Hebrews 5:9-10 - Exposition

And being made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the Author of eternal salvation; called (or rather so addressed ) of God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Here τελειωθεὶς (translated "being made perfect") refers to the time of his resurrection, when the sufferings were over and the atonement complete (cf. Luke 13:32 , τῇ τρίτῃ τελειοῦμαι ). The word may be used in its general sense of perfected, i.e. "being made perfectly that which he was intended to become" (Delitzsch). In such sense St. Paul uses the word of himself, οὐκ ὅτι ἤδη τετελείωμαι ( Philippians 3:12 ). Or the specific sense of priestly consecration may be here, as well as in Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 7:28 , intended. In Hebrews 7:28 the A.V. renders εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τετελειωμένον by "consecrated for evermore." And this view is supported by passages in the LXX ., where the word τελείωσις is used with special reference to the consecration of the high priest. Cf. ἔστι γὰρ τελείωσις αὔτη ( Exodus 29:22 ); τοῦ κριοῦ τῆς τελειώσεως , ὅ ἐστιν ἀαρών , ( Hebrews 7:26 , Hebrews 7:27 , 31); τελειῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν (verses 29, 33, 35); τῆς θυσίας τῆς τελειώσεως (verse 34) τὸν δεύτερον κριὸν τῆς τελειώσεως (Le 8:22, 29); ἀπὸ τοῦ κανοῦ τῆς τελειώσεως ( Hebrews 7:26 ); τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα τῆς τελειώσεως ( Hebrews 7:28 ); ἕως ἡμέρα πληρωθῆ , ἡμέρα τελειώσεως ὑμῶν (verse 33); also Le 21:10, where the high priest— ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ —is described as τοῦ ἐπικεχυμένου ἐπὶ τῆν κεφαλὴν τοῦ ἐλαίου σοῦ χριστοῦ καὶ τετελειωμένου ἐνδύσασθαι τὰ ἱμάτια . See also Gesenius on the Hebrew word מיאלֻּם . Hence, and in view of the drift of the passage before us, Jackson very decidedly regards τελειωθεὶς in Hebrews 7:9 as a verbum solenne, denoting specifically Christ's consecration to his eternal office of High Priest. So also Hammond and Whitby. Being thus perfected, or consecrated, he became, for ever afterwards, the Author, not of mere ceremonial cleansing or temporary remission of guilt, but of eternal salvation; potentially to all mankind (cf. ὑπὲρ παντὸς , Hebrews 2:9 ), and effectively to " all them that obey him;" being addressed, in tiffs his consummated position (the reference being to Psalms 110:1-7 ) as "High Priest for ever," etc. Here again we perceive that it is not till after the Resurrection that the prophetic ideal of the SON at God's right hand, and of the eternal High Priest, are regarded as fully realized. If it be objected that his high priesthood must have begun before the Resurrection for his death upon the cross to be a true atonement, it may be replied that his one oblation of himself upon the cross at once consummated his consecration and effected the atonement. Doubtless, as a true High Priest on earth, he thus "offered one sacrifice for sins for ever" ( Hebrews 10:12 ); all that is meant above is that it was not till after the Resurrection that he entered on his eternal office of mediation in virtue of that one accomplished sacrifice.

Verses 5:11-7:1

This is the long admonitory digression (see under Hebrews 7:1 ) felt by the writer to be necessary before his exposition of κατὰ τὴν τάξιν ΄ελχιζεδέκ . He is entering on a new theme, higher and less level to the comprehension of his readers than any that has gone before. Even so far, we have seen how their Jewish prejudices had evoked admonitions, frequently interposed in the course of the argument. Much more so now, when it is to be shown how the priesthood of Christ not only fulfils the idea of, but also supersedes, that of the sons of Aaron, being of a different order from theirs. The region of thought to be entered now, being that of "the mystery of Christ," transcends more than any that has been so far entered the ordinary conceptions of traditional Judaism. Hence the writer's shrinking from entering all at once on the subject for fear of not being even understood; hence his earnest warnings to his readers as to the necessity of advancing to the state of full-grown Christians who can discern spiritual things.

Hebrews 6:11-20

INTERPOSED EXHORTATION .