The Meaning of Hebrews 5:9 Explained

Hebrews 5:9

KJV: And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

YLT: and having been made perfect, he did become to all those obeying him a cause of salvation age-during,

Darby: and having been perfected, became to all them that obey him, author of eternal salvation;

ASV: and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  being made perfect,  he became  the author  of eternal  salvation  unto all  them that obey  him; 

What does Hebrews 5:9 Mean?

Study Notes

salvation
.
The Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία , safety, preservation, healing, and soundness). Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification. Salvation is in three tenses:
(1) The believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin Luke 7:50 ; 1 Corinthians 1:18 ; 2 Corinthians 2:15 ; Ephesians 2:5 ; Ephesians 2:8 ; 2 Timothy 1:9 and is safe.
(2) the believer is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin Romans 6:14 ; Philippians 1:19 ; Philippians 2:12 ; Philippians 2:13 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ; Romans 8:2 ; Galatians 2:19 ; Galatians 2:20 ; 2 Corinthians 3:18 .
(3) The believer is to be saved in the sense of entire conformity to Christ. Romans 13:11 ; Hebrews 10:36 ; 1 Peter 1:5 ; 1 John 3:2 . Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift, and wholly without works; Romans 3:27 ; Romans 3:28 ; Romans 4:1-8 ; Romans 6:23 ; Ephesians 2:8 . The divine order is: first salvation, then works; Ephesians 2:9 ; Ephesians 2:10 ; Titus 3:5-8 .

Verse Meaning

This experience perfected Jesus Christ in the sense that it completed Him by giving Him experiential knowledge of what human beings must endure. Obeying God means trusting Him (cf. John 6:29; Acts 6:7; Romans 10:16; 1 Peter 1:22). Jesus Isaiah , of course, the source of eternal, not just temporal, salvation to all who initially believe on Him. However, in view of the writer"s emphasis, it may be that he was also referring here to the ultimate aspect of our salvation, our eternal inheritance ( Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 9:15). We obtain this to the extent that we "obey" God, and obey Him through suffering as Jesus did (cf. Mark 8:34-35). [1] A major reason that early Jewish Christians suffered was because they chose to follow Christ. Likewise today all Christians face temptation to play down our commitment to Christ in the face of persecution of various kinds. Jesus Christ is the source (cause) of our inheritance not only because it comes from Him, but also because as our file leader He has blazed a trail through suffering for us ( Hebrews 2:10). He is also the source of our inheritance because as our High Priest He provides what we need to live obediently to God.
"It is a nice touch that he who learned to obey brought salvation to those who obey." [2]

Context Summary

Hebrews 5:1-10 - Our Divinely Appointed High Priest
Having to act for men, our High Priest must be man, acquainted with human conditions; having to do with God, he must be appointed by God. Is there one of us that is not conscious of liability to ignorance and wandering? We all evermore need the high priesthood of Jesus.
The Aaronic priests must needs make atonement for themselves, but our Lord was without sin. See Leviticus 4:3. Hebrews 5:5 has reference to His resurrection and ascension. See Romans 1:4; Acts 13:33. His priestly service dates from the completion of His mediatorial work on the Cross. No scene in our Lord's life fulfills Hebrews 5:7 like that of the Garden, when it seemed impossible for the human body to hold out under the stress of His anguish. He feared that He would succumb before He reached Calvary. He had to yield obedience unto death in order to learn what obedience really means. Thus as to His humanity He became perfected; and if only we believe and obey, He will effect a perfect deliverance for us from all evil. There is no sin so strong, no need so intricate, that He cannot cope with it. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hebrews 5

1  The honor of our Savior's priesthood
11  Negligence in the knowledge thereof is reproved

Greek Commentary for Hebrews 5:9

Having been made perfect [τελειωτεις]
First aorist passive participle of τελειοω — teleioō the completion of the process of training mentioned by this same verb in Hebrews 2:10 “by means of sufferings” Common adjective from αιτια — aitia (cause), causing, often in Greek with σωτηριας — sōtērias (Aeschines, Philo), in N.T. only here, Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14, Luke 23:22; Acts 19:40. See same idea in Hebrews 2:10 See Isaiah 45:17. [source]
And being made perfect [καὶ τελεωθεὶς]
Comp. Hebrews 2:10. The fundamental idea in τελειοῦν is the bringing of a person or thing to the goal fixed by God. Comp. Hebrews 7:11, Hebrews 7:19; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:14; Hebrews 11:40; Hebrews 12:23. Here of Christ's having reached the end which was contemplated in his divinely-appointed discipline for the priesthood. The consummation was attained in his death, Philemon 2:8; his obedience extended even unto death. [source]
The author of eternal salvation [αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου]
Ἀίτιος , N.T.oan adjective, causing. Comp. captain of salvation, Hebrews 2:10. The phrase σωτηρία αὀώνιος eternalsalvation N.T.obut see lxx, Hebrews href="/desk/?q=heb+5:8&sr=1">Hebrews 5:8, and salvation to save, Hebrews 5:7. If the captain of salvation must learn obedience, so must his followers. Comp. 2 Thessalonians 1:8. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Hebrews 5:9

Luke 23:4 I find no fault [ουδεν ευρισκω αιτιον]
In the N.T. Luke alone uses this old adjective αιτιος — aitios (Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14, Luke 23:22; Acts 19:40) except Hebrews 5:9. It means one who is the author, the cause of or responsible for anything. Luke does not give the explanation of this sudden decision of Pilate that Jesus is innocent. Evidently he held a careful examination before he delivered his judgment on the case. That conversation is given in John 18:33-38. Pilate took Jesus inside the palace from the upper gallery (John 18:33) and then came out and rendered his decision to the Sanhedrin (John 18:38) who would not go into the palace of Pilate (John 18:28). [source]
John 4:34 Finish [πελειώσω]
Better, as Rev., accomplish. Not merely bring to an end, but perfect. From τέλειος , perfect. The verb is characteristic of John, and of the Epistle to the Hebrews. See John 5:36; John 17:4; John 19:28; 1 John 2:5; 1 John 4:12; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9, etc. [source]
Acts 19:40 There being no cause for it [μηδενος αιτιου υπαρχοντος]
Genitive absolute with αιτιος — aitios common adjective (cf. αιτια — aitia cause) though in N.T. only here and Hebrews 5:9; Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14, Luke 23:22. And as touching it (περι ου — peri hou). “Concerning which.” But what? No clear antecedent, only the general idea. Give an account of this concourse Rationem reddere. They will have to explain matters to the proconsul. Συστροπη — Sustrophē (from συν — sun together, στρεπω — strephō to turn) is a late word for a conspiracy (Acts 23:12) and a disorderly riot as here (Polybius). In Acts 28:12 συστρεπω — sustrephō is used of gathering up a bundle of sticks and of men combining in Matthew 17:22. Seneca says that there was nothing on which the Romans looked with such jealousy as a tumultuous meeting. [source]
Hebrews 12:2 The author and finisher of our faith [τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν]
The A.V. is misleading, and narrows the scope of the passage. For author, rend. leader or captain, and see on Hebrews 2:10. For finisher, rend. perfecter. For our faith, rend. faith or the faith. Not our Christian faith, but faith absolutely, as exhibited in the whole range of believers from Abel to Christ. Christ cannot be called the author or originator of faith, since the faith here treated existed and worked before Christ. Christ is the leader or captain of faith, in that he is the perfecter of faith. In himself he furnished the perfect development, the supreme example of faith, and in virtue of this he is the leader of the whole believing host in all time. Notice the recurrence of the favorite idea of perfecting. Comp. Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 7:11, Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 7:28; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:14; Hebrews 11:40. Τελειωτής perfecterN.T.oolxx, oClass. [source]

What do the individual words in Hebrews 5:9 mean?

and having been perfected He became to all those obeying Him [the] author of salvation eternal
καὶ τελειωθεὶς ἐγένετο πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου

τελειωθεὶς  having  been  perfected 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: τελειόω  
Sense: to make perfect, complete.
ἐγένετο  He  became 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
πᾶσιν  to  all 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
τοῖς  those 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ὑπακούουσιν  obeying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ὑπακούω  
Sense: to listen, to harken.
αἴτιος  [the]  author 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: αἴτιος  
Sense: that which is the cause of anything resides, causative, causing.
σωτηρίας  of  salvation 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: σωτηρία  
Sense: deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation.
αἰωνίου  eternal 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: αἰώνιος  
Sense: without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.