Hebrews 5:1-10

The Perfect High Priest

1 For every high priest ¹taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in ²things pertaining to God, in order to ³offer both gifts and sacrifices ⁴for sins;

2 ⁵he can deal gently with the ⁶ignorant and ⁷misguided, since he himself also is ⁸beset with weakness;

3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices ⁹for sins, ¹⁰as for the people, so also for himself.

4 And ¹¹no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even ¹²as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ ¹³did not glorify Himself so as to become a ¹⁴high priest, but He who ¹⁵said to Him, "¹⁶YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU";

6 just as He says also in another passage, "¹⁷YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO ¹⁸THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK."

7 In the days of His flesh, ¹⁹He offered up both prayers and supplications with ²⁰loud crying and tears to the One ²¹able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His ²²piety.

8 Although He was ²³a Son, He learned ²⁴obedience from the things which He suffered.

9 And having been made ²⁵perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

10 being designated by God as ²⁶a high priest according to ²⁷the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 5

The apostle having made mention of Christ as an high priest, in the preceding chapter, proceeds in this to give an account of an high priest, and applies the character of him to Christ; and shows that he is of another order of priesthood than that of Aaron, even of the order of Melchisedec; of whom he could say many things, but the Hebrews were dull of hearing them; which leads him to blame them for their rudeness, and non-proficience. The description of the high priest is taken from his relation to men, separation from them, and ordination for them; from his oblation of their gifts and sacrifices; from his sympathy with them, and from his call of God, Heb 5:1-4 all which are accommodated to Christ; as his vocation of God, Heb 5:5,6 confirmed by two testimonies out of Ps 2:7, 110:4 his being a man, and having infirmities, though sinless ones, and his sympathy with men, and compassion on them, Heb 5:7 his obedience and sufferings, and the oblation of himself, whereby he became the author of salvation to his people, which is the main thing in his priesthood, Heb 5:8,9 and which was not of the order of Aaron, though in some things there was an agreement with it, but of the order of Melchizedek, Heb 5:10 of whom the apostle could say many surprising things; but these Hebrews were dull of apprehension, and incapable of receiving them, Heb 5:11. And then he proceeds to blame them for their dulness, which he aggravates by the time they had been in the school of Christ, when it might have been expected they would have been teachers of others; by their being yet scholars, and of the lowest class, who had need to be taught the first rudiments of the Christian religion; yea, by their being as babes that stood in need of milk, and could not bear meat, Heb 5:12. And then follows a description both of babes, and of adult persons; such as are unskilful in the word of righteousness are babes, and use milk; but those who exercise their spiritual senses, to discern between good and bad doctrine, are adult, and can digest strong meat, Heb 5:13,14.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 28:1
• 2. Hebrews 2:17
• 3. Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 8:3; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:11
• 4. 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 10:12
• 5. Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15
• 6. Ephesians 4:18; Heb 9:7 mg
• 7. James 5:19; 1 Peter 2:25
• 8. Hebrews 7:28
• 9. 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 10:12
• 10. Hebrews 9:7">Lev Hebrews 9:7; Leviticus 16:6; Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 9:7
• 11. Numbers 16:40; Numbers 18:7; 2 Chronicles 26:18
• 12. Exodus 28:1; 1 Chronicles 23:13
• 13. John 8:54
• 14. Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:10
• 15. Hebrews 1:1, 5
• 16. Psalms 2:7
• 17. Psalms 110:4; Hebrews 7:17
• 18. Hebrews 5:10; Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 7:11, 17
• 19. Matt 26:39, 42, 44; Mark 14:36, 39; Luke 22:41, 44
• 20. Matthew 27:46, 50; Mark 15:34, 37; Luke 23:46
• 21. Mark 14:36
• 22. Hebrews 11:7; Hebrews 12:28
• 23. Hebrews 1:2
• 24. Philippians 2:8
• 25. Hebrews 2:10
• 26. Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:5
• 27. Hebrews 5:6

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "being able to"
• [b] Or "subject to weakness"
• [c] I.e. during Christ's earthly life
• [d] Lit "who having offered up"
• [e] Or "out of"
• [f] Lit "having been heard"