UTN uW Translation Notes:

Hebrews 9 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

5. The Son as high priest (5:1–10:18)* Teaching: Old and new ministries (9:1–10:18)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The earthly tabernacle

In 9:1–10, the author describes and evaluates the earthly tabernacle. When the author wrote this letter, there was a temple in Jerusalem, and the tabernacle no longer existed. So his descriptions are based on the Old Testament only, not on personal experience. The tabernacle was a large tent divided into two parts: the outer Holy Place and the inner Most Holy Place. This tabernacle contained an “ark,” in which God had the people store important objects. God was present in a special way where the ark was. The tabernacle also contained a lampstand that burned continually, a table on which the priests laid bread in God’s presence, and an altar for burning incense. Priests frequently went into the Holy Place, but only the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place on one special day in the year. The author does not describe everything about the tabernacle, and he sometimes words things differently than what you might read in the Old Testament. Make sure to translate what the author actually says. (See: tabernacle)

The heavenly sanctuary

In 9:11, the author refers again to a “tabernacle” and “holy places.” As in the case of 8:1–2, scholars debate what these two names identify. Most likely the “tabernacle” refers to the entire heavenly sanctuary that Jesus passes “through” in order to enter into the inner section, the “holy places.” However, the two names could each refer to the entire sanctuary from two different perspectives. The author mentions the heavenly sanctuary again in 9:23–24. However, there he refers simply to “the things in the heavens,” “the heavenly things,” and the “true ones.” The meaning of these general terms depend on how you understand the more specific words in 8:1–2 and 9:11–12. See the specific verses for translation options. Make sure that you refer to the heavenly sanctuary with the same or similar words that you use to refer to the earthly sanctuary. (See tabernacle and heaven)

Old covenant offerings and rituals

The author refers to multiple different rituals and offerings that God commanded Moses and the Israelites to perform. * In 9:6, he refers generally to “service” that the priests would perform in the first section of the tabernacle. * In 9:7, he refers to the Day of Atonement, the special day on which the high priest would enter the inner part of the tabernacle. You can read about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. * In 9:13, the author refers to blood of “bulls and goats,” which may be a general statement about animal sacrifices, or it may be another specific reference to the Day of Atonement, which included sacrifices of bulls and goats. He also refers to a “heifer,” which identifies a ceremony related to purification. You can read about this ceremony in Numbers 19:1–10. * In 9:19–21, the author describes how Moses inaugurated the covenant and the tabernacle. You can read about what he did in Exodus 24:1–8.

Covenant

The author speaks about “covenants” throughout this chapter. The “new” covenant refers to the agreement that God has made with his people through Jesus. The “first” covenant refers to the agreement that God made with the Israelites through Moses. In the author’s culture, the word translated “covenant” could also be used to refer to a “will,” a document that a person composes to tell others what to do with that person’s belongings when he or she dies. Scholars debate whether the author focuses on this specific meaning of “covenant” in 9:16–17. The UST follows the interpretation that the author uses the specific meaning “will” as an analogy to help readers better understand “covenant.” See the notes on those verses for translation options. (See: covenant)

Blood

Throughout this chapter, the author refers to “blood.” This blood always comes from someone or something that has died. Scholars debate what blood symbolizes or represents: the death of the sacrifice, the life of the sacrifice, or something else. Whatever the meaning, the author argues from the sacrifices that God required in the Old Testament that blood is required for both “cleansing” and “forgiveness.” This is true for both the old covenant and the new covenant. In your translation, you should refer to shed blood, since the blood always comes from someone or something that has died. Also, you should refer directly to “blood,” not to what it might symbolize or represent. (See: blood)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The “parable” in 9:8–9

In these verses, the author explains what meaning the “Spirit” gives to the earthly tabernacle. While the exact details about what the author means by the “first tent” and the “holy places” are not perfectly clear, what is clear is that the first section of the earthly tabernacle, or perhaps the earthly tabernacle as a whole, indicates how people could not go to the “holy places.” Whether the “holy places” refers to the heavenly sanctuary as a whole, to the second section of the earthly tabernacle, or to the inner part of the heavenly sanctuary, it indicates a place where God is present in a special way. What the author is saying, then, is that the use of the “first tent” signifies lack of access to God. The “parable” in 9:9 further explains that this lack of access applies to “the present time,” which is when sacrifices are offered. The details of these two verses are debated by scholars, so for more details, see the notes. If possible, translate these two verses in such a way as to allow for the various possible views.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Where does the altar of incense belong?

In 9:3–4, the author places the “incense altar” inside the Most Holy Place. However, Exodus 30:6 seems to place the incense altar outside the curtain, in the Holy Place. There are many theories about why the author describes the “incense altar” inside the Most Holy Place. However, it is not necessary to try to harmonize your translation with Exodus’ description. If you think your readers would recognize and be confused by the difference, you could include a footnote with some possible solutions. It is possible that the author interpreted Exodus 30:6 to mean that the altar was in the Most Holy Place, and it is possible that he knew a tradition that put the altar there. It is also possible that he places the altar there for the sake of his argument. (See: altar and incense)

Did Moses sprinkle the scroll?

In 9:19 the author states that Moses sprinkled a scroll, which is the roll or book on which Moses wrote everything that God had told him. You can read about this scroll in Exodus 24:1–8. These verses do not directly mention Moses sprinkling the scroll, but the author knew more about this than we do. Your translation should clearly express what the author says, which does not contradict Exodus 24 but simply gives more details about some things.

Cleansing the heavenly things

In 9:23, the author refers to how the “heavenly things” need to be cleansed with “better sacrifices” than those used to cleanse the earthly things. Some scholars think that the heavenly things are perfect and cannot be made impure, so they argue that the “cleansing” refers to inauguration, or they suggest that the “heavenly things” refer to human consciences. Other scholars think that the heavenly sanctuary could be defiled by people’s sin, just as the earthly sanctuary was, so it too needed to be cleansed. This is most likely what the author means. However, no matter which interpretation you choose, you should translate the verse with a word or phrase that refers to the removal of defilement or impurity. (See: clean)