Hebrews 9:26

ἔδει. Sub. ἂν. “It would have been necessary for Him.” The omission of ἂν only calls more forcible attention to the necessity in the case supposed. See Winer, p. 356.

πολλάκις. Since He could not have entered the Sanctuary of God’s Holiest in the Heavens without some offering of atoning blood.

ἅπαξ. “Once for all.” This is emphasized several times in the Epistle.

ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων. The phrase of the A. V. “in the end of the world” hardly conveys the meaning of the Greek, which is “at the consummation of the ages” (Matthew 13:39; Matthew 13:49; Matthew 24:3; Matthew 28:20), in other words “when God’s full time was come for the revelation of the Gospel” (comp. Hebrews 1:1; 1 Corinthians 10:11).

εἰς�. “For the annulment of sin.” Into this one word is concentrated the infinite superiority of the work of Christ. The High Priest even on the Day of Atonement could offer no sacrifice which could even put away (ἀφαιρεῖν) sin (Hebrews 10:4), but Christ’s sacrifice was able to annul (ἀθετεῖν) sin altogether.

διὰ τῆς θυσίσς αὐτοῦ. “By His sacrifice.” If the A. V. rendering “by the sacrifice of Himself” had been correct we should have had ἑαυτοῦ. The object of the sacrifice was, as St Peter tells us, “to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

πεφανέρωται. Lit., “He has been manifested”—namely, “in the flesh” at the Incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:20, &c.).