Hebrews 13:20

Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This magnificent doxology is one of the noblest in holy writ and inspires the deepest emotions of love and gratitude to God. The expression "God of peace" is used by Paul in a number of places (Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Brought again from the dead is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, this being the one place in the whole epistle where it is specifically mentioned, although it is implied on every page of it. Just so, there is only a single reference to the cross (Hebrews 12:2); but the fact of it underlies practically every sentence in the whole book. As Westcott said, "The writer regards the work of Christ in its eternal aspects."[7] The reference to Christ as "the great shepherd" is a reminder to the rulers mentioned above that they are, after all, themselves under a shepherd and must give an account to him.

The eternal covenant is the new covenant, contrasted with the old which was abrogated; and the blood of that covenant is the blood of Christ by which the central atonement contained in it was procured, and which blood is symbolized and celebrated in the observance of the Lord's Supper. Jesus himself said on the night in which he instituted his supper, "This is the blood of the new covenant, shed for many unto the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Commentators are divided on whether "to whom be glory" is a reference to Christ whose name stands nearest the words in the doxology, or a reference to God who is the subject of the whole doxology and whose name stands at the beginning of it. It could not possibly make any difference, seeing the two are one; thus, glory ascribed to Christ is also glory ascribed to God.