutual help and counsel.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
meeting together: The word for meeting together, episunagoge, appears elsewhere in the New Testament only at 2 Thessalonians 2:1, of the gathering to Christ at His coming. The verse ties the meeting to the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,.... Or the episynagogue of one another; which word is used to distinguish Christian assemblies from Jewish synagogues, and to denote the coalition of Jews and Gentiles in one church state, and to express the saints' gathering together to Christ; see 2Th 2:1 and their act of meeting together in some one place to attend his worship, word, and ordinances. Now to "forsake" such assembling, signifies a great infrequency in attending with the saints, a rambling from place to place, and takes in an entire apostasy.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together - That is, for purposes of public worship. Some expositors have understood the word rendered here as “assembling” - ἐπισυναγωγὴν episunagōgēn - as meaning “the society of Christians,” or the church; and they have supposed that the object of the apostle here is, to exhort them. not to apostatize from the church. The arguments for this opinion may be seen at length in Kuinoel, in loc.”
Hebrews 10:25
“Not forsaking the assembling ourselves - In public or private worship. As the manner of some is - Either through fear of persecution, or from a vain imagination that they were above external ordinances. But exhorting one another - To faith, love, and good works.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
No Sacrifice Left for Willful Sin
Hebrews 10:26-27
no further sacrifice for sins remains: The fourth warning concerns sinning deliberately after the knowledge of the truth, for which no further sacrifice for sins remains. What remains is a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire, language drawn from Isaiah 26:11.
Hebrews 10:26
“For if we sin wilfully - If we deliberately, for fear of persecution or from any other motive, renounce the profession of the Gospel and the Author of that Gospel, after having received the knowledge of the truth so as to be convinced that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and that he had sprinkled our hearts from an evil conscience; for such there remaineth no sacrifice for sins; for as the Jewish sacrifices are abolished, as appears by the declaration of God himself in the fortieth Psalm, and Jesus being now the only sacrifice which God will accept, those who…”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:26
“This is the great transgression: the apostle seems to refer to the law concerning presumptuous sinners, Num. xv. From the dreadful doom of such apostates. (1.) There remains no more sacrifice for such sins, no other Christ to come to save such sinners; they sin against the last resort and remedy.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Hebrews 10:26
“There the warning was that if there be not diligence in progressing, a falling off will take place, and apostasy may ensue: here it is, that if there be lukewarmness in Christian communion, apostasy may ensue. if we sin--Greek present participle: if we be found sinning, that is, not isolated acts, but a state of sin [ALFORD].”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
a fearful expectation of judgment: Albert Barnes notes that the Greek reads simply a fearful expectation, as Tyndale rendered it. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown find the vagueness itself terrible, a dread of a kind beyond description. Theophylact of Ohrid pictures the fire as a roused beast.
Hebrews 10:27
“But a certain fearful looking for of judgment - The word “certain” here does not mean “fixed, sure, inevitable,” as our translation would seem to imply. The Greek is the same as “a (τις tis) fearful expectation,” etc. So it is rendered by Tyndale. The idea is, that if there was voluntary apostasy after having embraced the Christian religion, there could be nothing but an expectation of the judgment to come. There could be no other hope but that through the gospel, and as this would have been renounced, it would follow that the soul must perish.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:27
“But a certain fearful looking for of judgment,.... Either of some outward visible judgment in this life, which sometimes falls on such persons; or of the particular judgment which immediately follows after death; or of the universal judgment, after the resurrection, and the dreadful sentence of condemnation which will then pass, and be immediately executed; and which will be done by Christ, and according to truth, and in strict justice; it is certain, and there will be no escaping it, for it will be general.”
Hebrews 10:28-29
died without mercy on the testimony: Rejecting the law of Moses brought death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses under Deuteronomy 17:6. The greater case has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant and insulted the Spirit of grace. Each verb names contempt for one divine person.
Hebrews 10:28
“He that despised Moses’ law - Αθετησας· He that rejected it, threw it aside, and denied its Divine authority by presumptuous sinning, died without mercy - without any extenuation or mitigation of punishment; Num 15:30. Under two or three witnesses - That is, when convicted by the testimony of two or three respectable witnesses. See Deu 17:6.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:28
“According to the law, "the adulterer and the adulteress were put to death." They could not say, "We seek repentance and we pray for mercy." There was no place for tears, and no opportunity was granted for any correction, but in every way it was necessary for those who had contravened the law to be punished. This was observed in certain individual offenses for which the death penalty was ascribed. But among Christians, if adultery has been committed, the precept is not that "the adulterer and adulteress" be punished by the destruction of the body.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on Leviticus 11.2patristic
Hebrews 10:28
“He that despised Moses' law,.... By breaking it wilfully, and presumptuously, for which there was no sacrifice; meaning the law which Moses was the minister of not the author; and it respects the whole body of laws given by him, from God; and is instanced in for the sake of the comparison between him and Christ, and between the law and the Gospel, and for the illustration of the case in hand.”
trampled on the Son of God: The Greek word behind punished means vengeance. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown add to trample the Son is to trample God Himself, who gave Him the glory of High Priest at Hebrews 5:5. John Wesley sets the Son here as a lawgiver far greater than Moses.
Hebrews 10:29
“So he treads under foot God Himself who "glorified His Son as an high priest" (Heb 5:5; 6:6). an unholy thing--literally, "common," as opposed to "sanctified." No better than the blood of a common man, thus involving the consequence that Christ, in claiming to be God, was guilty of blasphemy, and so deserved to die! wherewith he was sanctified--for Christ died even for him.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:29
“Hath, as it were, trodden underfoot the Son of God - A lawgiver far more honourable than Moses. And counted the blood wherewith the better covenant was established, an unholy, a common, worthless thing. By which he hath been sanctified - Therefore Christ died for him also, and he was at least justified once.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Hebrews 10:29
“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy - That is, he who renounces Christianity ought to be regarded as deserving a much severer punishment than the man who apostatized from the Jewish religion, and if he ought to be so regarded he will be - for God will treat every man as he ought to be treated.”
Hebrews 10:30-31
The Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:35 to 36, grounds the warning in God's own words. The second citation, The Lord will judge His people, applies to the covenant people. Verse 31 sums it up, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:30
“He who counselled that an injury should be forgotten, was still more likely to counsel the patient endurance of it. But then, when He said, "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay," He thereby teaches that patience calmly waits for the infliction of vengeance.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book IVpatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:30
“Vengeance belongeth unto me--Greek, "To Me belongeth vengeance": exactly according with Paul's quotation, Ro 12:19, of the same text. Lord shall judge his people--in grace, or else anger, according as each deserves: here, "judge," so as to punish the reprobate apostate; there, "judge," so as to interpose in behalf of, and save His people (De 32:36).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:30
“Vengeance belongeth unto me - This is the saying of God, Deu 32:35, in reference to the idolatrous Gentiles, who were the enemies of his people; and is here with propriety applied to the above apostates, who, being enemies to God’s ordinances, and Christ’s ministry and merits, must also be enemies to Christ’s people; and labor for the destruction of them, and the cause in which they are engaged.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Cross references
Hebrews 10:30
- QuotingDeuteronomy 32:35Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
'Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense'
the hands of the living God: Albert Barnes hears an echo of David, who chose the Lord's hands over men's after he numbered the people. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown explain the difference. A child trusting his Father's love falls there safely, and a presumptuous sinner falls there before his Judge.
Hebrews 10:31
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God - There may be an allusion here to the request of David to “fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of men,” when it was submitted to him for the sin of numbering the people, whether he would choose seven years of famine, or flee three months before his enemies, or have three days of pestilence; 2 Sam. 24. He preferred “to fall into the hands of the Lord,” and God smote seventy thousand men by the pestilence.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:31
“This they shall have at God's hand, they shall lie down in sorrow; their destruction shall come from his glorious powerful presence; when they make their woeful bed in hell, they will find that God is there, and his presence will be their greatest terror and torment. And he is a living God; he lives for ever, and will punish for ever.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Remember the Former Days; Do Not Shrink Back
Hebrews 10:32-34
Remember the early days: The warning turns at once to past grace, Remember the early days. The readers had been publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution and had lost property with joy. They knew they held a better and permanent possession.
Hebrews 10:32
“Here observe, A natural state is a dark state, and those who continue in that state meet with no disturbance from Satan and the world; but a state of grace is a state of light, and therefore the powers of darkness will violently oppose it. Those who will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:32
“But call to remembrance - It appears from this, and indeed from some parts of the Gospel history, that the first believers in Judea were greatly persecuted; our Lord’s crucifixion, Stephen’s martyrdom, the persecution that arose after the death of Stephen, Act 8:1, Herod’s persecution, Act 12:1, in which James was killed, and the various persecutions of St. Paul, sufficiently show that this disposition was predominant among that bad people. A great fight of afflictions - Πολλην αθλησιν παθηματων· A great combat or contention of sufferings.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Hebrews 10:32
“In spiritual baptism, Christ, who is "the Light," is put on. "On the one hand, we are not to sever the sign and the grace signified where the sacrifice truly answers its designs; on the other, the glass is not to be mistaken for the liquor, nor the sheath for the sword" [BENGEL]. fight of--that is, consisting of afflictions.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution: Albert Barnes notes that the Greek word, theatrizomenoi, means made a spectacle as in a theater. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown add that the theater often served as a place of punishment before the crowd, as at Acts 19:29. These trials came soon after the readers first believed.
Hebrews 10:33
“Partly - That is, your affliction consisted partly in this. The Greek is, “this” - specifying one kind of affliction that they were called to endure. Whilst ye were made a gazing-stock - Greek θεατριζόμενοι theatrizomenoi - you were made a public spectacle, as if in a theater; you were held up to public view, or exposed to public scorn. When this was done, or in precisely what manner, we are not told.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:33
“Partly whilst ye were made a gazing stock,.... Brought upon the stage or theatre, and made a spectacle to the world, angels, and men, 1Co 4:9 both by reproaches and afflictions; suffering both in their characters and reputations, and in their persons and substance: and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used; they maintained their communion with them, relieved them in distress, and sympathized with them.”
Hebrews 10:33
“The persecutions here referred to seem to have been endured by the Hebrew Christians at their first conversion, not only in Palestine, but also in Rome and elsewhere, the Jews in every city inciting the populace and the Roman authorities against Christians. gazing-stock--as in a theater (so the Greek): often used as the place of punishment in the presence of the assembled multitudes.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
a better and permanent possession: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the oldest manuscripts read those in prison, where other copies speak of the writer's own bonds. Matthew Henry calls the better possession an enduring substance. Enemies could plunder earthly goods and never reach it.
Hebrews 10:34
“For ye had compassion of me in my bonds,.... When he was bound at Jerusalem, by the chief captain Lysias, with two chains, Act 21:33 or when he was in bonds elsewhere; which they did by sympathizing with him in their hearts; by their prayers for him, and in their letters to him; and by sending presents to him for his relief and support.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:34
“Ye had compassion of me in my bonds - Συνεπαθησατε· Ye suffered with me, ye sympathized with me, when bound for the testimony of Jesus. This probably refers to the sympathy they showed towards him, and the help they afforded him, during his long imprisonment in Caesarea and Jerusalem. But instead of τοις δεσμοις μου, my bonds, τοις δεσμιοις, the prisoners, is the reading of AD, and several others, both the Syriac, the Arabic of Erpen, the Coptic, Armenian, Vulgate, some of the Itala, and several of the Greek fathers.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Hebrews 10:34
“All things here are but shadows. [2.] It is a better substance than any thing they can have or lose here. [3.] It is an enduring substance, it will out-live time and run parallel with eternity; they can never spend it; their enemies can never take it from them, as they did their earthly goods. [4.] This will make a rich amends for all they can lose and suffer here.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Hebrews 10:35-39
do not throw away your confidence: The chapter gathers into one command, do not throw away your confidence, the parrhesia of verse 19. Habakkuk 2:3 to 4 is quoted, My righteous one will live by faith. The chapter ends on assurance, counting the readers of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Hebrews 10:35
“Cast not away therefore your confidence - Greek “your boldness;” referring to their confident hope in God. They were not to cast this away, and to become timid, disheartened, and discouraged. They were to bear up manfully under all their trials, and to maintain a steadfast adherence to God and to his cause. The command is not to “cast this away.” Nothing could take it from them if they trusted in God, and it could be lost only by their own neglect or imprudence.”
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:35
“THE early Christians had to suffer for their faith. They were exposed to great ridicule and enmity. They were, indeed, the byword, the laughingstock and the derision of all mankind. There are still to be seen in Rome, in the praetorian guardroom, caricatures of Christians and of their Lord. I dare not mention what they are, but they are so insulting to everything which we hold dear, that they remain as lasting evidence that Christians were counted as the offscouring of all things for the sake of Jesus, their crucified Savior. Nor did it end in ridicule.”
Hebrews 10:35
“Consequent exhortation to confidence and endurance, as Christ is soon coming. Cast not away--implying that they now have "confidence," and that it will not withdraw of itself, unless they "cast it away" wilfully (compare Heb 3:14). which--Greek, "the which": inasmuch as being such as. hath--present tense: it is as certain as if you had it in your hand (Heb 10:37).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
You need to persevere: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown render the Greek as waiting endurance, the same root the Septuagint uses at Habakkuk 2:3, the prophecy quoted next. Most of the saints' happiness lies in promise, says Matthew Henry. Adam Clarke adds that God supplies the grace and the believer exercises it.
Hebrews 10:36
“Observe, The greatest part of the saints' happiness is in promise. They must first do the will of God before they receive the promise; and, after they have done the will of God, they have need of patience to wait for the time when the promise shall be fulfilled; they have need of patience to live till God calls them away.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:36
“Ye have need of patience - Having so great a fight of sufferings to pass through, and they of so long continuance. God furnishes the grace; you must exercise it. The grace or principle of patience comes from God; the use and exercise of that grace is of yourselves. Here ye must be workers together with God. Patience and perseverance are nearly the same. Have done the will of God - By keeping the faith, and patiently suffering for it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
He who is coming will come: Oecumenius notes that the Greek doubles its word for little, a very little while. Albert Barnes hears Christ's promise of John 16:16 here. John Wesley names the purpose of the coming, to repay each person for what he has done.
Hebrews 10:37
And here it is clearly foretold that that one will come whom prophecy says will come. Who could this be but he who is referred to in the words, "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord, the Lord God also has shone upon us"? With which also Zechariah agrees, when he says, "Behold a man, the Dawn is his name, and he shall rise from below." The same prophet too, noting the time, adds, "At eventide it shall be light. If he delays, wait for him."
Eusebius of Caesarea · written before 339 · Proof of the Gospel 6.14patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:37
“He will soon come to judgment, and put an end to the sufferings of the whole church (all his mystical body), and give them an ample and glorious reward in the most public manner. There is an appointed time for both, and beyond that time he will not tarry, Hab. ii. The Christian's present conflict may be sharp, but it will be soon over.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Cross references
Hebrews 10:37
- QuotingHabakkuk 2:3“For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.”
'He that shall come will come... the just shall live by faith'
My righteous one will live by faith: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the oldest manuscripts join the pronoun to the righteous one, with God as the speaker. They set the stress here on continuing in faith. Adam Clarke points to Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, where Habakkuk 2:4 is cited in the same sense.
Hebrews 10:38
“SEE here the germ of the Christian's life! See, too, how it blooms, blossoms and bears! But observe it is not said the just shall live for his faith, or because of the merit of his believing in God. This were to place the Christian virtually under the Old Covenant of Law. To confuse faith with works would be, indeed, to bring us back to the old bondage of the first dispensation.”
1 more voice on this verse
Hebrews 10:38
“Now the just shall live by faith - Ὁ δε δικαιος εκ πιστεως ζησεται· But the just by faith, i.e. he who is justified by faith, shall live - shall be preserved when this overflowing scourge shall come. See this meaning of the phrase vindicated, Rom 1:17. And it is evident, both from this text, and Gal 3:11, that it is in this sense that the apostle uses it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
preserve their souls: The Greek reads the acquiring of the soul. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that a related verb describes Christ obtaining the church with His own blood at Acts 20:28. Albert Barnes reads the verse as the writer's full confidence that none of his readers would fall away.
Hebrews 10:39
“If we live by faith, and die in faith, our souls will be safe for ever.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
Hebrews 10:39
“A Pauline elegant turning-off from denunciatory warnings to charitable hopes of his readers (Ro 8:12). saving of the soul--literally, "acquisition (or obtaining) of the soul." The kindred Greek verb is applied to Christ's acquiring the Church as the purchase of His blood (Ac 20:28). If we acquire or obtain our soul's salvation, it is through Him who has obtained it for us by His bloodshedding.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hebrews 10:39
“But we are not of them ... - We who are true Christians do not belong to such a class. In this the apostle expresses the fullest conviction that none of those to whom he wrote would apostatize. The case which he had been describing was only a supposable case, not one which he believed would occur. He had only been stating what “must” happen if a sincere Christian should apostatize. But he did not mean to say that this “would” occur in regard to them. or in any case.”
How this psalm is built
The form: The whole Levitical priesthood and sacrifice laid low, the priesthood of Christ raised very high, and believers shown the honours and dignities of their state and called to suitable duties, as Henry classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The psalm put in Christ's mouth | Verses 5 to 7 give Christ words from Psalm 40, which Matthew Henry cites at verses 6 and 7 of the psalm. Verses 8 to 10 explain them. The psalm sets offerings God did not desire against a body prepared and a will to be done, and the writer concludes that He takes away the first to establish the second.Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, on Hebrews 10:5 to 7. | Hebrews 10:5, Hebrews 10:7, Hebrews 10:9, Hebrews 10:10 |
| Standing set against sitting | Verse 11 shows every priest standing day after day to offer the same sacrifices, and verse 12 shows this Priest seated at the right hand of God after one sacrifice. John Chrysostom reads standing as the sign of one who serves and sitting as the sign of one who is served. Verse 13 takes its footstool from Psalm 110:1, which Matthew Henry names.John Chrysostom, Homilies on Hebrews 18, on Hebrews 10:11 to 12. | Hebrews 10:11, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 10:13 |
| Let us, five times | Verses 22 to 25 repeat the words let us five times: let us draw near, let us hold resolutely, let us consider, let us not neglect meeting together, and let us encourage one another. Thomas Aquinas reads the calls as holding to Christ by faith, by hope and by charity. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown find the same order of faith, hope and love.Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews, on Hebrews 10:22, section 504. | Hebrews 10:22, Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 10:24, Hebrews 10:25 |
| The warning argued from the lesser | Verses 28 and 29 argue that if anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy, one who has trampled on the Son of God deserves a more severe punishment. Verse 30 then cites God's own words, which John Wesley traces to Deuteronomy 32:35. Thomas Aquinas names the form, an argument from the lesser followed by an authority.Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews, on Hebrews 10:28, section 519. | Hebrews 10:28, Hebrews 10:29, Hebrews 10:30 |
Where the chapter stands in the letter
7 more paragraphs on the patterns
Chapter 9 ended with Christ offered once and waiting to appear a second time, and chapter 10 draws the teaching on sacrifice to its close in verses 1 to 18. Verse 19 turns from teaching to appeal, and it opens the fourth of the letter's warnings, which runs to verse 39. Matthew Henry reads the chapter in three parts, the priesthood of the law laid low at verses 1 to 6, the priesthood of Christ raised high at verses 7 to 18, and the duties of believers from verse 19 to the end (Complete Commentary, on Hebrews 10).
Who speaks
The writer speaks in the teaching and in the appeal. Christ Himself speaks the words of Psalm 40 in verses 5 to 7, the Holy Spirit testifies through Jeremiah in verses 15 to 17, and God speaks in the quotations of verses 30, 37 and 38.
The debated reading: sinning after the knowledge of the truth
Verses 26 to 31 warn that for those who deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains. Theodoret of Cyrus held that the words leave room for repentance and teach that there is no second sacrifice, Christ having been offered once for all (Interpretation of Hebrews 10, on verses 26 and 27). John Chrysostom answered from these verses those who took repentance away from believers who had sinned, and those who put off baptism for fear that no second forgiveness remained (Homilies on Hebrews 20, on verses 26 and 27). John Wesley read the sin as a total apostasy by a Christian, and from the words that sanctified him at verse 29 he held that the one who falls away was once justified (Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, on Hebrews 10:26 and 10:29). Matthew Henry read that sanctifying as the outward entrance of the apostate into the covenant by baptism and the Lord's Supper (Complete Commentary, on Hebrews 10:29). John Gill read the verses of a total apostasy from the truth, against light and evidence, done on set purpose (Exposition of the New Testament, on Hebrews 10:26). The chapter itself closes the warning with confidence, counting the hearers among those who have faith and preserve their souls.
What the chapter hands forward
Verse 38 quotes Habakkuk on the righteous one who will live by faith, and chapter 11 opens at once on faith. The call to persevere at verse 36 carries the letter forward to its closing chapters.
Keep studying
Studies43
- The Just Shall Live by His Faith: Habakkuk 2:4
- The General Epistles
- The Day of Atonement
- Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews
- Faith
- The Hall of Faith
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- The Fall Feasts
- Hope
- The Anchor of the Soul
- Entertaining Angels Unaware
- How the Cross Saves: The Views of the Atonement
- Jephthah's vow
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- The Joy Set Before Him
- Nadab and Abihu: the unauthorized fire
- Patience and the Impulse
- The Farmer Waits for the Rain
- The Scarlet Thread
- The Appointed Times Read as a Calendar of Prophecy
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- The Ark of the Covenant
- The Ascension: Acts 1:1-11 · Luke 24:50-53
- The Blood
- The Bronze Laver
- The Burnt Offering
- The Cherubim
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- The Death Penalty in the Law of Moses
- The Door & the Gate
- The Glory That Filled the House
- The Ordination of the Priests
- The Red Heifer
- The Right Hand
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People and groups1
Words12
Subjects1
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The context
E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
The form and classifications
Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, on Hebrews 10, the chapter summary and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews, on Hebrews 10:22 and 10:26, sections 504 and 514.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown; John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews; John Gill; John Owen, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews; John Wesley; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Hebrews.