Hebrews 9:12

Through his own blood (dia tou idiou aimato). This is the great distinction between Christ as High Priest and all other high priests. They offer blood (verse Hebrews 7 ), but he offered his own blood. He is both victim and High Priest. See the same phrase in Hebrews 13:12 ; Acts 20:28 . Once for all (epapax). In contrast to the repeated (annual) entrances of the Levitical high priests ( Acts 9:7 ). Into the holy place (ei ta agia). Here, as in verses Acts 9:8 Acts 9:24 heaven itself. Having obtained (eurameno). First aorist middle (indirect) participle of euriskw, simultaneous action with eishlqen, and by or of himself "as the issue of personal labour directed to this end" (Westcott). The value of Christ's offering consists in the fact that he is the Son of God as well as the Son of man, that he is sinless and so a perfect sacrifice with no need of an offering for himself, and that it is voluntary on his part ( John 10:17 ). Lutrwsi (from lutrow) is a late word for the act of ransoming (cf. lutron, ransom), in O.T. only here and Luke 1:68 ; Luke 2:38 . But apolutrwsi elsewhere (as in Luke 21:28 ; Romans 3:24 ; Hebrews 9:15 ; Hebrews 11:35 ). For "eternal" (aiwnian, here feminine form) see Hebrews 6:2 . The author now turns to discuss the better sacrifice ( Hebrews 9:13-10:18 ) already introduced.