Hebrews 9:16

In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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KJV

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

ASV

For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it.

YLT

for where a covenant is , the death of the covenant-victim to come in is necessary,

DBT

(For where [there is] a testament, the death of the testator must needs come in.

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On this verse

450. – Then (v. 16) he proves what he had supposed, namely, that the New Testament was confirmed by the death of Christ: first, he proves this on the authority of human law; secondly, on the authority of divine law (v. 18). 451. – He …

Thomas Aquinas· Commentary on Hebrews, 1274patristic

Related commentary

For where a testament is,.... The covenant of grace, as administered under the Gospel dispensation, is a testament or will. The Jews have adopted the Greek word, here used, into their language, and pronounce it דייתיקי, and by it understand a dying man's last will and testament (d). Some of them make it to be of Hebrew derivation; as if it was said, דא תהי למיקם, "this shall be to confirm" (e), or this shall be stable and firm; though others own it to be the same with this Greek word διαθηκη (f).

John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed

For where a testament is - A learned and judicious friend furnishes me with the following translation of this and the 17th verse: - For where there is a covenant, it is necessary that the death of the appointed victim should be exhibited, because a covenant is confirmed over dead victims, since it is not at all valid while the appointed victim is alive. He observes, There is no word signifying testator, or men, in the original. Διαθεμενος is not a substantive, but a participle, or a participial adjective, derived from the same root as διατηκη, and must have a substantive understood.

Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible, 1832evangelical

But the expression is not "there must be the death of both parties making the covenant," but singular, "of Him who made (aorist, past time; not 'of Him making') the testament." Also, it is "death," not "sacrifice" or "slaying." Plainly, the death is supposed to be past (aorist, "made"); and the fact of the death is brought (Greek) before court to give effect to the will.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed

I say by means of death; for where such a covenant is, there must be the death of him by whom it is confirmed - Seeing it is by his death that the benefits of it are purchased. It seems beneath the dignity of the apostle to play upon the ambiguity of the Greek word, as the common translation supposes him to do.

John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755evangelical

Where a testament is, where it acts and operates, there must of necessity by the death of the testator; till then the property is still in the testator's hand, and he has power to revoke, cancel, or alter, his will as he pleases; so that no estate, no right, is conveyed by will, till the testator's death has made it unalterable and effectual.

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

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Cross-references

7 linked verses

The verses this one reaches7

Hebrews 13:20
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
Hebrews 9:15
Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
James 2:10
Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

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The quotation web

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Original language

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Around this verse

Word doors

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

About this book

Christ Presented to the People — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Hebrews — The NT's most sustained Old-Testament argument — an extended demonstration that Jesus is ‘better than’ every institution Judaism knew. Priesthood, covenant, tabernacle, sacrifice: all fulfilled in one great high priest.

Canon: New Testament
Author: Unknown — the book itself does not name its author. Traditional attribution is Pauline (Clement of Alexandria, Origen, much of the Eastern church); Luther proposed Apollos; Tertullian preferred Barnabas; Harnack proposed Priscilla. Site does not adjudicate
Date: Mid-to-late 1st century AD, almost certainly before AD 70 (the book argues against the ongoing Temple liturgy as if the Temple still stands)

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
leads to
- James 1:15
  Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- John 3:36
  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Romans 5:12
  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
- John 6:40
  For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- Ezekiel 18:20
  The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of…
Through
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:21–22
  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
- Romans 5:19
  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Through
James 2:10
Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
leads to
- Galatians 3:10
  All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

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