Hebrews 9:17

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hebrews 9:15-22

In these verses the apostle considers the gospel under the notion of a will or testament, the new or last will and testament of Christ, and shows the necessity and efficacy of the blood of Christ to make this testament valid and effectual. I. The gospel is here considered as a testament, the new and last will and testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is observable that the solemn transactions that pass between God and man are sometimes called a covenant, here a testament. A... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Hebrews 9:15-22

9:15-22 It is through him that there emerges a new covenant between God and man; and the purpose behind this new covenant is that those who have been called might receive the eternal inheritance which has been promised to them; but this could happen only after a death had taken place, the purpose of which was to rescue them from the consequences of the transgressions which had been committed under the conditions of the old covenant. For where there is a will, it is necessary that there should... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hebrews 9:17

For a testament is of force after men are dead ,.... The necessity of Christ's death is here urged, from the nature and force of a testament or will, among men, which does not take place, and cannot be executed, till a man is dead. Otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testator liveth ; no claim can be made by the legatees for the part they have in it, nor can any disposition be made by the executor of it; not that hereby is suggested, that the testament or will of God was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 9:1-28

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 9:15-17

And for this cause he is the Mediator of a new testament, that by means of death (literally, death having taken place ) , for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Here the view of the gospel as a new διαθήκη (introduced first in Hebrews 7:22 , and enlarged on in Hebrews 8:6-13 ) is again brought in. For the word is still διαθήκη , though here, for reasons that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 9:15-22

Ratification by blood. Here the writer pauses in his argument regarding the superiority of Christ's sacrifice to the sacrifices of the Law, and directs attention to an important point of similarity between the old covenant and the new. This passage is a serious crux. It has perplexed the most eminent commentators. The great question is, whether διαθήκη should be translated "covenant" or "testament:" in Hebrews 9:16 and Hebrews 9:17 . For ourselves, we have come to the conclusion... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Hebrews 9:15-22

"The Mediator of the new testament." The ideas contained in this section are— I. THE TWOFOLD EFFECT OF THE DEATH OF OUR LORD . The free surrender of his life was the means of removing, in the case of believers, the burden of those sins which the Mosaic Law could not take away. The sins committed under the first covenant were not forgiven by acts of sacrifice and the aid of priestly service, which, though ordained by Jehovah, were unequal to produce peace and purity of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Hebrews 9:17

For a testament - Such an arrangement as God enters into with man; see the remarks on Hebrews 9:16.Is of force - Is ratified, or confirmed - in the same way as a deed or compact is confirmed by affixing a seal.After men are dead - ἐπὶ νεκροῖς epi nekrois. “Over the dead.” That is, in accordance with the view given above, after the animal is dead; or over the body of the animal slain for sacrifice, and to confirm the covenant. “For a covenant is completed or confirmed over dead sacrifices,... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Hebrews 9:16-17

Hebrews 9:16-17. For where a testament is That is, where there is a covenant, which is also a testament; there must of necessity be the death of the testator As if he had said, The reason why there was a necessity that Christ should die, is taken from the nature of the covenant whereof he is Mediator, which covenant is also a testament, and therefore could not be of force but by his death. For a testament is of force Has validity; after men are dead When, and not before, the legatees... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Hebrews 9:15-22

Sacrifice under the old covenant (9:15-22)Under the old covenant, repentant sinners offered sacrifices for their sins, but the sacrifices themselves could not bring forgiveness. They brought no more than ceremonial cleansing. The actual cleansing of those sins depended on the sacrifice of Christ. Whether sins were committed before the time of Christ or after, the death of Christ is the basis on which God forgives them. Through Christ, God has made a new covenant, and the inheritance he promises... read more

Group of Brands