Hebrews 9:7-9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
7 but the high priest alone goes into the inner one once a year, not without blood[a] that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people.(A) 8 In this way the holy Spirit shows that the way into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer tabernacle still had its place. 9 This is a symbol of the present time,[b] in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience
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- 9:7 Not without blood: blood was essential to Old Testament sacrifice because it was believed that life was located in the blood. Hence blood was especially sacred, and its outpouring functioned as a meaningful symbol of cleansing from sin and reconciliation with God. Unlike Hebrews, the Old Testament never says that the blood is “offered.” The author is perhaps retrojecting into his description of Mosaic ritual a concept that belongs to the New Testament antitype, as Paul does when he speaks of the Israelites’ passage through the sea as a “baptism” (1 Cor 10:2).
- 9:9 The present time: this expression is equivalent to the “present age,” used in contradistinction to the “age to come.”
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