These verses are partly an aside; the main theme is taken up again in 10.1. However, they are also related to the main subject by the repetition of offered in sacrifice once and by the mention of “salvation.”

Must renders a different word from that used in 2.1. It refers to something “in store,” either literally, as in Luke 19.20, or figuratively, as in Colossians 1.5; 2 Timothy 4.8.

Everyone must die once may be expressed as “All people die once.” This is, of course, a reference to physical death. Bible en français courant says “Every human being is destined to die one time”; New English Bible has “it is the lot of men to die once.”

After that be judged by God: by God is implied. These words are not an aside, as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible suggests; they reinforce the general statement Everyone must die once by adding a specifically Christian statement. Good News Translation shows this by ending the sentence at the end of the verse. The clause after that be judged by God may be rendered as “and after that happens, God judges them.”

The rendering of In the same manner may cause complications, because such a phrase could refer to the immediately preceding statement about being judged by God. The phrase In the same manner must refer to the entire process of sacrificial offering.

If the writer of Hebrews has Isaiah 53 in mind, as the phrase translated take away the sins of many suggests, it is possible to understand Christ as a title, “the Messiah,” not as a proper name. See the Good News Bible Word List.

One might assume that the passive expression was offered could be shifted into an active form with God as the agent. However, this would introduce a concept which is not in accordance with New Testament expression, for it would then appear that God offered Christ as a sacrifice. This would suggest the wrong idea of God’s offering Christ to someone else as a sacrifice. It is often best to change the passive was offered into a reflexive form, such as “Christ offered himself as a sacrifice.”

Good News Translation is right to emphasize once, which is repeated in verse 28a as the point of the comparison between verses 27 and 28a. It adds this emphasis by making the verb rendered was offered a main verb, and by then turning verse 28b, which contains a new thought, into a separate sentence.

The term translated many, as in Isaiah 53.12; Mark 10.45; and Hebrews 2.10, does not mean “many but not all,” but “many, not just one or a few.” It renders a Hebrew idiom, used here to mark a contrast between the one sacrifice of Christ and the large number of people who benefit from it.

He will appear a second time may also be rendered as “He will come again.”

Not to deal with sin is literally “without any relation to sin” or “apart from sin.” Bijbel in Gewone Taal‘s “freedom from the burden of sin” is not the likely meaning here. This part of the verse qualifies the first part. An expanded translation would be “he will, it is true, appear a second time, but this will not be to deal all over again with sin, for he has done that once for all. It will be for the final rescue of those who are waiting for him.” Deal with sin and save are positive and negative aspects of the same event. Save here probably includes not only rescue from death, but giving all God has promised.

It may be more natural in some languages to introduce the positive before the negative part of the contrast, namely, “he will come again to save those who are waiting for him. He will not come the second time to deal with sin” or “… When he comes the second time, it will not be in order to deal with sin.” In place of the rather general expression to deal with sin, it may be possible to translate “to cause the forgiveness of sins.”

The last part of the sentence could also mean “those who are waiting for him to save them” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but almost all translations and most commentaries take the same meaning as Good News Translation. In translating who are waiting for him, it is important to suggest positive expectations rather than passive endurance. Accordingly, who are waiting for him may be rendered in some languages as “who are expecting his coming.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .