The Meaning of Hebrews 10:9 Explained

Hebrews 10:9

KJV: Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

YLT: then he said, 'Lo, I come to do, O God, Thy will;' he doth take away the first that the second he may establish;

Darby: then he said, Lo, I come to do thy will. He takes away the first that he may establish the second;

ASV: then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  said he,  Lo,  I come  to do  thy  will,  O God.  He taketh away  the first,  that  he may establish  the second. 

What does Hebrews 10:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Hebrews 10:1-10 - "lo, I Come To Do Thy Will"
When a heavenly body is in eclipse it can be examined with even greater precision than when the astronomer's eye is directed toward its burning glory; so in Leviticus we can discover details of our Lord's atonement otherwise overlooked. This is notably the case in Leviticus 1:1-17; Leviticus 2:1-16; Leviticus 3:1-17; Leviticus 4:1-35.
The keywords of this chapter are year by year and day by day as contrasted with continually and forever. Repetition means imperfection. The ancient offerers of sacrifice could never be sure that they were finally accepted. Each year they had to go over the odd ground. How different from us, who have heard Jesus say, "It is finished"!
The spirit of inspiration offers to us the secret of our Savior's work in His voluntary identification with the divine purposes. It was not so much His outward anguish and blood-shedding that made reconciliation possible, as His cry, "Not my will, my Father, but thine." His attitude reminds us of the ancient custom of boring fast to the door the ear of the servant, who desired never again to leave His master's service. "Mine ears hast thou bored." See Psalms 40:6, margin. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hebrews 10

1  The weakness of the law sacrifices
10  The sacrifice of Christ's body once offered,
14  for ever has taken away sins
19  An exhortation to hold fast the faith with patience and thanksgiving

Greek Commentary for Hebrews 10:9

The which [αιτινες]
“Which very things” Then hath he said That is Christ. Perfect active indicative with which compare τοτε ειπον — tote eipon (second aorist active) in Hebrews 10:7 which is quoted again. He taketh away the first Present active indicative of αναιρεω — anaireō to take up, to abolish, of a man to kill (Matthew 2:16). By “the first” Purpose clause with ινα — hina and the first aorist active (transitive) subjunctive of ιστημι — histēmi to place. By “the second” This is the author‘s exegesis of the Psalm. [source]
He taketh away the first that he may establish the second []
Removes that which God does not will, the animal sacrifice, that he may establish that which God does will, the offering of an obedient will. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Hebrews 10:9

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same [Ἱησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ αὐτός]
The A.V. is slipshod, leaving the sentence without connection, or in apparent apposition with the end of their conversation. In translation this is commonly corrected by inserting is: “Jesus Christ is the same,” etc. But even thus the real point of the statement is missed. No doubt the old teachers believed in the unchangeableness of Jesus Christ; but that fact is not represented as the subject of their faith, which would be irrelevant and somewhat flat. The emphatic point of the statement is Christ. They lived and died in the faith that Jesus is The Christ - the Messiah. The readers were tempted to surrender this faith and to return to Judaism which denied Jesus's messiahship (comp. Hebrews 10:29). Hence the writer says, “hold fast and imitate their faith in Jesus as the Christ. He is ever the same. He must be to you, today, what he was to them, yesterday, and will be forever to the heavenly hosts - Christ. Rend. therefore “Jesus is Christ.” Observe that our writer rarely uses the formula Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 10:10it occurs in a passage in which the messianic mission of Jesus is emphasized (see Hebrews 10:5, Hebrews 10:9), and in Hebrews 13:21, in a liturgical formula. The temptation to forsake Jesus as Messiah is treated in the next verse. [source]
Hebrews 13:5 For he hath said [αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν]
Rend. for “he himself.” God himself. For εἴρηκεν hathsaid, see Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 4:3, Hebrews 4:4; Hebrews 10:9. [source]
Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city [οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν]
Here, on earth. Continuing city. Let us go forth without the gate to Jesus; for the system which has its center in Jerusalem, the Holy City, is no more ours. We are excluded from its religious fellowship by embracing the faith of him who suffered without the gate. The city itself is not abiding. As a holy city, it is the center and representative of a system of shadows and figures (Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:9, Hebrews 9:23, Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 10:1), which is to be shaken and removed, even as is the city itself (Hebrews 12:27); Hebrews 8:13; Hebrews 9:10; Hebrews 10:9, Hebrews 10:18. If the epistle had been written after the destruction of Jerusalem a reference to that event could hardly have been avoided here. [source]
Hebrews 13:5 Be ye free from the love of money [απιλαργυρος ο τροπος]
No copula, but supply εστο — esto “Let your manner of life Alpha privative and πιλος — philos and αργυρος — arguros The N.T. is full of the peril of money on the character as modern life is also. Content with such things as ye have Present passive participle of αρκεω — arkeō to suffice, to be content as in Luke 3:14. Cf. αυταρκης — autarkēs in Philemon 4:11. Here in the nominative plural with no substantive or pronoun (anacoluthon, as in 2 Corinthians 1:7) or the participle used as a principal verb as in Romans 12:16. “Contented with the present things” For himself hath said God himself as in Acts 20:33 of Christ. Perfect active indicative as in Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 4:3.; Hebrews 10:9. The quotation is a free paraphrase of Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20. Philo (de Confus. Ling. 32) has it in this form, “a popular paraphrase” (Moffatt). Note the five negatives strengthening each other A noble promise in times of depression. [source]
Hebrews 4:3 Do enter [εισερχομετα]
Emphatic futuristic present middle indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai We are sure to enter in, we who believe. He hath said Perfect active indicative for the permanent value of God‘s word as in Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 4:4; Hebrews 10:9, Hebrews 10:13; Hebrews 13:5; Acts 13:34. God has spoken. That is enough for us. So he quotes again what he has in Hebrews 4:11 from Psalm 95:1-11. Although the works were finished Genitive absolute with concessive use of the participle. Old particle, in N.T. only here and Acts 14:17 (with verb). From the foundation of the world Καταβολη — Katabolē late word from καταβαλλω — kataballō usually laying the foundation of a house in the literal sense. In the N.T. usually with απο — apo (Matthew 25:44) or προ — pro (John 17:24) about the foundation of the world. [source]

What do the individual words in Hebrews 10:9 mean?

then He said Behold I have come - to do the will of You He takes away first that second He might establish
τότε εἴρηκεν Ἰδοὺ ἥκω τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου ἀναιρεῖ πρῶτον ἵνα δεύτερον στήσῃ

εἴρηκεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
Ἰδοὺ  Behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
ἥκω  I  have  come 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἥκω  
Sense: to have come, have arrived, be present.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ποιῆσαι  to  do 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
σου  of  You 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ἀναιρεῖ  He  takes  away 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀναιρέω  
Sense: to take up, to lift up (from the ground).
πρῶτον  first 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πρῶτος  
Sense: first in time or place.
ἵνα  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
δεύτερον  second 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: δεύτερον 
Sense: the second, the other of two.
στήσῃ  He  might  establish 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἵστημι  
Sense: to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.