The Meaning of Hebrews 7:28 Explained

Hebrews 7:28

KJV: For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

YLT: for the law doth appoint men chief priests, having infirmity, but the word of the oath that is after the law appointeth the Son -- to the age having been perfected.

Darby: For the law constitutes men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the swearing of the oath which is after the law, a Son perfected for ever.

ASV: For the law appointeth men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, appointeth a Son, perfected for evermore.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  the law  maketh  men  high priests  which have  infirmity;  but  the word  of the oath,  which  was since  the law,  [maketh] the Son,  who is consecrated  for  evermore. 

What does Hebrews 7:28 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus Christ is superior because He is a Son rather than a mere Prayer of Manasseh , because God appointed Him more recently than He appointed the Levitical priests, and because God appointed Him with an oath ( Hebrews 7:21). He is "perfect" because He offered one sacrifice for sin that was adequate to satisfy God completely (cf. Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:8-10; Hebrews 7:28; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 2:2). Because He is perfect He can intercede effectively for us. Consequently we can go to Him confidently any time we need His help overcoming trials and temptations, specifically those trials that might result in our apostatizing. "Perfect forever" has the idea of not being subject to defects. He will never fail us, and another high priest will never replace Him.
In view of the superior order of priesthood that Melchizedek foreshadowed and that Jesus Christ fulfilled, why would anyone want to go back to the old Aaronic order? The person of our high priest is superior. The order of His priesthood is superior. Christ is completely adequate in His person and preeminent in His order. We should worship His person and rely on His intercession because of His order. And we should not abandon Him. [1]
"One of the most distinctive themes in the theology of Hebrews is the change from old to new in God"s dealings with humankind. In Jesus Christ a decisive shift in salvation-history has occurred according to God"s plan. What was provisional and ineffective has been superseded by the final and full salvation in the Son of God, a change anticipated in the Old Testament itself." [2]

Context Summary

Hebrews 7:11-28 - Our Ever-Living And All-Sufficient Intercessor
If, as we saw in our last reading, the Levitical priests have been superseded, clearly the whole order of things-that is, the Mosaic covenant under which these priests were appointed-has been superseded also. The law of the carnal-that is, the outward ritual-has passed away in favor of a new dispensation which deals with the heart and character. It served a temporary purpose, but we are living in an eternal order which is steadfast and abiding.
Our Lord's priesthood is unchangeable and indissoluble. His blood and righteousness, His mediation for us, His loving understanding of us, will be a joy and comfort in the unending ages. We shall always be specially associated with Him-the brethren of the King, the sheep of the Divine Shepherd. Each priest of Aaron's line had to vacate his office; but our Lord's priesthood will never pass to another; and therefore to the uttermost lapse of time and to the farthest demand of circumstance, He will save and help all that come to Him. No infirmity weakens Him, no stain or sin unfits Him-above the heavens and from the throne He exercises His ministry. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hebrews 7

1  Christ Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek;
11  and so far more excellent than the priests of Aaron's order

Greek Commentary for Hebrews 7:28

After the law [μετα τον νομον]
As shown in Hebrews 7:11-19, and with an oath (Psalm 110:4). Son As in Psalm 2:7; Hebrews 1:2 linked with Psalm 110:4. Perfected Perfect passive participle of τελειοω — teleioō The process (Hebrews 2:10) was now complete. Imperfect and sinful as we are we demand a permanent high priest who is sinless and perfectly equipped by divine appointment and human experience (Hebrews 2:17.; Hebrews 5:1-10) to meet our needs, and with the perfect offering of himself as sacrifice. [source]
[]
d Summarizing the contents of Hebrews 7:26, Hebrews 7:27. - The law constitutes weak men high priests. God's sworn declaration constitutes a son, perfected forevermore. Ἀνθρώπους menmany in number as contrasted with one Son. Ἔχοντας ἀσθένειαν havinginfirmity, stronger than ἀσθενεῖς weakwhich might imply only special exhibitions of weakness, while having infirmity indicates a general characteristic. See on John 16:22. [source]
A son []
Again the high-priesthood is bound up with sonship, as in Hebrews 5:5, Hebrews 5:6. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Hebrews 7:28

Hebrews 5:2 For that he himself also is compassed with infirmity [ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν]
Sympathy belongs to the high-priestly office, and grows out of the sense of personal infirmity. The verb is graphic: has infirmity lying round him. Comp. Hebrews 12:1, of the encompassing ( περικείμενον ) cloud of witnesses. Ἀσθένειαν the moral weakness which makes men capable of sin. This is denied in the case of Christ. See Hebrews 7:28. [source]
Hebrews 12:2 The author and finisher of our faith [τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν]
The A.V. is misleading, and narrows the scope of the passage. For author, rend. leader or captain, and see on Hebrews 2:10. For finisher, rend. perfecter. For our faith, rend. faith or the faith. Not our Christian faith, but faith absolutely, as exhibited in the whole range of believers from Abel to Christ. Christ cannot be called the author or originator of faith, since the faith here treated existed and worked before Christ. Christ is the leader or captain of faith, in that he is the perfecter of faith. In himself he furnished the perfect development, the supreme example of faith, and in virtue of this he is the leader of the whole believing host in all time. Notice the recurrence of the favorite idea of perfecting. Comp. Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 7:11, Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 7:28; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:14; Hebrews 11:40. Τελειωτής perfecterN.T.oolxx, oClass. [source]
Hebrews 1:2 By his son [ἐν υἱῷ]
Lit. in a son. Note the absence of the article. Attention is directed, not to Christ's divine personality, but to his filial relation. While the former revelation was given through a definite class, the prophets, the new revelation is given through one who is a son as distinguished from a prophet. He belongs to another category. The revelation was a son-revelation. See Hebrews 2:10-18. Christ's high priesthood is the central fact of the epistle, and his sonship is bound up with his priesthood. See Hebrews 5:5. For a similar use of υἱός sonwithout the article, applied to Christ, see Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 5:8; Hebrews 7:28. [source]

What do the individual words in Hebrews 7:28 mean?

The law for men appoints as high priests having weakness word however of the oath which [is] after the law a Son to age having been perfected
νόμος γὰρ ἀνθρώπους καθίστησιν ἀρχιερεῖς ἔχοντας ἀσθένειαν λόγος δὲ τῆς ὁρκωμοσίας τῆς μετὰ τὸν νόμον Υἱόν εἰς αἰῶνα τετελειωμένον

νόμος  law 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: νόμος  
Sense: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.
ἀνθρώπους  men 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
καθίστησιν  appoints 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: καθιστάνω 
Sense: to set, place, put.
ἀρχιερεῖς  as  high  priests 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀρχιερεύς  
Sense: chief priest, high priest.
ἀσθένειαν  weakness 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀσθένεια  
Sense: want of strength, weakness, infirmity.
λόγος  word 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ὁρκωμοσίας  oath 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὁρκωμοσία  
Sense: affirmation made on oath, the taking of an oath, an oath.
τῆς  which  [is] 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μετὰ  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: μετά  
Sense: with, after, behind.
νόμον  law 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: νόμος  
Sense: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.
Υἱόν  a  Son 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
αἰῶνα  age 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: αἰών  
Sense: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.
τετελειωμένον  having  been  perfected 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: τελειόω  
Sense: to make perfect, complete.