This verse, like verse 13, contains three statements. The first and second are introduced by try and the third by because, giving a reason for the previous instructions. Peace and holy life are both to be understood in a broad sense. Peace is total well-being, as in 7.2 and 11.31, but here there is a special emphasis on good human relationships. “Holiness” (holy life) is total dedication to God, as in verse 10, where a different but related Greek word is used. The relation between peace and holy life is understood differently by translators, and also by the punctuation added by different editors of the Greek text. Is it (a) only “holiness,” or (b) both “peace and holiness,” without which no one will see the Lord? (a) Most translations link “holiness” but not “peace” with the words “without which no one will see the Lord” (Revised Standard Version); for example, Bible en français courant “for, without a holy life, no one will be able to see the Lord”; New American Bible “that holiness without which no one can see the Lord.” (b) Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, on the other hand, appears to link both “peace” and “holiness” with “see the Lord”: “Be concerned for peace with all men and for a perfect life. Who(ever) misses that will not see the Lord” (so also Bijbel in Gewone Taal and probably New English Bible). The punctuation of the UBS Greek text favors (a), but it is impossible to be certain. The matter cannot be settled by appeal to the Old Testament texts. Try to be at peace with everyone echoes Psalm 34.14, but this text says nothing about seeing God. Phillips puts “without which no man shall see the Lord” in quotation marks, but if this is a quotation, its source has not been found.

Some commentators think that with everyone means “with all the members of the Christian community,” as in 13.24. However, this is not what the Greek means, and there is no convincing evidence to show that the letter is addressed to a divided community. The deeper, positive meaning of peace is in the writer’s mind, not just the absence of quarrelling.

Try to be at peace with everyone may be translated by an idiom; for example, “Try to have a quiet heart in your relationships with everyone” or “As you live with others, be sure to try to always sit down in your hearts.” In some languages to be at peace with everyone must be expressed as a negative; for example, “to live with everyone without quarreling,” “… without bickering,” or “… without harsh words.”

Some translations, including Bible de Jérusalem and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, have “consecration” or “sanctification” instead of “holiness.” This emphasizes God’s role in making people “holy,” rather than the human effort to live a holy life. The two aspects are involved, both in “holiness” and “peace.” However, since the sentence begins with an imperative, Try to be at peace (literally “Follow peace”), Good News Translation is perhaps right to conclude that here the writer is thinking primarily of something which his readers must do.

It may be possible to translate a holy life as “a life which is dedicated to God.” Or it may be necessary to render try to live a holy life as “try to live like a person who is dedicated to God” or “… who is completely dedicated to God.”

In translating no one will see the Lord it is best to employ an expression for the Lord which is capable of referring either to God or to Christ. If this is not possible, a reference to God is slightly more probable.

If try to live a holy life is rendered as “try to live like one who is completely dedicated to God,” then the phrase without it must often be restructured as a clause; for example, “unless you do.” Therefore the final clause of this verse may be rendered as “because no one will see the Lord unless he lives such a life” or “because you will not see the Lord unless you live that way.”

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 .

This verse is more closely related to verses 8-16 than to verse 7, which speaks of former leaders. The present leaders of the Christian community are those especially responsible for seeing that its members are not “led astray” (verse 9). However, most translations, like the UBS Greek text, begin a new paragraph here.

Obey your leaders and follow their orders is not a statement of two different activities but of closely related ones, the first being general and the second more specific. Therefore it may be better in some languages to translate the first sentence of verse 17 as “Obey your leaders by following their orders” or “… by doing what they tell you to do.”

On souls, see 4.12; Barclay “Their care for you”; Bijbel in Gewone Taal and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “they watch over you.” A strictly literal translation of They watch over your souls without resting may be misunderstood as being the activity of a sorcerer on the lookout for people’s souls which he can control. It may therefore be better to translate They watch over your souls without resting as “They constantly care for you” or “They never rest in their concern to take care of you.”

To God and of their service are implied. Since they must give to God an account of their service may be rendered as “because they must explain to God how they have carried out their responsibility” or “… how they have done their work,” or even “… how they have cared for you.”

Translations of the rest of the verse differ more in style and language than in meaning. Revised Standard Version (see also New English Bible) would have been improved by omitting “and” before “not sadly,” since the second phrase does not add any new information.

The elliptical clause if not may require some expansion; for example, “but if you do not obey them.”

They will do it with sadness does not mean that they will go about their task with sad faces, but “they will do what they must do, but it will make them sad.”

And that would be of no help to you may be expressed as “and that will not help you” or “and you will not benefit from that.”

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 .

It is rare that one can translate literally This means, for the pronoun This refers to the arguments which have immediately preceded, and means is a reference to a logical result. Accordingly, This means must in some instances be rendered as “All this results in the fact that,” “Because of all this,” or “If we understand what has just been said, then we know that.”

Had to is stronger than It was only right in verse 10; it suggests that inner compulsion was needed (that is, “ought”) if Jesus’ purpose was to be fulfilled. He had to must be rendered in some languages as “it was necessary that he” or “there was no other way but that he.”

To become like is literally “to be made like,” but the idea of God’s activity in all this has been strongly expressed in verse 10 and is not emphasized here.

His brothers does not refer only to other children of Joseph, or of Joseph and Mary. As in verses 11-12, it means all members of God’s people, whose life Jesus shared (Hebrews does not usually distinguish between God’s people in Old Testament and New Testament times).

To become like his brothers in every way may be rendered as “to become like other people in every way,” “to become just like any human being,” or “to become exactly like all other human beings.”

Beginning with in order to be…, the second half of the verse introduces an idea which will become more and more important, especially in chapters 4–5 and 7–9. Here it is mentioned only briefly, in passing. This is the idea of Jesus as High Priest, a title which is not given to Jesus anywhere else in the Bible. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch marks this development by beginning a new sentence: “In this way he was able to be their … High Priest.” The writer of Hebrews is mainly concerned with the High Priest’s function in leading Temple worship, especially on the annual Day of Atonement, a festival concerned with the forgiveness of sins and the purification of sinners.

Faithful here implies “faithful to God.” The idea is not merely that Jesus is generally reliable, but that God has placed him in a particular position of trust, and that he has proved worthy of it (see also 3.1-6).

Faithful and merciful may be rendered as “one who is to be trusted and who shows mercy.” In some instances “to show mercy” is equivalent to “to be kind to those in need.”

High Priest should normally not be translated literally, since it would indicate merely elevation of a priest in space. What is important here is the position of this priest above other priests, and therefore a normal equivalent is “the most important priest” or “the priest above all other priests.” In many languages it is impossible to distinguish readily between “High Priest” and “chief priest,” and such a distinction is not relevant in the book of Hebrews.

In his service to God is slightly more literal than Revised Standard Version “in the service of God.” The phrase in his service to God may be rendered as “in the way in which he serves God” or “in the way in which he is God’s helper.”

The people, implying “God’s people,” is a favorite expression in which the writer includes both Israel and the church, without any distinction between Jewish and Gentile Christians. The people is thus the same as his brothers earlier in the verse.

Revised Standard Version‘s “expiation” translates a Greek word which refers to the removal of a barrier between men and God. In pagan writings, it was often used of making the gods favorable to the worshiper. In Luke 18.13 (the only other place in the New Testament where this word is used) the object is the worshiper; Good News Translation translates have pity on me. In the Old Testament it sometimes refers to the blotting out or “covering” of sins (not “covering up” with the idea of deceit!). This is the idea here. There is no question of offering sacrifices to an angry God so that he will stop being angry. It is not God who is being dealt with in this verse, but sins, and they are “forgiven” (see Barclay), “taken away” (see Translator’s New Testament), or wiped away.

The passive clause so that the people’s sins would be forgiven may be made active by introducing God as the agent; for example, “so that God would forgive people’s sins.”

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 .

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 .

This verse may not be easy to understand without additional information in a footnote. The two things are God’s promise and his oath. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes this explicit. The phrase these two things may be obscure if the specific reference is not made clear in translation. It would be possible to translate There are these two things, then, that cannot change as “What God promised and what he vowed cannot change” or “… cannot ever be different.” A positive expression may also be employed: “… will most surely happen.”

God cannot lie, either about his promise or about his oath, still less about both together; “He wanted to give us a double security” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The argument is strange to many readers today, but Isaiah 45.23, for example, shows that anything spoken, especially by God, was believed to take on a life and power of its own, distinct from that of the speaker. The term translated things may refer to words, but the author more probably means the event of God promising something to his people.

God cannot lie may be expressed as “God is not able to say what is not true.” The double negative, however, may be misleading, and a positive expression may be required: “God must surely say what is true.”

We who have found safety with him: translators vary (a) in their understanding of “we who have fled for refuge” (Revised Standard Version), and (b) in the way in which they link it with the rest of the sentence.
(a) Some translations emphasize the idea of running “away from” something: Moffatt “we refugees,” Knox “to us poor wanderers,” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “we who have left everything to seize the hope put before us.” This is possible, and in other places salvation includes for this writer the idea of escape. But this idea does not seem so important in this positive passage as if it had come, for example, in 2.3 or 6.4-8. By overtranslating, Phillips “we who are refugees from this dying world” shows that it is a new and somewhat unnatural idea here. Most translations therefore agree with Good News Translation in expressing the positive aspect of running “to” God for protection: Bible en français courant “we who have found a refuge in him,” Bijbel in Gewone Taal “we who seek our refuge with him.” With him is understood.
(b) The Greek may mean either (i) “… so that we who have taken refuge with him may have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope which is set before us,” or (ii) “… so that we who have fled to hold fast to him may have a strong encouragement in the hope which is set before us.” (i) fits in better with the general purpose of the letter, which is to encourage the readers to hold on to and develop the faith in Christ which they already have.

We who have found safety with him may be expressed as “we who have gone to him in order to be safe.” In rendering found, it is important to avoid an expression which may suggest accidental discovery. It is possible to emphasize certain aspects of this flight to God by translating “we who have run to God in order to be safe.”

Greatly encouraged by God’s vow, which gives proof of the reliability of God’s promise, just as legal proof in ancient Israel required at least two witnesses to agree (see Deut 19.15; compare Matt 18.16). We … are greatly encouraged may be rendered as “we are all the more sure” or “we become very certain.”

Hold firmly may mean either (a) to “hold on to” something you already have, or (b) to “seize” (Revised Standard Version) or reach out and grasp something you do not yet have. Translations are divided rather evenly: meaning (a), hold firmly, is chosen, for example, by Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Translator’s New Testament, and perhaps by Jerusalem Bible (“take a firm grip”). Meaning (b), “seize,” is chosen, for example, by Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, Phillips (“grasp”), New English Bible, and Bible de Jérusalem (“seize strongly”). The choice depends largely on whether “hope” is thought of as the act of hoping or the thing for which one hopes. In earlier verses, “to receive the promise(s)” is not simply to be given the promise itself, but to be given what was promised. This may apply to “hope” also, in which case meaning (b) would be better. This letter repeatedly insists on the need not only to resist the attacks of evil but to reach out to what the readers do not yet have. Meaning (a) would also involve some repetition with the first part of the verse. For this reason Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch omits who have found safety with him, combining it with hold firmly. Meaning (b), slightly expanded, would give “In this way, we who have taken refuge with God have a strong encouragement to reach out and seize what he puts before us as an object of our hope.”

Interpretation (a), namely to hold firmly to the hope placed before us, may be rendered idiomatically as “to hold close to our hearts the hope that God has placed before us.” Interpretation (b) may be translated as “to take into our hearts that hope which is offered to us.” In a number of instances the hope may need to be expressed as “that for which we wait with eager expectation.”

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 .

The contrast between the heavenly and earthly priesthood is complete. As already stated in 7.14, Jesus is not qualified to be a member of the earthly, Old Testament priesthood. The emphatic negative not … at all (similarly Bijbel in Gewone Taal, Jerusalem Bible, Phillips, Barclay, Translator’s New Testament) is the probable meaning. Another possible meaning is “not even” (Bible en français courant, New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), which implies “not a high priest, and not even a priest.” The first meaning is more likely, since the writer seldom contrasts “priest” and “high priest.”

In some languages it is difficult, if not impossible, to imply a condition contrary to fact, such as If he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all. The closest equivalent may be a contrast between the earthly and the heavenly conditions: “He is a priest in heaven, but if he is on earth he is not a priest.” Or it may combine causal relations and the matter of location: “Because he is in heaven he is a priest, but on earth he is not a priest.”

The verb required may be expressed as a type of necessity. For example, the gifts required by the Jewish Law may be rendered as “the gifts which the priests must offer because of the laws which the Jews must follow.”

Jewish is implied; compare Law of Moses in 7.19, 28. Strictly speaking, “Jewish” should not be used for the period before the end of the Babylonian Exile (586 B.C.), and the phrase “the Jewish Law” is not found in the New Testament (Rom 2.17 is not a real exception). The Jewish Law may be rendered as “the laws which the Jews follow” or “the laws which the Jews must obey.”

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 .

Those things probably sums up the objects mentioned in verse 19. In order to show clearly what Those things are, it may be necessary to employ an expression such as “Those things just mentioned” or “What has just been spoken about.” It is essential that Those things be explicit and specific, so that the clause which are copies of the heavenly originals may be understood as nonrestrictive. In fact, in some languages a nonrestrictive clause can only be introduced as a kind of parenthetical expression; for example, “they are copies of the heavenly originals” or “they are just like the ones in heaven which were copied.”

The term for had to is in an emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence. As usual the expression refers to a legal requirement (see also 7.12, 27; 9.16). Other links with the previous verses are (a) Revised Standard Version‘s “Thus” or “Therefore”; this is a summary of the requirements mentioned in earlier verses; and (b) Those things, pointing backward to the same items. Good News Translation‘s Those things, which are copies makes this link clearer than Revised Standard Version, though Good News Bible omits “thus.” Revised Standard Version‘s “rites” is not in the text, and Good News Bible‘s more general in that way may be better (so Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “through sacrifices”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy uses “these sacrifices”).

Had to be purified may need to be expressed as “it was necessary to purify them.” In that way may be expressed as “in the way just mentioned.”

The writer suggests in passing that the heavenly things, like the copies, needed to be purified. He is now increasingly stressing the uniqueness of Christ’s sacrifice, and therefore the contrast (better) between the old order and the new. The plural sacrifices means “a better kind of sacrifice.” The verses which follow will emphasize that under the new covenant, there is in fact only one sacrifice.

But the heavenly things themselves require much better sacrifices may be expressed as “But it is necessary for much better sacrifices to be made for the things in heaven” or “… for the sake of the things in heaven.”

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 .