Hebrews 9 - Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT)

The First Covenant Allowed Entrance Into The Holy of Holies Once a Year

9 Now indeed, the first covenant also had regulations of service and the earthly Holy Place. ² For the first^[a] tabernacle was prepared^[b]— in which were both the lampstand and the table, and the Presentation of the bread— which is called the Holies. ³ And behind the second curtain was the tabernacle being called the Holies of Holies, ⁴ having a golden altar-of-incense^[c], and the ark^[d] of the covenant having been covered on-all-sides with gold, in which was a golden jar having the manna and the rod of Aaron having budded and the tablets of the covenant, ⁵ and above it were the cherubim^[e] of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat^[f]— concerning which things there is not time now to be speaking in detail. ⁶ And these things thus having been prepared, the priests accomplishing the services are continually going into the first tabernacle. ⁷ But into the second only the high priest goes once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and the ignorances^[g] of the people—

God Was Making Clear That The Way Into The Holies Was Not Yet Revealed

⁸ ... the Holy Spirit making this clear: that the way of ^[h] the Holies has not yet been made-known while the first tabernacle^[i] was^[j] still having^[k] a standing, ⁹ which^[l] is^[m] a symbol for the present^[n] time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices are offered not being able to perfect the one worshiping in relation to the conscience, ¹⁰ being^[o] only (in-addition-to foods and drinks and different cleansings^[p]) regulations of ^[q] flesh being imposed until the time of reformation.

But Christ Entered The True Holy of Holies Once For All And Obtained Redemption

¹¹ But Christ, having arrived^[r] as High Priest of the good things having come, entered^[s] once-for-all into the Holies through^[t] the greater and more-perfect tabernacle not made-by-human-hands— that is, not of this creation; ¹² and not through^[u] the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained^[v] eternal redemption.

For Through The Spirit He Offered Himself Without Blemish To God

¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the ones having been defiled sanctifies for the cleansing of the flesh, ¹⁴ by how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit^[w] offered Himself without-blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works so that we may worship^[x] the living God!

Thus Christ Mediates a New Covenant Inaugurated By His Own Blood

¹⁵ And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that the ones having been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance— a death having taken-place for the redemption from the transgressions committed under^[y] the first covenant. ¹⁶ For where there is a will^[z], it is a necessity that the death of the one having made-the-will be brought-forth. ¹⁷ For a will over dead ones is firm, since it does not ever have [legal] power when the one having made-the-will is living. ¹⁸ Hence, not even the first covenant has been inaugurated^[aa] without blood. ¹⁹ For every commandment having been spoken to all the people by Moses according-to^[ab] the Law— having taken the blood of the calves and the goats along with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you” [Ex 24:8]. ²¹ And he likewise sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all the objects of the ministry. ²² Indeed according-to^[ac] the Law almost everything is cleansed^[ad] with blood, and forgiveness does not take-place^[ae] apart-from blood-shedding^[af]. ²³ Therefore it was a necessity that the copies^[ag] of the things in the heavens be cleansed with these^[ah] things— but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

He Entered The Heavenly Temple

²⁴ For Christ did not enter into the Holies made-by-human-hands— copies of the true things— but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

He Offered Himself Once For All As a Sacrifice To Set Aside Sin

²⁵ Nor did He enter in order that He might offer Himself often— as indeed the high priest enters into the Holies yearly with the blood belonging-to-another— ²⁶ otherwise He would had-to-have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once-for-all at the conclusion^[ai] of the ages for the setting-aside of sin by the sacrifice^[aj] of Himself.

He Will Appear To Us a Second Time For Salvation

²⁷ And just as it is destined for people to die once and after this comes the judgment, ²⁸ so also^[ak] Christ, having been offered once so as to bear^[al] the sins of many, will appear for a second time without reference to sin to the ones eagerly-awaiting Him, for salvation.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 9:2 That is, the first room of the two-room tabernacle tent, the part the priests entered.
2. Hebrews 9:2 Or, built, erected, furnished.
3. Hebrews 9:4 Or, censer.
4. Hebrews 9:4 Or, box, chest.
5. Hebrews 9:5 Or, winged-creatures.
6. Hebrews 9:5 Or, place-of-propitiation.
7. Hebrews 9:7 That is, sins of ignorance.
8. Hebrews 9:8 That is, leading into.
9. Hebrews 9:8 That is, the outer room of the tabernacle, as in v 2 and 6; or, the tabernacle as a whole, the sanctuary of the first covenant.
10. Hebrews 9:8 Or, is.
11. Hebrews 9:8 That is, was having an appointed place in the divine order, a standing with God (this ended when Christ died and the curtain was torn); or, is physically standing (this ended in a.d. 70).
12. Hebrews 9:9 This refers back to ‘first tabernacle’.
13. Hebrews 9:9 Or, was.
14. Hebrews 9:9 That is, which is a symbol for the now present NT times, pointing to the better reality Christ brought; or, which was a symbol for the then present OT times, pointing to the fact that the Levitical system could not gain the people free access to God.
15. Hebrews 9:10 being only... regulations. That is, the gifts and sacrifices offered by the priests, like laws about food, drink, and cleansings, were only temporary outward regulations. Compare v 13-14. The sacrifices outwardly cleansed the flesh, but could not inwardly cleanse the heart.
16. Hebrews 9:10 Or, washings, baptisms.
17. Hebrews 9:10 That is, for the flesh.
18. Hebrews 9:11 Or, appeared, come.
19. Hebrews 9:11 entered... Holies. In the Greek word order, this phrase is in v 12, just before ‘having obtained’, giving it the emphasis.
20. Hebrews 9:11 That is, passing through the heavenly tabernacle. Or, by means of, meaning the tabernacle in view is Christ’s resurrection body.
21. Hebrews 9:12 Or, by means of.
22. Hebrews 9:12 That is, on the cross. Or, obtaining (at the time of His entering).
23. Hebrews 9:14 Or, His eternal spirit.
24. Hebrews 9:14 Or, serve.
25. Hebrews 9:15 That is, at the time of.
26. Hebrews 9:16 By way of illustration, the writer refers to a will, which is a special kind of covenant. The Greek word is the same for both.
27. Hebrews 9:18 Or, dedicated, ratified. That is, put into effect.
28. Hebrews 9:19 Or, in-harmony-with.
29. Hebrews 9:22 Or, based-on.
30. Hebrews 9:22 Or, purified.
31. Hebrews 9:22 Or, come-about, happen. Or, and there is no forgiveness.
32. Hebrews 9:22 Or, blood-pouring (on the altar).
33. Hebrews 9:23 That is, earthly copies.
34. Hebrews 9:23 That is, the things in v 18-22; the applied blood of animals.
35. Hebrews 9:26 Or, end, consummation, close. All the past ages are brought to a conclusion in Christ.
36. Hebrews 9:26 Or, sacrificial-offering.
37. Hebrews 9:28 For Christ’s side of the comparison, the writer does not merely say Christ died and was favorably judged by God; he states the deeper significance of each event. Christ’s death was an offering for sin, and since this offering was accepted by God, He will appear for salvation to those awaiting Him.
38. Hebrews 9:28 Or, take-up, take-upon Himself.