Hebrews 11:28
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Hebrews 11:28
28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Chapter Context
Hebrews 11 is a homiletical epistle chapter in the New Testament that explores themes of faith, discipleship. Written during before Jerusalem's destruction (c. 60-70 CE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Jewish Christians faced persecution pressure to return to Judaism's legal protections.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-40: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it establishes important theological principles that resonate throughout Scripture. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Hebrews and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Hebrews 11:28
28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Analysis
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. Moses instituted the Passover by faith, trusting that sprinkled blood would protect Israelite firstborn from the destroying angel (Exodus 12). This inaugural Passover established the pattern for Israel's most significant feast, commemorating deliverance from Egypt through substitutionary sacrifice. The lamb's blood marked households for salvation; the destroyer passed over those sheltered by blood.
The 'sprinkling of blood' (proschysin tou haimatos, πρόσχυσιν τοῦ αἵματος) prefigures Christ's superior sacrifice. The Passover lamb's blood saved from physical death; Christ's blood saves from eternal death. Peter writes that believers are elect 'unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ' (1 Peter 1:2). The author of Hebrews later contrasts ceremonial sprinkling with 'the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel' (Hebrews 12:24).
This verse demonstrates faith's obedience to God's prescribed means of salvation. Moses didn't devise his own plan but obeyed God's specific instructions. Similarly, salvation comes only through God's appointed means—faith in Christ's blood, not human merit or alternative paths. The Passover teaches that divine wrath against sin is real ('the destroyer'), but God provides substitutionary atonement through shed blood. Faith trusts God's provision rather than seeking self-salvation.
Historical Context
The Passover occurred on Israel's final night in Egypt (approximately 1446 BC), after nine plagues had failed to move Pharaoh's heart. God commanded each household to slaughter an unblemished lamb, apply its blood to doorposts and lintel, and remain inside until morning. That night, the destroying angel killed every Egyptian firstborn but passed over houses marked by blood. This dramatic deliverance became Israel's foundational redemption narrative, celebrated annually in Passover feast. Christ's crucifixion during Passover week fulfills the typology—He is 'our passover sacrificed for us' (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Reflection
- How does understanding Passover's substitutionary sacrifice deepen your appreciation for Christ's atonement?
- What does Moses' obedience to God's specific salvation method teach about the exclusivity of salvation through Christ alone?
- In what ways should you respond to being sheltered by Christ's blood as Israelites responded to lamb's blood?
Word Studies
- Blood: αἷμα (Haima) G129 - Blood
Cross-References
- Blood: Hebrews 9:19, 12:24, 1 Peter 1:2