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Hebrews 9:14

in Hebrews 9

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

KJV

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

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This verse in Hebrews 9

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Who through the eternal Spirit - This expression is understood two ways: 1. Of the Holy Ghost himself. As Christ’s miraculous conception was by the Holy Spirit, and he wrought all his miracles by the Spirit of God, so his death or final offering was made through or by the eternal Spirit; and by that Spirit he was raised from the dead, 1Pe 3:

This site's exposition

the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean

on Hebrews 9:13-14

The argument runs from the lesser to the greater, qal wahomer, the rabbis' own form of reasoning turned to Christian use: if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of the red heifer of Numbers 19, sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. The Levitical sacrifices reached only the flesh, ceremonial defilement; Christ's blood, offered through the eternal Spirit, reaches the conscience itself, the inward guilt no animal sacrifice ever touched. Without spot names his qualification as the offering, the same standard the Passover lamb and the daily sacrifices required and none of them could meet by nature.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

How much more shall the blood of Christ. - The merit of all his sufferings. Who through the eternal Spirit - The work of redemption being the work of the whole Trinity. Neither is the Second Person alone concerned even in the amazing condescension that was needful to complete it.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Thirdly, It was Christ's offering himself to God without spot, without any sinful stain either in his nature or life; this was conformable to the law of sacrifices, which required them to be without blemish. Now further observe, [2.] What the efficacy of Christ's blood is; it is very great.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Man's works before justification, however lifelike they look, are dead, and cannot therefore be accepted before the living God. To have offered a dead animal to God would have been an insult (compare Mal 1:8); much more for a man not justified by Christ's blood to offer dead works.

The words behind it

27 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Hebrews 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.45 worksTitus 2:14He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.41 worksRevelation 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,41 worksLeviticus 1:3If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.39 worksRevelation 7:14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.35 works1 Peter 1:19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.34 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.33 worksHebrews 9:12He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.29 works1 Peter 2:24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”27 worksMatthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.25 works1 Peter 3:18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,21 worksHebrews 6:1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,20 worksHebrews 9:23So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.19 worksEphesians 5:27and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.18 worksIsaiah 40:28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.17 worksNumbers 19:18Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.17 works1 John 5:6This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is the truth.15 worksHebrews 7:27Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.13 works

Where this verse connects

1 approved connection.

  • Scripture reading Scripture

    Hebrews 9:12

    'Through his own blood... once for all' -> blood that cleanses the conscience; own-blood vs animal blood.

    Source: Hebrews 9 argument

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Peter 2:24

    He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 53:4–6

      Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.

    • Matthew 8:17

      This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

    • Romans 6:11

      So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

    • Revelation 22:2

      down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month.…

  • Through

    1 John 1:7

    But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

    it leads to

    • Ephesians 5:8

      For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

    • Ephesians 1:7

      In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Romans 13:12

      The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

  • Through

    Hebrews 10:22

    let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 36:25

      I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

Where this verse is studied

About Hebrews

Christ Presented to the People — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
Christ Presented to the People — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
Hebrews: the study guide →Read Hebrews 9 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Hebrews 9 →