EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Hebrews 9:18
18So even God's first agreement with his people needed the blood of an animal. The agreement only had authority after a death.
Hebrews 9:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
- New International Version (NIV)This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.
Context of Hebrews 9:18
16Think about this. A person may make an agreement about who will receive his things after his death. But nobody receives anything until it is clear that the person has really died. 17The agreement only has authority after the death of the person who made it. It has no authority while that person is still alive. So even God's first agreement with his people needed the blood of an animal. The agreement only had authority after a death. 19It was like this. Moses read God's laws aloud to all Israel's people. He told them every rule that God had given them. After that, Moses killed some young cows and goats. He took some of their blood and he mixed it with water. He threw some of the blood to drop onto the book of God's laws. He also caused some to drop onto all the people. He used red sheep's hair and some small branches of a plant called hyssop to throw the blood and water. 20When Moses did this, he said to the people, ‘This blood shows that God's agreement with you has authority.’
Read all of Hebrews 9Hebrews 9:18 word by word
ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἡ πρώτη χωρὶς αἵματος ἐγκεκαίνισται.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hebrews 9:18
- Hebrews 8:7If there had been nothing wrong with that first agreement, then nobody would have needed a second agreement.
- Exodus 12:22Put the blood into a dish. Then take a branch of hyssop. Make it wet with the blood that is in the dish. Then put some of the blood on the wood that is round your door. Nobody must go out of the door of his house until the morning.
- Exodus 24:3Moses went and he told the people all the Lord's commands and his teaching. The people answered together, ‘We will do everything that the Lord has told us.’
- Hebrews 9:14But the blood of Christ's sacrifice will do much more than that! Christ offered himself to God, in the power of his Spirit, who lives for ever. That sacrifice was completely good. There was no wrong thing in Christ. He offered his own blood to make us completely clean inside ourselves. We no longer have to do things that lead to death. Instead, we can serve the God who lives for ever.
Commentaries on Hebrews 9:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Whereupon - ̔ . Wherefore, as a victim was required for the ratification of every covenant, the first covenant made between God and the Hebrews, by the mediation of Moses, was not dedicated, , renewed or solemnized, without blood - without the death of a victim, and the aspersion of its blood.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Whereupon - ̔́ Hothen- “Whence.” Or since this is a settled principle, or an indisputable fact, it occurred in accordance with this, that the first covenant was confirmed by the shedding of blood. The admitted principle which the apostle had stated, that the death of the victim was necessary to confirm the covenant, was the “reason” why the first covenant was ratified with blood. If there were any doubt about the correctness of the interpretation given…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 The solemn transactions between God and man, are sometimes called a covenant, here a testament, which is a willing deed of a person, bestowing legacies on such persons as are described, and it only takes effect upon his death. Thus Christ died, not only to obtain the blessings of salvation for us, but to give power to the disposal of them. All, by sin, were become guilty before God, had forfeited every thing that is good; but God, willing to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-19put into effect: Exodus 24:3–8 describes Moses starting the old covenant using the blood of a sacrifice. Hebrews is the only ancient source that says Moses sprinkled the book of God's law (see Exodus 24:6–8). Hyssop branches have blue flowers and strong-smelling leaves. People used them with sacrifices for cleansing (Exodus 12:22; Leviticus 14:4; Numbers 19:6, 18).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Whereupon--rather, "Whence." dedicated--"inaugurated." The Old Testament strictly and formally began on that day of inauguration. "Where the disposition, or arrangement, is ratified by the blood of another, namely, of animals, which cannot make a covenant, much less make a testament, it is not strictly a testament, where it is ratified by the death of him that makes the arrangement, it is strictly, Greek 'diathece,' Hebrew 'berith,' taken in a wider…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 9:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 9
- 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
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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