ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Hebrews 10.10-14

Book: Hebrews · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

8. Saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (the which are offered according to the law), 9. then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10. By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11. And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins: 12. but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13. henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

  1. And the Holy Spirit also beareth witness to us; for after he hath said, 16. This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he, (Hebrews 10:8-16, ASV)
WEB

8. Previously saying, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn’t desire, neither had pleasure in them” (those which are offered according to the law), 9. then he has said, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first, that he may establish the second,

10. by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11. Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins, 12. but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13. from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet. 14. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

  1. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 16. “This is the covenant that I will make with them: ‘After those days,’ says the Lord, ‘I will put my laws on their heart, I will also write them on their mind;’” then he says, (Hebrews 10:8-16, WEB)
KJV

8. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

  1. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16. 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; (Hebrews 10:8-16, KJV)
YLT

8. saying above, 'Sacrifice, and offering, and burnt-offerings, and concerning sin-offering Thou didst not will, nor delight in,', which according to the law are offered 9. then he said, 'Lo, I come to do, O God, Thy will;' he doth take away the first that the second he may establish;

10. in the which will we are having been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once, 11. and every priest, indeed, hath stood daily serving, and the same sacrifices many times offering, that are never able to take away sins. 12. And He, for sin one sacrifice having offered, to the end, did sit down on the right hand of God, 13. as to the rest, expecting till He may place his enemies [as] his footstool, 14. for by one offering he hath perfected to the end those sanctified;

  1. and testify to us also doth the Holy Spirit, for after that He hath said before, 16. 'This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, giving My laws on their hearts, and upon their minds I will write them,' (Hebrews 10:8-16, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: the anonymous author of Hebrews. Pauline authorship was doubted in antiquity and Origen concluded that who wrote it, God knows
  • Audience: Jewish believers under pressure to fall back from Christ into the older covenant observances
  • Location: unknown; the closing greeting from those of Italy (13:24) points in two directions at once
  • Time period: most likely before AD 70, since the sacrificial system is discussed as still operating

Theological reading

The passage states the letter's conclusion about the atonement, and three phrases carry it.

Once for all (10). Ephapax, the emphatic form, used of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. The letter has been building to this since chapter 7, and the sanctification of believers is grounded in a completed act rather than a continuing process at this point in the argument.

He sat down (12). The contrast in verses 11 and 12 is deliberately physical. Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this one, having offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. The tabernacle contained no seat for a priest, because the work was never finished. Sitting is the posture of completion, and it ties back to Psalm 110:1 quoted at 1:13.

Perfected for ever them that are sanctified (14). The tense combination is the theologically interesting part: a completed perfecting (perfect tense) applied to those who are being sanctified (present participle). Definitive and progressive sanctification are held in one sentence, which is why the verse appears in nearly every serious treatment of the doctrine. See Sanctification and Justification by Faith.

The practical conclusion the author draws is not contemplation but access, at verses 19 to 22: boldness to enter by a new and living way.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

Guides:

Passages:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.