Chapter 10:19 21. Of these verses the following rendering is offered, --

19. "Having then, brethren, liberty as to an entrance into the

20. holiest through the blood of Jesus, which he has consecrated for us, a way new and leading to life, through the

21. veil, that is, his flesh, -- and having a great priest over the house of God, let us approach," etc.

It is rather "liberty" or freedom than "boldness," and so it is rendered by Beza, Doddridge, and Stuart. The Vulgate has "confidence." The word for "consecrated" is literally "initiated:" Christ first opened the way, and opened it for his people. The "way" is in apposition with "entrance." It was "new," in contrast with the old under the Law, and living or "leading to life:" so zosan evidently means here. It has often a causative sense. The "living bread" in John 6:51, is said in verse 33 to be the bread that "giveth life." So here the living way may be said to be that which leads to life.

There is a division of opinion as to the "veil." Calvin, Doddridge, Stuart, and others, take the veil as a figurative expression for the human nature of Christ; and they ground their opinion on the following texts, John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Philippians 2:6. Others give this explanation, "As the veil was removed for the entrance of the high priest, so Christ s body was removed by death, in order to open an entrance into heaven." But the easiest and the most natural way is to consider it an allusion to what took place at our Saviors death, the rending asunder of the veil of the temple, (Matthew 27:51,) which was a significant intimation and a striking symbol of what was done by Christ when he died on the cross. It was by his flesh or body being torn and rent, when suffering for us, that a way to the holiest was opened to us, and the same is ascribed to his blood in the former verse, so that one part corresponds with the other. The way was opened through the veil being rent, which symbolized his rent or torn flesh.