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Nature represents God to man.

This ‘Tabernacle,’ which Christ serves and through which God is made known to men, is the ideal ‘Tabernacle’ ( hJ sk. hJ ajlhqinhv ) of which the earthly Tabernacle was a symbol. For ajlhqinov" compare Heb. 9:24; 10:22 note (not 9:14). The word is common in St John's writings (John 1:9; 4:23 note). Elsewhere in the N. T. it occurs only in Luke 16:11; 1 Thess. 1:9. For the idea of the Tabernacle see Additional Note on Heb. 8:5. Compare Wisd. 9:8. h}n e[phxen ] The verb is habitually used by classical writers in this connexion ( phgnuvnai skhnhvn ). So it is used of the heavens: Is. 42:5; (Ps. 104:3). Comp. Num. 24:6 (LXX.).
oJ kuvrio" ] Comp. Heb. 8:11 (Jer. 31:34 LXX.). Elsewhere in the Epistle ‘the Lord’ (Jehovah) is always represented by Kuvrio" (eleven times) while oJ kuvrio" is used of Christ: Heb. 2:3 note. But see Luke 1:6, 9, 28, 46; James 4:15; 5:15 & c.
oujk a[nqrwpo" ] Compare Heb. 9:11, 24 ( ouj ceiropoivhta ). Heb. 8:3, 4. The fact and the scene of Christ's High-priestly work. 8:3. pa'" ga;r ajrc. ] Compare Heb. 5:1. The fact that the Lord is High- priest—a minister of the sanctuary—involves of necessity and rests upon His performance of High-priestly functions; for every High-priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. He must therefore have both an offering and a place of approach to God: an offering that in the virtue of the blood He might find entrance to the Presence of God, as the Aaronic High-priest on the Day of Atonement; a place of approach fulfilling the type of the Holy of Holies, not on earth (8:4) and consequently in heaven.
eij" to; prosf. d. kai; q. ] Comp. Heb. 5:1 ( i{na prosfevrh/ ) note.
o{qen ... o} prosenevgkh/ ] whence it was necessary that this High-priest also should have something to offer , Vulg. unde necesse est et hunc habere aliquid quod offerat. This offering is described as made once for all
(
prosenevgkh/ contrasted with prosfevrh/ 9:25; comp. Heb. 7:27). The one sufficient offering was made by Christ as the condition of entrance into the sanctuary through His own blood (Heb. 9:12). On this His intercession is based. That intercession knows no end or interruption; and therefore no second offering is required, as in the case of the Levitical High-priest, who made a fresh offering every year in order that he might again enter and repeat the intercession which had been made before.

The necessary condition of the entrance of our High-priest into the Presence of God throws light upon the difficulty which the Hebrews felt as to His death. Through no less an offering than that of Himself could He come before God for His people.

It has been debated whether h\n or ejstivn should be supplied with ajnagkai'on . If the reference is to the offering on the Cross, as seems to be required by the type and the context, then h\n must be supplied.
e[cein ti ] that is ‘Himself’ (7:27 ajnafevrein ; 9:14, 25 prosfevrein ) or His ‘Body’ (10:10 prosforav ). It seems necessary to supply that object which is elsewhere used with prosfevrein in the same connexion. Many have interpreted the ti of ‘the Blood.’ But the Blood was not properly ‘offered’ in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement (yet see Heb. 9:7). It was used as the means of entrance and purification. Even so Christ entered into the Divine Presence ‘through ( diav ) His own Blood’ (Heb. 9:12), and by that purifies ‘the


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