Hebrews 5
BRG Bible
5 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.(A)
6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.(B)
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5
Living Bible
5 1-3 The Jewish high priest is merely a man like anyone else, but he is chosen to speak for all other men in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers to him the blood of animals that are sacrificed to cover the sins of the people and his own sins too. And because he is a man, he can deal gently with other men, though they are foolish and ignorant, for he, too, is surrounded with the same temptations and understands their problems very well.
4 Another thing to remember is that no one can be a high priest just because he wants to be. He has to be called by God for this work in the same way God chose Aaron.
5 That is why Christ did not elect himself to the honor of being High Priest; no, he was chosen by God. God said to him, “My Son, today I have honored you.”[a] 6 And another time God said to him, “You have been chosen to be a priest forever, with the same rank as Melchizedek.”
7 Yet while Christ was here on earth he pleaded with God, praying with tears and agony of soul to the only one who would save him from premature[b] death. And God heard his prayers because of his strong desire to obey God at all times.
8 And even though Jesus was God’s Son, he had to learn from experience what it was like to obey when obeying meant suffering. 9 It was after he had proved himself perfect in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. 10 For remember that God has chosen him to be a High Priest with the same rank as Melchizedek.
11 There is much more I would like to say along these lines, but you don’t seem to listen, so it’s hard to make you understand.
12-13 You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others, but instead you have dropped back to the place where you need someone to teach you all over again the very first principles in God’s Word. You are like babies who can drink only milk, not old enough for solid food. And when a person is still living on milk it shows he isn’t very far along in the Christian life, and doesn’t know much about the difference between right and wrong. He is still a baby Christian! 14 You will never be able to eat solid spiritual food and understand the deeper things of God’s Word until you become better Christians and learn right from wrong by practicing doing right.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 5:5 honored you, literally, “begotten you.” Probably the reference is to the day of Christ’s resurrection.
- Hebrews 5:7 premature, implied. Christ’s longing was to live until he could die on the cross for all mankind. There is a strong case to be made that Satan’s great desire was that Christ should die prematurely, before the mighty work at the cross could be performed. Christ’s body, being human, was frail and weak like ours (except that his was sinless). He had said just a few moments before, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” And can a human body live long under such pressure of spirit as he underwent in the Garden, that caused sweating of great drops of blood? But God graciously heard and answered his anguished cry in Gethsemane (“Let this cup pass from me”) and preserved him from seemingly imminent and premature death: for an angel was sent to strengthen him so that he could live to accomplish God’s perfect will at the cross. But some readers may prefer the explanation that Christ’s plea was that he be saved out from death at the resurrection.
Hebrews 5
Darby Translation
5 For every high priest taken from amongst men is established for men in things relating to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
2 being able to exercise forbearance towards the ignorant and erring, since he himself also is clothed with infirmity;
3 and, on account of this [infirmity], he ought, even as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4 And no one takes the honour to himself but [as] called by God, even as Aaron also.
5 Thus the Christ also has not glorified himself to be made a high priest; but he who had said to him, *Thou* art my Son, *I* have to-day begotten thee.
6 Even as also in another [place] he says, *Thou* [art] a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up both supplications and entreaties to him who was able to save him out of death, with strong crying and tears; (and having been heard because of his piety;)
8 though he were Son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered;
9 and having been perfected, became to all them that obey him, author of eternal salvation;
10 addressed by God [as] high priest according to the order of Melchisedec.
11 Concerning whom we have much to say, and hard to be interpreted in speaking [of it], since ye are become dull in hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have again need that [one] should teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk, [and] not of solid food.
13 For every one that partakes of milk [is] unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe;
14 but solid food belongs to full-grown men, who, on account of habit, have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil.
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