Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Hebrews 9:12

οὐδὲ διʼ αἵματος τράγων … Not only was the place of ministry different, the sacrifice offered also was different. “Not without blood,” could the High Priest make his annual entry (Hebrews 9:7), but it was with the blood of a calf for himself and of a he-goat for the people. In LXX of Leviticus 16 the τράγος is uniformly called χίμαρος but in Aquila's version τράγος is used in Hebrews 9:8 and in Symmachus in Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 9:10. διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος, “So only could He enter for us. As the Eternal Son He has a right there; as the High Priest of man, He enters in virtue of the sacrifice of Himself” (Vaughan). ἐφάπαξ, as in Hebrews 7:27, in contrast to the ever-recurring annual entrance; and preparing the way for the statement of the last clause, αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑ ράμενος. Rutherford (New Phryn., p. 215) says εὑράμην for εὑρόμην represents a common corruption of late Greek, but Veitch seems to think instances of its occurrence in Attic have been tampered with. See Tholuck in loc.; and Blass, G.G., p. 45. Probably the aorist participle here expresses the result of the action of the main verb, εἰσῆλθεν. “But it is possible that εἰσῆλθεν is used to describe the whole High Priestly act, including both the entrance into the holy place and the subsequent offering of the blood, and that εὑράμενος is thus a participle of identical action. In either case it should be translated not having obtained as in R.V. but obtaining or and obtained ” (Burton M. & T., 66). [Weiss accurately “Der nachgestellte Participialsatz drückt aus, was in und mit diesem Eingehen geschah”.] On the use of the Mid. in N.T. see Thayer, s.v. Here it can only mean that Christ obtained salvation by offering Himself. λύτρωσις must, in consistency with the passage, be understood of the deliverance from guilt which enabled the worshipper to enter God's presence. From this flow all other spiritual blessings. It is here termed αἰωνία in contrast to the deliverance achieved by the Levitical High Priest, which had to be repeated year by year. Christ obtained a redemption which was absolute and for ever valid.

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Hebrews 9:12

Old Testament

New Testament