Hebrews 9:16 BSB — MannaFest

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 (2) ▾

ASV

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

KJV

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

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Commentary

5 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

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).

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

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.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

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.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ὅπου	hopou	Where	G3699 →
γὰρ	gar	for	G1063 →
διαθήκη,	diathēkē	[there is] a will,	G1242 →
θάνατον	thanaton	[the] death	G2288 →
ἀνάγκη	anagkē	[it is] necessary	G318 →
φέρεσθαι	pheresthai	to establish	G5342 →
τοῦ	tou	of the [one]	G3588 →
διαθεμένου·	diathemenou	having made [it];	G1303 →

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

The walk

The walk8

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.”

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Seven appointed times on one Hebrew year — a spring cluster the site reads as fulfilled, a fall cluster it reads as awaited.

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About Hebrews

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

Hebrews: the study guide →Read chapter 9 →The featured study →

Continue: Hebrews 9 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Hebrews

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Hebrews