[B-Greek] PROSFERH in Hebrews 9:25

David Stuart m7feettall at yahoo.com
Sun Nov 15 20:02:13 EST 2009


I agree with your analysis below. The assertion is that He does not need to enter often into the heavenly, as the high priest did in the earthly. But then if the meaning of verse 25 is that He need not enter often in order that He might offer Himself often then the offering of verse 25 seems tied to the entry, rather than the death on the cross. 

The offering is compared to the entry of the high priest each year, rather than to the killing of the animal each year. 

The appearance in God's presence in verse 24 seems to be the one "offering" of Himself that is stated to not need repetition in verse 25. 

So I guess I am confused on your view. Do you see offer in verse 25 to mean the presentation of Himself in heaven, or do you see it indicating the shedding of blood on earth? 

If it is the latter then how does it fit the notion of not ENTERING often into the heavenly? 

There may be something I am missing. I know that Word commentary, and a number of other expositors, see offer as referring to the death. Wescott mentions that it does not make sense to use the phrase in a different way than in verse 14.  I am just not sure how they reconcile the fact that this offering would be IN the heavenly as part of the entry. It does not seem like that can describe the death on earth. 


David Stuart
Gardner, KS

>  I would translate OUD' hINA POLLAKIS PROSFERHi EAUTON in 9:25 as "nor (did he enter) in order that he should present himself over and over...."
> 
>  Perhaps better would be to translate hINA + subjective in this verse ("in order that he should") as "only to have to":
> 
>  "Christ did not enter a false Holies [the tabernacle's Holy of Holies], but into the true Holies [heaven]. Neither did he enter them only to have to enter them and present himself again and again." The idea being that the false Holies required multiple re-entries, but the true Holies required only one. Whereas he did not enter a false Holies, neither did he enter a Holies that requires multiple entries.
>  


      



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