Good News Translation reverses the two parts of this verse (contrast Revised Standard Version) and divides the sentence into two. We have a great High Priest should not, however, be emphasized in translation. It is not new information; it is repeated from 2.17. Revised Standard Version‘s “Since then,” a stronger expression than then, draws a conclusion from this and marks a return to the teaching of chapters 1–2.

The translation of High Priest raises several problems.
(a) Many cultures have priests, but their work and their place in society vary greatly. They are sometimes different from those of the Old Testament High Priest. His qualifications are described in Leviticus 21.10-15, and what he did on the Day of Atonement is described in Leviticus 16.6-17, where “Aaron” means any High Priest. common language translations and some other translations give additional information in a glossary note.
(b) The common words for “priest” may be used to describe ministers of a particular denomination. If so, it may be necessary to choose another word to translate High Priest; for example, “chief sacrificer,” as in some French translations. But in most instances a term used for “priest” in major Christian churches is quite satisfactory when used in referring to the role of Jesus Christ. In some languages, however, there may be more than one term for priest, and these terms may differ significantly in connotation. Therefore one must make certain that a term used in referring to Jesus Christ is one which has acceptable connotations; that is to say, it should be a term which does not suggest a hypocritical or exploitive role, or have any other negative features.
(c) Except at 9.7, the writer does not lay much stress on the distinction between priest and High Priest. “High Priest” is one word in Greek, so in some languages it may be necessary to translate great High Priest as “great priest” or “highest priest” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), omitting great to avoid repetition.

Here and in the following verses, the writer continues to link himself with his readers. For example, he writes Let us … hold firmly, not “you must hold firmly.” Let us is not a request for permission but an exhortation, equivalent to “We should continue strongly to,” often expressed negatively as “we should not for a moment cease to.”

The faith we profess, literally “our confession” (Revised Standard Version), may mean either the act of stating publicly what one believes, or the words in which one’s faith is expressed. Similar language is used in 3.1 and 10.23. By the time Hebrews was written, more or less fixed summaries of Christian belief were probably being used. The faith we profess may be expressed as “what we say we believe” or “how we declare that we trust Christ.”

It may seem strange to say we have a great High Priest, for the High Priest is not possessed by people. He acts on behalf of people, and therefore it may be more natural and correct to say “he is a great High Priest for us.”

Good News Translation reverses the order of the Greek, beginning with an appeal which rounds off the previous section, and then introducing the theme of the High Priest. Gone into the very presence of God is literally “having gone through the heavens.” “Heaven” was often used in order to avoid speaking directly of God. Perhaps the writer is already thinking of Jesus passing through several heavens, as the High Priest on the Day of Atonement passed through the veils of the Temple in Jerusalem (9.3). For the idea of several heavens, see 2 Corinthians 12.2. But the plural “heavens” (Revised Standard Version) has no special significance here. The corresponding Hebrew word is dual in form but singular in meaning, and this fact probably influenced biblical Greek. It is impossible to make a precise distinction between the use of “heaven” (9.24) and “heavens” (9.23) in the Greek. Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of the heavens” instead of “kingdom of God,” with no difference of meaning.

Who has gone into the very presence of God may be rendered as “who has gone before God himself” or “who has entered where God is.”

The apposition marked by the dash, and introducing Jesus, the Son of God, can rarely be translated literally, at least in the sequence which occurs in Good News Translation, since it would imply that Jesus, the Son of God is in apposition to God. It may be more appropriate in some languages to translate “this High Priest is Jesus, who is the Son of God.”

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 .