Hebrews 9:26
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Original Language Analysis
ἔδει
must
G1163
ἔδει
must
Strong's:
G1163
Word #:
2 of 23
also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is (was, etc.) necessary (as binding)
αὐτοῦ
he
G846
αὐτοῦ
he
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
3 of 23
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
παθεῖν
have suffered
G3958
παθεῖν
have suffered
Strong's:
G3958
Word #:
5 of 23
to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful)
ἀπὸ
since
G575
ἀπὸ
since
Strong's:
G575
Word #:
6 of 23
"off," i.e., away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)
καταβολῆς
the foundation
G2602
καταβολῆς
the foundation
Strong's:
G2602
Word #:
7 of 23
a deposition, i.e., founding; figuratively, conception
κόσμου·
of the world
G2889
κόσμου·
of the world
Strong's:
G2889
Word #:
8 of 23
orderly arrangement, i.e., decoration; by implication, the world (including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively (morally))
νῦν
now
G3568
νῦν
now
Strong's:
G3568
Word #:
9 of 23
"now" (as adverb of date, a transition or emphasis); also as noun or adjective present or immediate
ἐπὶ
in
G1909
ἐπὶ
in
Strong's:
G1909
Word #:
12 of 23
properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e., over, upon, etc.; of re
συντελείᾳ
the end
G4930
συντελείᾳ
the end
Strong's:
G4930
Word #:
13 of 23
entire completion, i.e., consummation (of a dispensation)
τῶν
G3588
τῶν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
14 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
αἰώνων
of the world
G165
αἰώνων
of the world
Strong's:
G165
Word #:
15 of 23
properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world; specially (jewish) a messianic period (present or future)
εἰς
to
G1519
εἰς
to
Strong's:
G1519
Word #:
16 of 23
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases
διὰ
by
G1223
διὰ
by
Strong's:
G1223
Word #:
19 of 23
through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)
τῆς
G3588
τῆς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
20 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
θυσίας
the sacrifice
G2378
θυσίας
the sacrifice
Strong's:
G2378
Word #:
21 of 23
sacrifice (the act or the victim, literally or figuratively)
Cross References
Hebrews 9:12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.1 Peter 1:20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,Matthew 25:34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:Hebrews 1:2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;1 Peter 3:18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:Hebrews 10:4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.Hebrews 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.Hebrews 9:14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?Hebrews 10:12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;Hebrews 10:10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Historical Context
The 'end of the ages' doesn't mean the world's end but the arrival of the promised new covenant age. Christ's first coming inaugurated the last days (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2), the age in which God's final redemption is accomplished.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it mean that Christ appeared 'at the end of the ages,' and what does this teach about redemptive history?
- How does Christ's sacrifice 'put away sin' in a way previous sacrifices never could?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
If Christ needed to suffer repeatedly, 'He would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world.' But instead, 'now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.' The phrase 'end of the ages' (Greek 'sunteleia tōn aiōnōn') indicates the culmination of redemptive history. Christ's appearance and sacrifice are eschatologically climactic - the decisive, unrepeatable event that deals with sin finally.