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Hebrews Chapter 7

Hebrews Chapter 7

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
A priest like Melchizedek
  1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, the man who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
  2. to whom Abraham also distributed a tenth of all.  When translated, his name indeed first means: “king of righteousness”, and then also “king of Salem”, that is “king of peace”.
  3. Without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life.  But having been made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continuously.
  4. And see how great this man was, to whom even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth from the best spoils of war.
  5. And indeed, men from the sons of Levi – after receiving the office of priest – have a command to take a tenth from the people according to the law, (that is, from their brothers) though both have come from Abraham’s loin.
  6. But the man not tracing his ancestry from them has collected a tenth from Abraham and has blessed the man having the promises.
  7. And beyond all contention, the lesser is blessed by the greater.
  8. And indeed, dying men receive tithes here, but there it’s being testified that he lives.
  9. And, so to speak,fn“so to speak” is literally “so to a word to speak”.  This is an idiom, indicating that the following is not literally true, but rather is merely an expression. even Levi (the man receiving tithes) has paid tithes through Abraham,
  10. for he was still in the loin of his father when Melchizedek met him.
  11. Therefore, if perfection was indeed through the Levitical priesthood – for the people have received it under the law – why was there still need for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not to be called according to the order of Aaron?
  12. For with the priesthood being changed, a change of law also happens by necessity.
  13. For the One about whom these things are spoken *belongs to another tribe, from which no one has attended to the altar.
  14. For it’s obvious that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing concerning priests.
  15. And it’s still more abundantly evident if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,
  16. (who hasn’t become a priest according to a fleshly commandment in the law, but according to the power of an indestructible life)
  17. for scripture testifies that: “You are a priest through the ages,fn“ages” is literally “age” according to the order of Melchizedek.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 110:4
  18. For indeed, a nullification of the preceding commandment happens because it’s weak and useless,
  19. for the law perfected nothing, but it’s an introduction to a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
  20. And accordingly, it wasn’t without an oath; for indeed, other men *became (and are) priests without an oath.
  21. But with an oath, He swore by the One saying to Him: “The Lord swore with an oath and won’t change His mind, you are a priest through the ages.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 110:4  “ages” is literally “age”
  22. Accordingly, Jesus also has become the guarantee of a much better covenant.
  23. And indeed, the men who *became priests are many because they are prevented from continuing by death.
  24. But because He remains through the ages,fn“ages” is literally “age” He has a permanent priesthood.
  25. For which reason, He is also able to save the men approaching God through Him to the utmost, always living to intercede on their behalf.
  26. For such a high priest indeed was fitting for us; holy, innocent, undefiled, *separated from sinners and having become higher than the heavens,
  27. who doesn’t have a need to offer sacrifices every day as the high priests do – first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people – for He did this once for all by having offered Himself.
  28. For the law appoints men having weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath that’s after the law appoints a Son who has been perfected through the ages.fn“ages” is literally “age”

 

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