Hebrews 2:17

Hebrews 2:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
• New International Version (NIV)For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Context of Hebrews 2:17

15Before, we were like slaves all our lives because we were afraid of death. But now, Jesus' death makes us free. 16It is clear that Jesus did not come to help the angels. He came to help people who are from Abraham's family. Because of that, it was necessary for Jesus to become completely like us, his brothers and sisters. He had to become God's servant on our behalf, like God's most important priest. In that way, he could serve God well and be kind to us. He died as a sacrifice so that God could forgive us for our sins. 18While Jesus lived on earth, the Devil tried to make him do wrong things. This caused Jesus to have much pain and trouble. But because of that, he can now help us not to do wrong things.

Hebrews 2:17 word by word

ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι, ἵνα ἐλεήμων γένηται καὶ πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whereforeὅθενhothen · whenceG3606
• inκατάkata · according toG2596
• all thingsπᾶςpas · allG3956
• it behoved himὀφείλωopheilō opheileō · to oweG3784
• to be made likeὁμοιόωhomoioō · to likenG3666
• untoὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• untoἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• he might beγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• aἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• mercifulἐλεήμωνeleēmōn · mercifulG1655
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• faithfulπιστόςpistos · faithfulG4103
• in thingsπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• make reconciliation forἱλάσκομαιhilaskomai · to propitiateG2433
• the sinsἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• of the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992

Cross-references for Hebrews 2:17

• Hebrews 2:11Jesus is the one who makes people clean in front of God. Jesus himself and all the people that he makes clean have the same Father. So Jesus is not ashamed to call all those people his brothers and sisters.
• Philippians 2:7Instead, he chose to leave heaven. He took for himself the nature of a slave. He became like a human.
• Hebrews 3:2That is what God sent Jesus to do. Jesus did everything that God wanted, just like Moses. Moses served God well when he was the leader of God's people long ago.
• Hebrews 4:15Jesus, our great priest understands us. He knows how weak we are. He knows that we sometimes want to do wrong things. The Devil tried to make him do all those same kinds of wrong things. But Jesus never did anything wrong.
• Hebrews 5:1Every leader of God's priests comes from among the people. That special priest's work is to serve God on behalf of God's people. He offers gifts and sacrifices to God, so that God will forgive the people's sins.
• Isaiah 11:5He will wear justice like a belt round his clothes. He will always be honest and true.
• Leviticus 6:30They must take the blood of a sin offering into the Tent of Meeting. It is a sacrifice to atone for sin. Nobody should eat any of that offering. The priest must burn it.
• Leviticus 8:15Moses killed the bull. He put his finger in the blood. He put the blood on the horns of the altar. That made it holy. Moses poured out the blood that he had not used. He poured it onto the floor in front of the altar. This is how he made the altar ready to make sacrifices.
• 2 Chronicles 29:24Then the priests killed the goats as a sin offering. They offered their blood on the altar as a sacrifice. Then all the people of Israel would no longer be guilty for their sins. This was because the king had said that the burnt offerings and the sin offerings would be for all Israel.
• Ezekiel 45:15Take one sheep from every 200 sheep that feed on the grass in Israel. These gifts will be for grain offerings, for burnt offerings and for friendship offerings. These offerings will cause me to forgive you for your sins. I, the Almighty Lord, tell you to do this.
• Daniel 9:24God has decided the time of punishment for your people and your holy city. It will continue for 70 weeks. That will finish the punishment for their sins. The people will no longer turn against God. They will have paid the price for their sins. God will cause them to live for ever in a way that is right. God will show that the visions and messages of the prophets are true. The Most Holy Place will belong to God again.
• Romans 5:10While we were still God's enemies, God's Son died on our behalf. As a result, we became God's friends. So, now that we are God's friends, his Son will certainly save us. Christ will save us because he is alive again.
• 2 Corinthians 5:18All this is what God does for us. Because of what Christ has done, God has brought us back to himself, as his friends. Now he wants us to bring other people to be his friends too. That is the job that he has given to us.
• Ephesians 2:16As a single group, Christ brought Jews and Gentiles back to God. He stopped them from hating each other. He did this by his death on the cross.
• Colossians 1:21As for you, you were far away from God at one time. You thought bad things and you did bad things. As a result, you were God's enemies.

Commentaries on Hebrews 2:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Wherefore in all things - Because he thus laid hold on man in order to redeem him, it was necessary that he should in all things become like to man, that he might suffer in his stead, and make an atonement in his nature. That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest - ̔ · That he might be merciful - that he might be affected with a feeling of our infirmities, that, partaking of our nature with all its innocent infirmities and afflictions, he might…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Wherefore in all things - In respect to his body; his soul; his rank and character. There was a propriety that he should be like them, and should partake of their nature. The meaning is, that there was a fitness that nothing should be wanting in him in reference to the innocent propensities and sympathies of human nature. It behoved him - It became him; or there was a fitness and propriety in it. The reason why it was proper, the apostle proceeds to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 The angels fell, and remained without hope or help. Christ never designed to be the Saviour of the fallen angels, therefore he did not take their nature; and the nature of angels could not be an atoning sacrifice for the sin of man. Here is a price paid, enough for all, and suitable to all, for it was in our nature. Here the wonderful love of God appeared, that, when Christ knew what he must suffer in our nature, and how he must die in it…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18These verses introduce Jesus as our kind and loyal high priest, a role fully explained in the main part of Hebrews (Hebrews 4:14–10:25). He needed to share our human experience (see 5:1).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Wherefore--Greek, "Whence." Found in Paul's speech, Ac 26:19. in all things--which are incidental to manhood, the being born, nourished, growing up, suffering. Sin is not, in the original constitution of man, a necessary attendant of manhood, so He had no sin. it behooved him--by moral necessity, considering what the justice and love of God required of Him as Mediator (compare He 5:3), the office which He had voluntarily undertaken in order to "help"…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 2:17

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Atonement
• Jesus Continued
• Reconciliation
• Salvation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• High priest
• Bondage
• Brother
• Heed
• Humiliation of Christ
• Intercession of Christ
• Mediator
• Neglect

Commentaries on Hebrews 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings