Hebrews 10:19

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19) The exhortation which here begins is very similar to that of Hebrews 4:14-16. Its greater fulness and expressiveness are in accordance with the development in the thought.

Therefore.—The chief thoughts taken up are those expressed in Hebrews 9:11-12. The word “boldness” has occurred in Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 4:16. (See the Notes.)

By the blood of Jesus.—Better, in the blood of Jesus; for the meaning probably is, “Having’ therefore boldness in the blood of Jesus for entering into the Holy (i.e., the Holiest) Place.” It is not that we enter “with the blood,” as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9:25): no comparison is made between Christ’s people and the Jewish high priest. But as when he entered within the veil the whole people symbolically entered in with him, so do we enter with our High Priest, who “by means of His own blood” entered for us (and as our “Forerunner,” Hebrews 6:20) into the immediate presence of God. In that through which He entered we have our “boldness to enter.”

Benson Commentary

Hebrews 10:19-22. Having therefore — The apostle, having finished the doctrinal part of his epistle, now proceeds to exhortation, deduced from what has been treated of from Hebrews 5:4. For though there are some occasional intermixtures of doctrines, consonant to those before insisted on, yet his professed design henceforward is to propose to, and press on, the believing Hebrews, such duties as the truths he had insisted on laid a foundation for, and showed to be necessary to be practised. Having therefore boldness — The word παρρησια, thus rendered, properly means liberty of speech; and by an easy figure, boldness, or confidence, as it is rendered chap. Hebrews 3:6. Here it signifies that boldness which arises from a firm persuasion of our title to appear before God as pardoned persons, through the blood of Christ. To enter into the holiest — That is, the true sanctuary, the holy place not made with hands, the immediate gracious presence of God himself in Christ Jesus. Whatever was typically represented in the most holy place of old, we have access to, especially into the favour and friendship of God, and a state of fellowship with him. Of this privilege the blood of Christ, or his sacrifice, is the procuring cause. By this, all causes of distance between God and believers are removed. For on the one hand, it made atonement for our sins, and procured our free justification; and on the other gives peace to our consciences, and removes every discouraging fear of approaching him, whether in his ordinances here, or in his kingdom and glory hereafter. By a new and living way — He calls it a new way, because it was but newly made and prepared; belongs to the new covenant, and admits of no decays, but is always new, as to its efficacy and use, as in the day of its first preparation; whereas that of the tabernacle waxed old, and so was prepared for a removal. And he terms it a living way, because all that use it are alive to God, and in the way to life everlasting. And this is no other than the way of faith, or confidence in the mercy and promises of God, through the sacrifice of Christ, according to the revelation made thereof in the gospel; which he hath consecrated — Prepared, dedicated, and established; through the veil, that is, his flesh — He refers to the veil that was interposed between the holy and the most holy place of the Jewish tabernacle and temple: see Hebrews 9:3. This veil, on our Lord’s death, was rent from the top to the bottom, by which the most holy place became visible and accessible to all that were in the outward tabernacle; by which fact was signified, that by virtue of Christ’s sacrifice, whereby his flesh was torn and rent, the God of heaven was manifested, and the way to heaven laid open to all true believers. And having a High-Priest over the house — Or family; of God — Who continually appears in the presence of God, and ever lives to make intercession for us; let us draw near — To God; with a true heart — In godly sincerity, and with fervent desire after such blessings of the gospel as we have not yet received; in full assurance of faith — That we shall find acceptance with God through the mediation of our High-Priest, and the answer of our petitions; having our hearts sprinkled — That is, cleansed, by the application of Christ’s blood; from an evil conscience — Namely, a conscience defiled with the guilt of past sin. See on Hebrews 9:14. When the Israelites were ceremonially polluted, they were to be cleansed by sprinkling them with the water of separation, described Numbers 19:2-10; but the sprinkling or cleansing here recommended is not of the body from ceremonial pollution, but of the soul from the guilt and distress of an accusing conscience. This cleansing is effected neither by water nor by the blood of beasts, but by faith in Christ’s blood, shed as a sin-offering, whereby the repenting sinner hath a full assurance of pardon. And our bodies washed with pure water — All our conversation unblameable and holy, through the influence of God’s sanctifying Spirit. This seems to be spoken with an allusion to the high-priest’s washing his body with water before he entered the inward tabernacle, Leviticus 16:4. In that manner also the Levites were purified, (Numbers 8:7,) to prepare them for the service of the sanctuary.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:19-25 The apostle having closed the first part of the epistle, the doctrine is applied to practical purposes. As believers had an open way to the presence of God, it became them to use this privilege. The way and means by which Christians enjoy such privileges, is by the blood of Jesus, by the merit of that blood which he offered up as an atoning sacrifice. The agreement of infinite holiness with pardoning mercy, was not clearly understood till the human nature of Christ, the Son of God, was wounded and bruised for our sins. Our way to heaven is by a crucified Saviour; his death is to us the way of life, and to those who believe this, he will be precious. They must draw near to God; it would be contempt of Christ, still to keep at a distance. Their bodies were to be washed with pure water, alluding to the cleansings directed under the law: thus the use of water in baptism, was to remind Christians that their conduct should be pure and holy. While they derived comfort and grace from their reconciled Father to their own souls, they would adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. Believers are to consider how they can be of service to each other, especially stirring up each other to the more vigorous and abundant exercise of love, and the practice of good works. The communion of saints is a great help and privilege, and a means of stedfastness and perseverance. We should observe the coming of times of trial, and be thereby quickened to greater diligence. There is a trying day coming on all men, the day of our death.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Having therefore, brethren - The apostle, in this verse, enters on the hortatory part of his Epistle, which continues to the end of it. He had gone into an extensive examination of the Jewish and Christian systems; he had compared the Founders of the two - Moses and the Son of God, and shown how far superior the latter was to the former; he had compared the Christian Great High Priest with the Jewish high priest, and shown his superiority; he had compared the sacrifices under the two dispensations, and showed that in all respects the Christian sacrifice was superior to the Jewish - that it was an offering that cleansed from sin; that it was sufficient when once offered without being repeated, while the Jewish offerings were only typical, and were unable to put away sin; and he had shown that the great High Priest of the Christian profession had opened a way to the mercy-seat in heaven, and was himself now seated there; and having shown this, he now exhorts Christians to avail themselves fully of all their advantages, and to enjoy to the widest extent all the privileges now conferred on them. One of the first of these benefits was, that they had now free access to the mercy-seat.

Boldness to enter into the holiest - Margin, "liberty." The word rendered "boldness" - παῤῥησίαν parrēsian - properly means "boldness of speech," or freedom where one speaks all that he thinks (notes, Acts 4:13); and then it means boldness in general, license, authority, pardon. Here the idea is, that before Christ died and entered into heaven, there was no such access to the throne of grace as man needed. Man had no offering which he could bring that would make him acceptable to God. But now the way was open. Access was free for all, and all might come with the utmost freedom. The word "holiest" here is taken from the holy of holies in the temple (notes on Hebrews 9:3), and is there applied to heaven, of which that was the emblem. The entrance into the most holy place was forbidden to all but the high priest; but now access to the real "holy of holies" was granted to all in the name of the great High Priest of the Christian profession.

By the blood of Jesus - The blood of Jesus is the means by which this access to heaven is procured. The Jewish high priest entered the holy of holies with the blood of bullocks and of rams (notes, Hebrews 9:7); but the Saviour offered his own blood, and that became the means by which we may have access to God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. Here begins the third and last division of the Epistle; our duty now while waiting for the Lord's second advent. Resumption and expansion of the exhortation (Heb 4:14-16; compare Heb 10:22, 23 here) wherewith he closed the first part of the Epistle, preparatory to his great doctrinal argument, beginning at Heb 7:1.

boldness—"free confidence," grounded on the consciousness that our sins have been forgiven.

to enter—literally, "as regards the entering."

by—Greek, "in"; it is in the blood of Jesus that our boldness to enter is grounded. Compare Eph 3:12, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence." It is His having once for all entered as our Forerunner (Heb 6:20) and High Priest (Heb 10:21), making atonement for us with His blood, which is continually there (Heb 12:24) before God, that gives us confident access. No priestly caste now mediates between the sinner and his Judge. We may come boldly with loving confidence, not with slavish fear, directly through Christ, the only mediating Priest. The minister is not officially nearer God than the layman; nor can the latter serve God at a distance or by deputy, as the natural man would like. Each must come for himself, and all are accepted when they come by the new and living way opened by Christ. Thus all Christians are, in respect to access directly to God, virtually high priests (Re 1:6). They draw nigh in and through Christ, the only proper High Priest (Heb 7:25).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

At this verse the Spirit applieth and maketh use of the doctrine of the great gospel High Priest, and his one all-sufficient sacrifice, and continueth it through part of Hebrews 13:1-25. The transition to it is made by the particle oun, therefore, which refers to the whole of his doctrinal discourse before of the excellency of the gospel High Priest, for his person, as to both his natures, being God-man, and his sacrifice, with its effects. Seeing these things are so,

therefore, brethren; see Hebrews 3:1,12; inviting them with this endearing term of relation, to receive what his brotherly love imparted to them for their salvation.

Boldness to enter into the holiest; freedom granted us of God for this motion, and confidence and freeness of Spirit in ourselves to move, so as not only to look into the holy of holiest, but of spiritual and real access for supplication and conversation, while we are personally upon earth; and others are denied such an entrance and approach to him on his throne of grace there, while they have their petitions received, Ephesians 3:12, and thence their persons blessed, Hebrews 4:16.

By the blood of Jesus: and this only vouchsafed them by the blood of Jesus, which atoned him, who sits on the throne, for us, and made it accessible to us. How much greater is this gospel privilege than that under the law! Aaron alone, and not the Israelites, could enter into the holy of holiest, and that but once a year, and then with the blood of beasts sacrificed for himself and them; whereas every penitent believing sinner can now by faith in Christ’s blood and prayer, enter into the holiest of all in heaven, and there converse with God every day, while sin hath made him inaccessible to others.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Having therefore, brethren,.... As they were to the apostle, in a natural and civil sense, being Hebrews, as well as in a spiritual relation, being believers in Christ; which is observed, to testify his affection to them, and to engage their regard to the duties hereafter urged, particularly brotherly love, and to signify their common and equal right to the privilege next mentioned, which is

boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus: the place saints have boldness to enter into is heaven, called "the holiest", in reference to the holy of holies, in the tabernacle; which was a type of it, for the sacredness and invisibility of it, and for what was in it, went into it, or was brought thither; as the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, which resided there; the high priest who went into it once a year; the blood of sacrifices which was carried into it; the sweet incense; the ark of the testimony, in which was the law; and the mercy seat; all which were typical of Christ, his person, blood, sacrifice, righteousness, intercession, and the grace and mercy which come through him. Heaven was symbolically shut by the sin of man, when he was drove out of the garden of Eden; it was typically opened by the entrance of the high priest into the holy of holies, on the day of atonement; Christ has in person entered into it by his blood, and opened the way for his people; and believers in him may "enter" now, and they do, when they exercise grace on him, who is there, and when they come and present their prayers and praises to God by him; and they have now an actual right to enter into the place itself, and will hereafter enter in person: and the manner of their present entrance is, "with boldness"; which signifies their right unto it, the liberty granted them by God, and the liberty which they sometimes have in their own souls, and great courage and intrepidity of mind; which arises from a sense of remission of sins, as may be concluded from the connection of these words with the preceding; and is found to be true by experience; and such boldness is consistent with reverence, humility, and submission. The way of entrance is "by the blood of Jesus"; and which gives both entrance and boldness; for hereby sin is removed both from the sight of God, and the conscience of the believer; peace is made with God, and spoken to him; pardon is procured, law and justice satisfied, and neither to be feared, and the everlasting covenant confirmed.

Geneva Study Bible

{6} Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

(6) The sum of the former treatise: We are not shut out from the holy place, as the fathers were, but we have an entrance into the true holy place (that is, into heaven) seeing that we are purged with the blood, not of beasts, but of Jesus. Neither as in times past, does the High Priest shut us out by setting the veil against us, but through the veil, which is his flesh, he has brought us into heaven itself, so that we have now truly an High Priest who is over the house of God.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

to Hebrews 13:25Hebrews 10:19 to Hebrews 13:25. The dogmatic investigations are at an end; on the ground thereof the author now applies himself anew to exhortations to the readers. These are at first of the same kind as those before addressed to the readers, and are distinguished from the latter only by their greater copiousness of detail, afterwards, however, assume a greater generality of contents. These are followed by the close of the epistle.

Hebrews 10:19. Οὖν] Conclusion from the investigations made chap. 5 onwards.

ἀδελφοί] Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 13:22.

παῤῥησίαν] not: freedom or authorization (Vatablus, Jac. Cappellus, Grotius, Ernesti, Schulz, Böhme, Stengel, al.), but: firm, joyful confidence.

εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων] in respect to entrance into the sanctuary, i.e. of entering into the sanctuary, or heavenly Holy of Holies (τῶν ἁγίων, of the same import as εἰς τὰ ἅγια, comp. Hebrews 9:8). Arbitrarily would Heinrichs refer the words to the entering of Jesus, in that he regards εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγ. ἐν τῷ αἵμ. Ἰησοῦ as equivalent to εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ, which is impossible.

ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἰησοῦ] upon the ground, or by virtue of the blood of Jesus. Belongs to the whole proposition: ἔχοντες παῤῥησίαν εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων, not merely to εἴσοδον (Akersloot, Storr, Schulz, Böhme, Klee, Paulus, Bleek, Bisping). The passage, Hebrews 9:25, by no means pleads in favour of the latter mode of apprehending it, since at Hebrews 9:25, but not in the present passage, ἐν can be understood in the material sense: “with;” the reference of the ἐν αἵματι in the two places is an entirely different one.

Hebrews 10:19-25. The readers, in possession of such an exalted High Priest, and of the blessings obtained by Him, are with decision and constancy to persevere in the Christian faith, to incite each other to love and good works, and not—as had become a practice with some—to forsake the assemblies for Christian worship. So much the more should they thus act, since the Parousia is near at hand. Comp. on Hebrews 10:19-25 the similar exhortation Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 4:16.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Hebrews 10:19. Ἔχοντες οὖν, ἀδελφοί.… “Having then, brethren, confidence for the entrance into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, a way which He inaugurated for us fresh and living, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” For the form of the sentence cf. Hebrews 4:14. παρρησίαν εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον, cf. Hebrews 3:6 and Hebrews 4:16 προσερχώμεθα μετὰ παρρησίας, also Ephesians 3:12. ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ τὴν προσαγωγὴν. εἴσοδος may either mean an entrance objectively considered, or the act of entering. Weiss adopts the former meaning, compelled as he supposes by the ὁδὸν which follows in apposition and referring to Judges 1:24 and Ezekiel 27:3. He would therefore translate “boldness as regards the entrance”. The objection to this interpretation is the meaning put upon εἰς which more naturally expresses the object or end towards which the παρρησία is directed, the entering in, not merely the object about which the παρρησία is exercised. Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10, μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν. But cf. Winer on εἰς. The expression in Hebrews 9:8, τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ὁδὸν, also favours Weiss’s interpretation. τῶν ἁγίων as the Greek commentators remark, here means “heaven”. ἐν τ. αἵματι Ἰησοῦ, on the whole, it is better to join these words not with παρρησίαν but with εἴσοδον. Bleek sees a reference to Hebrews 9:25, ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὰ ἅγια ἐν αἵματι ἀλλοτρίῳ. ἣν ἐνεκαίνισεν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν … “The new and living way which He inaugurated [or dedicated] for us.” The antecedent of the clause is εἴσοδον, and this way into the holiest is here further described as first used by Christ that it might be used by us. For ἐγκαινίζειν means to handsel, to take the first use of a new thing. See Deuteronomy 20:5. He has entered within the veil as our πρόδρομος (Hebrews 6:19-20) and has thus opened a way for us. It is πρόσφατον, recent, fresh. The lexicographers are agreed that, originally meaning fresh-slain and applied to νεκρός, πρόσφατος came to be used of flowers, oil, snow, misfortune, benefits, in Sirac. Hebrews 9:10, of a friend; in Ecclesiastes 1:9 οὐκ ἔστι πᾶν πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. It was a way recently opened. Christ was the first who trod that way. Wetstein, who gives many examples of the use of the word, cites also from Floras, i. 15, 3, an interesting analogy: “Alter [Decius Mus] quasi monitu deorum, capite velato, primam ante aciem diis manibus se devoverit, ut in confertissima se hostium tela jaculatus, novum ad victoriam iter sanguinis sui semita aperiret”. καὶ ζῶσαν, not as a way that abides (Chrys., etc.) nor as leading to life eternal (Grotius, etc.), nor as a way which consists in fellowship with a Person (Westcott), but as effective, actually bringing its followers to their goal. Cf. Hebrews 4:12. So Davidson and Weiss. διὰ τοῦ καταπετάσματος, a further characteristic of the way, it passed through the veil, that is, His flesh, which must first be rent before Christ could pass into the holiest. “This beautiful allegorizing of the veil cannot, of course, be made part of a consistent and complete typology. It is not meant for this. But as the veil stood locally before the holiest in the Mosaic Tabernacle, the way into which lay through it, so Christ’s life in the flesh stood between Him and His entrance before God, and His flesh had to be rent ere He could enter” (Davidson).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

19–25. An exhortation to Christian confidence and Fellowship

19. brethren] Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 13:22.

boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus] Rather, “confidence in the blood of Jesus, for our entrance into the Holiest.” This right of joyful confidence in our access to God through Christ is dwelt upon in Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12.

Bengel's Gnomen

Hebrews 10:19. Ἔχοντες, having) The exhortation is derived from those things which have been treated of from ch. Hebrews 5:4, beginning at the recapitulation.—εἴσοδον—ἱερέα μέγαν, entrance—High Priest) Hebrews 10:21. The apostle treated of the High Priest from ch. Hebrews 5:4-5; of the entrance from ch. Hebrews 9:1; Hebrews 9:12. Now he makes mention (in reverse order), by Chiasmus, of the entrance in this verse, and of the High Priest, Hebrews 10:21, at the commencement of his exhortation. There is the same, both sentiment and figure, at ch. Hebrews 6:20 : comp. the following chapters.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 19-21. - Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter (literally, for the entrance) into the holiest (literally, the holies, i.e. the holy place, as τὰ ἅγια is translated in Hebrews 9:25, but meaning, there as here, the holy of holies) by the blood of Jesus, which (entrance) he consecrated (or, dedicated, as the same verb ἐγκαινίζω is translated, Hebrews 9:18, with reference to the Mosaic tabernacle) for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great Priest (ἱερέα μέγαν, not ἀρχιερέα, high priest; but a priest of higher order than any earthly priest; cf. Hebrews 5:14, ἀρχιερέα μέγαν) over the house of God. The epithet πρόσφατον ("new") applied to the "way" dedicated for us by Christ, though meaning originally, according to its etymology, "newly slain," is commonly used to express "recent" only. And so here. It is a new way in relation to the old one of the high priest through the veil - a way untrodden by man till opened and dedicated by "the great Priest." The epithet ζῶσα ("living") applied to the way distinguishes it, as a spiritual mode of approach, from the old one. "Opponitur exanimo. Per prosopopoeiam vita adscribitur viae, ex ipsa vita Christi, qui est Via" (Bengel; see John 14:6). But what is the meaning of the veil (καταπέτασμα, the word always used of the veil in the tabernacle or temple) being said to be "his flesh "? The idea cannot be simply that he passed through the human nature assumed at his incarnation to the heavenly throne; for the intended counterpart to the high priest's passing through the veil must have been after the completed sacrifice. It is rather that, at the moment of death, when, after saying, "It is finished," he "gave up the ghost," the human flesh (which had through all the ages been as a veil hiding "the unseen" from man, and behind which Christ himself had "tabernacled" during his human life) was, as it were, rent asunder and the new way opened. And that this was so was signified by the rending in twain of the veil of the temple from the top to the bottom, mentioned by St. Matthew (Matthew 26:51), at the very moment of the death upon the cross. This incident may have suggested to the writer the expression used. "Quum primum Christus per momentum mortis transierat, praesto fuit mera virtus et vita. Τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, carnem suam, quae item scissa est, ut velum" (Bengel). "The house of God" in ver. 21 is a resumption of the thought of Hebrews 3:1-7, where Christ was shown to be greater than Moses, as being the SON over the house of God, having (be it observed) been called ἀρχιερέα in ver. 1. (For the comprehensive meaning of the expression, not limited either to the Mosaic dispensation or the visible Church, see what was said under Hebrews 3:4.) On the now firmly grounded doctrinal bases of

(1) open access through Christ to the mercy-seat,

(2) his ever-availing intercession, are built the exhortations

(1) to confidence,

(2) to persistence in faith and corresponding conduct. Hebrews 10:19

Vincent's Word Studies

To enter into the holiest (εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων)

Lit. for the entering of the holiest. The phrase παρρησία εἰς boldness unto, N.T.o. Παρρησία with περὶ concerning, John 16:25; with πρὸςwith reference to, 2 Corinthians 7:4; 1 John 3:21; 1 John 5:14. Ἔισοδος in N.T. habitually of the act of entering.

By the blood (ἐν τῷ αἵματι)

Lit. "in the blood": in the power or virtue of.