For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives.
Parallel translations
- KJV For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
- BSB because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.
- NKJV For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
- NASB For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.
- NLT The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.
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
A will has force only after death; it means nothing while the maker still lives. Christ's death was therefore essential to enact the covenant's blessings.
Overview
Continuing the testament analogy, the author stresses that a will is powerless until the testator dies. Applied to the covenant, this shows that the inheritance and forgiveness it promises depend on Christ's death. His self-offering is what puts the new covenant into effect for his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 48:21Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.
- Gal 3:15Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it.
- John 14:27Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:17 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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