Hebrews 10:12
in Hebrews 10But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
KJV
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
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This verse in Hebrews 10
Commentary
19 notes on this verseHe is seen by Stephen, at his martyrdom by stoning, still sitting at the right hand of God [Acts 7:55] where He will continue to sit, until the Father shall make His enemies His footstool. [Hebrews 10:12-13] He will come again on the clouds of heaven, just as He appeared when He ascended into heaven. [Acts 1:11]
This site's exposition
every priest stands to minister
on Hebrews 10:11-12
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.
This site's exposition
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
"But He, having offered one sacrifice," Christ evidently. "for sins." For our sins, for which he suffered. "for all time." Christ, clearly, offered one sacrifice, namely, His own body, for our sins, sufficient for us forever, so that there would be no need for a …
In the former case a multitude of priests, a multitude of victims, and no benefit, whereas in this case priest and victim are one and the same, he achieved abolition of sins and needs no further service; instead, he is seated with the Father who …
Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly begotten of God and of the Virgin, but not after the same manner. For indeed God and man are not the same. He truly assumed a body; for "the Word was made flesh," and lived upon earth without sin. For says He, "Which of you convicteth me of sin? " He did in reality both eat and drink. He was crucified and died under Pontius Pilate. He really, and not merely in appearance, was crucified, and died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. By those in heaven I mean such as are possessed of incorporeal natures; by those on earth, the Jews and Romans, and such persons as were present at that time when the Lord was crucified; and by those under the earth, the multitude that arose along with the Lord. For says the Scripture, "Many bodies of the saints that slept arose," their graves being opened. He descended, indeed, into Hades alone, but He arose accompanied by a multitude; and rent asunder that means of separation which had existed from the beginning of the world, and cast down its partition-wall. He also rose again in three days, the Father raising Him up; and after spending forty days with the apostles, He was received up to the Father, and "sat down at His right hand, expecting till His enemies are placed under His feet." On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried. During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathaea had laid Him. […]
"He sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting." Why the delay? "that His enemies be put under His feet. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." But perhaps some one might say; Wherefore did He not put them under at once? For the sake of the faithful who should afterwards be brought forth and born. Whence then does it appear that they shall be put under? By the saying "He sat down." He called to mind again that testimony which saith, "until I put the enemies under His feet." But His enemies are the Jews. Then since he had said, "Till His enemies be put under His feet," and they were vehemently urgent, therefore he introduces all his discourse concerning faith after this. But who are the enemies? All unbelievers: the daemons. And intimating the greatness of their subjection, he said not "are subjected," but "are put under His feet."
"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice." To stand therefore is a sign of ministering; accordingly to sit, is a sign of being ministered unto. "But this man after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us." He had said that those sacrifices are not offered; he reasoned from what is written, and from what is not written; moreover also he put forward the prophetic word which says, "sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not." He had said that He had forgiven their sins. Again this also He proves from the testimony of what is written, for "the Holy Ghost" (he says) "is a witness to us: for after that He had said, This is the covenant, that I will make with them, after those days, saith the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin." So then He forgave their sins, when He gave the Covenant, and He gave the Covenant by sacrifice. If therefore He forgave the sins through the one sacrifice, there is no longer need of a second.
11 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins; but this man, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever set down on the right hand of God, from henceforth …
The Medieval Church2 voices
But Christ Himself offered "one" sacrifice, He says — His own body — for our sins, sufficient for us forever, so that there would be no need for a second.
496. – Then (v. 12) he shows what pertains to the priesthood of Christ. In regard to this he does two things: first, he states his intent; secondly, the reason (v. 14). 497. – He says, therefore: but when this man, namely, Christ, offered for …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But this man,....
But Christ's enemies shall be made his footstool; some by conversion, others by confusion; and, which way soever it be, Christ will be honoured. Of this Christ is assured, this he is expecting, and his people should rejoice in the expectation of it; for, when his enemies shall be subdued, their enemies, that are so for his sake, shall be subdued also.
The Nineteenth Century6 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"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).
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 91: “Christ Exalted” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1856)
proposed
AT THE LORD’S table we wish to have no subject for contemplation but our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and we have been wont generally to consider him as the crucified One, “the Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” while we have had before us the emblems of his broken body, and of his blood shed for many for the remission of sins; but I am not quite sure that the crucified Saviour is the only appropriate theme, although, perhaps, the most so.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 91: “Christ Exalted” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1856)
proposed
AT THE LORD’S table we wish to have no subject for contemplation but our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and we have been wont generally to consider him as the crucified One, “the Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” while we have had before us the emblems of his broken body, and of his blood shed for many for the remission of sins; but I am not quite sure that the crucified Saviour is the only appropriate theme, although, perhaps, the most so. It is well to remember how our Saviour left us—by what road he travelled through the shadows of death; but I think it is quite as well to recollect what he is doing while he is away from us—to remember the high glories to which the crucified Saviour has attained; and it is, perhaps, as much calculated to cheer our spirits to behold him on his throne as to consider him on his cross. We have seen him one his cross, in some sense; that is to say, the eyes of men on earth did see the crucified Saviour; but we have no idea of what his glories are above; they surpass our highest thought. Yet faith can see the Saviour exalted on his throne, and surely there is no subject that can keep our expectations alive, or cheer our drooping faith better than to consider, that while our Saviour is absent, he is absent on his throne, and that when he has left his Church to sorrow for him, he has not left us comfortless—he has promised to come to us—that while he tarries he is reigning, and that while he is absent he is sitting high on his father’s throne. The Apostle shews here the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice over that of every other priest.
'And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God: From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.''Hebrews 10:11-14.
'And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God: From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.''Hebrews 10:11-14. WE SHALL HAVE this morning to repeat a truth which has sounded forth from this pulpit many hundreds of times; but we shall offer no apology for our repetitions, seeing that the truth to be preached is one which cannot too often be proclaimed. If you lift up your eyes at night to the stars what a wonderful variety of celestial scenery is there! The astronomer can turn his telescope first to one quarter of the heavens, and then to another, and find an endless change in the sublimities which meet his gaze. Such are the doctrines of the gospel; they are full of variety and beauty, and glory: but yet in the heavens one or two conspicuous constellations are more often regarded by the human eye than all the rest put together. The mariner looks for the Great Bear, the pointers, and the pole star; or, if he should cross the equator, he gazes on the southern cross. Though these stars have been often looked upon, it is never thought to be superfluous that practical men should still observe them. Night by night they have their watchers; for by them ten thousand sails are steered. I should suppose that in those days, now happily past, when slavery reigned in the Southern States of America, the Negro if he desired liberty for his boy would be sure, whatever else of the stars he did not teach him, to point out to him the star of liberty. 'Know well, my child, those friendly stars which point to the lone star of liberty. Follow that light till it leads you to a land.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὗτος | houtos | This [One] | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| μίαν | mian | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| ὑπὲρ | huper | for | G5228 → | 155 times |
| ἁμαρτιῶν | hamartion | sins | G266 → | 173 times |
| προσενέγκας | prosenegkas | having offered | G4374 → | 47 times |
| θυσίαν | thusian | sacrifice | G2378 → | 28 times |
| εἰς | eis | in | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὸ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| διηνεκὲς | dienekes | perpetuity | G1336 → | 4 times |
| ἐκάθισεν | ekathisen | sat down | G2523 → | 44 times |
| ἐν | en | at | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| δεξιᾷ | dexia | [the] right hand | G1188 → | 53 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεοῦ, | theou | of God, | G2316 → | 1312 times |
οὗτοςThis [One]
houtosG3778 →1381 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
μίανone
mianG1520 →343 times
ὑπὲρfor
huperG5228 →155 times
ἁμαρτιῶνsins
hamartionG266 →173 times
προσενέγκαςhaving offered
prosenegkasG4374 →47 times
θυσίανsacrifice
thusianG2378 →28 times
εἰςin
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὸ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
διηνεκὲςperpetuity
dienekesG1336 →4 times
ἐκάθισενsat down
ekathisenG2523 →44 times
ἐνat
enG1722 →2738 times
δεξιᾷ[the] right hand
dexiaG1188 →53 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
θεοῦ,of God,
theouG2316 →1312 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Colossians 3:1Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
it leads to
- Romans 8:6
The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
- Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
- Matthew 6:20
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
- Romans 8:6
Through
Hebrews 1:3The 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…
it leads to
- Colossians 1:15–17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
- Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Colossians 1:15–17
Through
Romans 8:34Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
it leads to
- Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- Hebrews 7:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies42
On this verse
On this chapter
- The General Epistles
- The Covenants
- The Day of Atonement
- Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews
- Faith
- The Hall of Faith
Show the next 6 titles
- The Fall Feasts
- Hope
- The Anchor of the Soul
- Entertaining Angels Unaware
- How the Cross Saves: The Views of the Atonement
- Jephthah's vow
Show the next 6 titles
About Hebrews

This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 91: “Christ Exalted” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1034: “The Only Atoning Priest” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 7; Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Hebrews 18; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews; Tertullian, Against Praxeas, Chapter 30; Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Hebrews and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews.
