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by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,
Hebrews 10:20 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
  • KJV By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
  • NKJV by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
  • NASB by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh,
  • NLT By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Christ opened a new and living way to God through the veil, that is, through his flesh. His sacrificed body is the means of our access.

Overview

The 'new and living way' into God's presence was dedicated by Christ through the veil, identified here with 'his flesh', his crucified body. As the temple veil was torn at his death (Matthew 27:51), so Christ's flesh, given on the cross, opens the way to God. This way is 'living' because it leads to life through the risen, living Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • John 14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
  • John 10:9I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
  • Heb 9:3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
  • Matt 27:51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
  • John 10:7So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
  • Heb 6:19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
  • Heb 9:8By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
  • Mark 15:38And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
  • Lev 16:2And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
  • 1 Tim 3:16By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
  • Luke 23:45The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
  • 1 Pet 3:18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
  • 1 Jn 4:2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
  • Exod 36:35–38Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
  • 2 Jn 1:7For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
  • Exod 26:31–37Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
  • Lev 16:15Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
  • Eph 2:15by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace
  • John 6:51–56I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
  • Lev 21:23but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hebrews videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hebrews 10:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HebrewsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.

How Hebrews 10:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.