THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS - Chapter 9 - Verse 7

Verse 7. But into the second. The second apartment or room, called the most holy place, Heb 9:3.

Went the High priest alone once every year. On the great day of atonement, Ex 30:10. On that day he probably entered the holy of holies three or four times, first to burn incense, Le 16:12; then to sprinkle the blood of the bullock on the mercy-seat, Le 16:14; then he was to kill the goat of the sin-offering, and bring that blood within the veil, and sprinkle it also on the mercy-seat; and then, perhaps, he entered again to bring out the golden censer. The Jewish tradition is, that he entered the holy of holies four times on that day. After all, however, the number of times is not certain, nor is it material; the only important point being that he entered it only on one day of the year, while the holy place was entered every day.

Not without blood. That is, he bare with him blood to sprinkle on the mercy-seat. This was the blood of the bullock and of the goat—borne in at two different times.

Which he offered for himself. The blood of the bullock was offered for himself and for his house or family—thus keeping impressively before his own mind and the mind of the people the fact that the priests, even of the highest order, were sinners, and needed expiation like others, Le 16:11.

And for the errors of the people. The blood of the goat was offered for them, Le 16:15. The word rendered errors—agnohma —denotes, properly, ignorance, involuntary error; and then error or fault in general—the same as the Hebrew

HEBREW

from

HEBREW

— to err. The object was to make expiation for all the error and sins of the people, and this occurred once in the year. The repetition of these sacrifices was a constant remembrance of sin; and the design was, that neither the priests nor the people should lose sight of the fact that they were violators of the law of God.

{c} "once" Ex 30:10; Le 16:2