Hebrews 10:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In what preceded, the Apostle proved that the sacrifices are useless for perfect cleansing, that they were only a prefiguration, and that they are wholly insufficient.

At this point an objection presented itself to him. If they are prefigurations, then why, when the truth has been received, have they not ceased and come to an end, but are still offered by the Jews?

Here he resolves this by showing that they are no longer offered as prefigurations, and that God does not accept them.

Again he proves this not from the New Testament, but from the prophets. From antiquity he brings the strongest testimony that the sacrifices have ceased and come to an end, and that the Jews offer them wholly in vain, always resisting the Holy Spirit.

“In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.” Thou didst not count them worthy of acceptance. The names of the sacrifices differed, plainly according to their different causes. Some were for sins (Lev 4:3), others for transgressions (Lev 6:5), others for salvation (Num 6:14), others for mercy (Num 6:5), others for vows (Lev 27:7), and still others for cleansing (Lev 14:32). Therefore all sacrifices were abolished, because Thou didst not desire sacrifice and offering.

“Therefore, when He enters the world, He says: Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast likewise had no pleasure. Then I said: Behold, I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of Me, to do Thy will, O God” (Ps 39:7-9).

Blessed Paul interprets this saying of the Master Christ (Heb 10:5-9), and most justly. For He is the firstfruits of our nature.

It is fitting for Him first to say what is required of us, and in Himself to prefigure what must be accomplished by us.

Thus He first approached baptism, showing us the grace of baptism. Thus He washed the feet of the disciples, setting before us the archetype of humility.

He neither required nor sought them. It is true that Leviticus and Deuteronomy set forth in detail what whole burnt offerings should be, what sacrifices for sin should be, and in general what every sacrifice and every offering should be. But Christ says: from the time I was incarnate and became the rational and true sacrifice, taking upon Myself the sin of the world, Thou didst no longer require the lawful sacrifice. The names of the sacrifices differed according to their appointed purpose: a sacrifice for sin (Lev 4:3), a sacrifice for transgression (Lev 6:5), for salvation (Lev 6:14), for propitiation (Lev 5:8), for prayer (Lev 27:2), and for cleansing (Lev 14:32).

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He enters the world, He says: Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me” (Heb 10:4-5).

Thus, when entering the world, the Messiah speaks to His heavenly Father through the mouth of His earthly forefather David.

Here the difference between the words of the Psalm according to the translation of the Seventy and according to the Hebrew original is worthy of note.

In the Hebrew, instead of “Thou hast prepared a body for Me,” as in the Seventy, it says, “Thou hast opened for Me,” or more precisely, “Thou hast pierced My ears.”

Thus the sacrifices of the law could not cleanse the sins of man. For this reason Christ, when entering the world, directly declared that these sacrifices are not pleasing to God.

When speaking of this, the Apostle places in the mouth of Christ the words of Psalm 39:7-9. As is clear from its content, David in Psalm 39 had chiefly in view not himself, but the Messiah.

It was necessary to offer perfect obedience to God as a sacrifice. Therefore He prepared a body for the Messiah, that is, He gave Him the possibility of offering this perfect sacrifice for men, for which they themselves had no strength.

The Messiah submitted to this determination of the divine Council, made, of course, immediately after the fall of mankind.