And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Parallel translations
- WEB Because of this, he must offer sacrifices for sins for the people, as well as for himself.
- BSB That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
- NKJV Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.
- NASB and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins for himself, as well as for the people.
- NLT That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.
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
Because of his own weakness, the human high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the people's. His sinfulness limits him in a way Christ's does not.
Overview
The ordinary high priest, being sinful himself, had to make atonement for his own sins before he could serve others. This marks a key limitation of the old priesthood. By contrast, the sinless Christ needed no sacrifice for Himself, which the author will later show makes His priesthood far superior.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lev 9:7And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.
- Lev 16:6And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
- Heb 9:7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
- Heb 7:27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
- Lev 16:15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
- Lev 4:3–12If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
- Lev 8:14–21And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.
- Exod 29:12–19And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
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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 5:3 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
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