Hebrews 9 · Verse 24

Hebrews 9:24

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Hebrews 9:24, King James Version

Hebrews 9:24 in other translations

BSBFor Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
WEBFor Christ hasn’t entered into holy places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
ASVFor Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:
YLTfor not into holy places made with hands did the Christ enter--figures of the true--but into the heaven itself, now to be manifested in the presence of God for us;
DARBYFor the Christ is not entered into holy places made with hand, figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:
BBEFor Christ did not go into a holy place which had been made by men's hands as the copy of the true one; but he went into heaven itself, and now takes his place before the face of God for us.
WebsterFor Christ hath not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

What does Hebrews 9:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
24. Resumption more fully of the thought, "He entered in once into the holy place," He 9:12. He has in He 9:13, 14, expanded the words "by his own blood," He 9:12; and in He 9:15-23, he has enlarged on "an High Priest of good things to come." not ... into ... holy places made with hands--as was the Holy of Holies in the earthly tabernacle (see on He 9:11). figures--copies "of the true" holiest place, heaven, the original archetype (He 8:5). into heaven itself--the immediate presence of the invisible God beyond all the created heavens, through which latter Jesus passed (see on He 4:14; 1Ti 6:16). now--ever since His ascension in the present economy (compare He 9:26). to appear--To PRESENT Himself; Greek, "to be made to appear." Mere man may have a vision through a medium, or veil, as Moses had (Ex 33:18, 20-23). Christ alone beholds the Father without a veil, and is His perfect image. Through seeing Him only can we see the Father. in the presence of God--Greek, "to the face of God." The saints shall hereafter see God's face in Christ (Re 22:4): the earnest of which is now given (2Co 3:18). Aaron, the Levitical high priest for the people, stood before the ark and only saw the cloud, the symbol of God's glory (Ex 28:30). for us--in our behalf as our Advocate and Intercessor (He 7:25; Ro 8:34; 1Jo 2:1). "It is enough that Jesus should show Himself for us to the Father: the sight of Jesus satisfied God in our behalf. He brings before the face of God no offering which has exhausted itself, and, as only sufficing for a time, needs renewal; but He himself is in person, by virtue of the eternal Spirit, that is, the imperishable life of His person, now and for ever freed from death, our eternally present offering before God" [Delitzsch in Alford].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands. Into the temple or tabernacle. The Jewish high priest alone entered into the most holy place; and the other priests into the holy place. Jesus, being of the tribe of Judah, and not of Levi, never entered the temple proper. He had access only to the courts of the temple, in the same way as any other Jew had. Mt 21:12. He has entered into the true temple--heaven of which the earthly tabernacle was the type.

Which are the figures of the true. Literally, the antitypes αντιτυπα. The word properly means that which is formed after a model, pattern, or type; and then that which corresponds to something, or answers to, it. The idea here is, that the type or fashion--the true figure or form--was shown to Moses in the Mount, and then the tabernacle was made after that model, or corresponded to it. The true original figure is heaven itself; the tabernacle was an antitype of that--or was so formed as in some sense to correspond to it. That is, it corresponded in regard to the matters under consideration--the most holy place denoted heaven; the mercy-seat and the shekinah were symbols of the presence of God, and of the fact that he shows mercy in heaven; the entrance of the high priest was emblematical of the entrance of the Redeemer into heaven; the sprinkling of the blood there was a type of what the Redeemer would do in heaven.

Now to appear in the presence of God for us. As the Jewish high priest appeared before the shekinah, the symbol of the Divine Presence in the tabernacle, so Christ appears before God himself in our behalf in heaven. He has gone to plead for our salvation; to present the merits of his blood as a permanent reason why we should be saved, Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25.

(a) "appear" Rom 8:34

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 24 Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands - He is not gone into the holy of holies of the tabernacle or temple, as the Jewish high priest does once in the year with the blood of the victim, to sprinkle it before the mercy-seat there; but into heaven itself, which he has thus opened to all believers, having made the propitiatory offering by which both he and those whom he represents are entitled to enter and enjoy eternal blessedness. And hence we may consider that Christ, appearing in his crucified body before the throne, is a real offering of himself to the Divine justice in behalf of man; and that there he continues in the constant act of being offered, so that every penitent and believer, coming unto God through him, find him their ever ready and available sacrifice, officiating as the High Priest of mankind in the presence of God.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 9:23-28

It is evident that the sacrifices of Christ are infinitely better than those of the law, which could neither procure pardon for sin, nor impart power against it. Sin would still have been upon us, and have had dominion over us; but Jesus Christ, by one sacrifice, has destroyed the works of the devil, that believers may be made righteous, holy, and happy. As no wisdom, learning, virtue, wealth, or power, can keep one…

Read the full comment on Hebrews 9:23-28 →

Hebrews 9:24 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

οὐouNotG3756
γὰρgarforG1063
εἰςeisintoG1519
χειροποίηταcheiropoiētamade by handsG5499
εἰσῆλθενeisēlthenhas enteredG1525
ἅγιαhagiaHoly [Places]G39
Χριστός,ChristosChrist,G5547
ἀντίτυπαantitupacopiesG499
τῶνtōnof theG3588
ἀληθινῶν,alēthinōntrue [ones],G228
ἀλλ᾽all᾽butG235
εἰςeisintoG1519
αὐτὸνautonitselfG846
τὸνton<the>G3588
οὐρανόν,ouranonheaven,G3772
νῦνnunnowG3568
ἐμφανισθῆναιemphanisthēnaito appearG1718
τῷtōin theG3588
προσώπῳprosōpōpresenceG4383
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouof GodG2316
ὑπὲρhuperforG5228
ἡμῶν·hēmōnus;G3165

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Hebrews 9:24

  • Hebrews 9:11-12

    But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither 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.

  • Hebrews 12:2

    Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

  • Hebrews 9:23

    It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

  • Hebrews 8:2

    A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

  • John 16:28

    I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

  • Mark 16:19

    So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

  • Romans 8:33

    Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

  • Acts 3:21

    Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

  • Exodus 28:29

    And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

  • Mark 14:58

    We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

  • Luke 24:51

    And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

  • Ephesians 1:20-22

    Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the holy.
11; Mr 14:58; Joh 2:19-21
the figures.
9,23; 8:2
but.
1:3; 6:20; 7:26; 8:2,5; 12:2; Ps 68:18; Mr 16:19; Lu 24:51; Joh 6:62
Joh 16:28; Ac 1:9-11; 3:21; Eph 1:20-22; 4:8-11; Col 3:2; 1Pe 3:22
appear.
7:25; Ex 28:12,29; Zec 3:1; Ro 8:33; 1Jo 2:1,2; Re 8:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Hebrews 9:23

    It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

  • Hebrews 9:24

    For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

  • Hebrews 9:25

    Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Read all of Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque no entró Cristo en el santuario hecho de mano, figura del verdadero, sino en el mismo cielo para presentarse ahora por nosotros en la presencia de Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car le Christ n’est pas entré dans des lieux saints faits de main, copies des vrais, mais dans le ciel même, afin de paraître maintenant pour nous devant la face de Dieu,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn der Christus ist nicht eingegangen in das mit Händen gemachte Heiligtum, ein Gegenbild des wahrhaftigen, sondern in den Himmel selbst, um jetzt vor dem Angesicht Gottes für uns zu erscheinen;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Non enim in manufacta Sancta Jesus introivit exemplaria verorum: sed in ipsum cælum, ut appareat nunc vultui Dei pro nobis: