Hebrews 9:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Why did he say, "And almost everything"? Why did he make such a limitation? Because there was not perfect cleansing or perfect remission of sins there, but something half-complete, and indeed much less. But here, "For this is My Blood," says the Lord, "of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Mt 26:28). Where is the book that cleansed their souls? They themselves were the books of the New Covenant. Where are the vessels of service? They themselves. Where is the tabernacle? Again, they themselves. "I will dwell in them," God says, "and walk among them" (2 Cor 6:16). But here there is no sprinkling with scarlet wool or hyssop. Why? Because this cleansing was not bodily, but spiritual, and this blood is spiritual. Why?

Why did he add “almost”? Because there was neither perfect cleansing nor perfect remission of sins there. For how could this be, when sins were not remitted?

Taking foreign blood, that of calves and goats, he sprinkled the people, the tabernacle, and all its vessels. For according to the law everything was cleansed with blood, and without the sprinkling of this animal blood there was no remission of sin.

The Apostle has unquestionably shown that what belongs to the Old Covenant is an image of what belongs to the New. Therefore, if even in the type the lawgiver took blood, mixed it with water, and sprinkled the covenant itself, the people, and the tabernacle, and if the defiled received purity when sprinkled, what is surprising if we find this fulfilled in the reality prefigured? Of necessity the Apostle presented Moses' testimony, in which this is clearly expressed: "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded for you" (Ex 24:8). Since the divine nature is immortal, He depicted death through the blood of sacrifices and confirmed the covenant. But since God the Word became man and had a mortal body, He no longer needed irrational sacrifices.

“And almost all things are cleansed with blood according to the law.” He said “almost all,” because there were also other means of purification. “And without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” There, however, the cleansing concerned bodily impurities. Here, in the New Testament time, it concerns impurities of the soul. For this reason wool and hyssop were used there, since that cleansing was bodily. Here there is nothing of the kind, because this cleansing is of the soul and spiritual.

"Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. And according to the law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb 9:18, 22). The concluding particle "therefore" or "for this reason" shows that the Apostle wants to explain why even the Old Covenant did not exist without blood, though Old Testament blood was only the blood of animals. What is this reason? For what could the blood of animals be needed, and how could it have cleansing power? The Apostle indicates the explanation of this mystery in the New Covenant. He reasons as follows.

It is true that God was properly the testator, but He transferred all His rights over the property, that is, over the kingdom of God, to Jesus Christ. Therefore men's entrance into possession of the eternal inheritance became possible only after Christ's death. And Christ Himself, on the eve of His death, truly said to the disciples: "I appoint to you a kingdom, as My Father appointed to Me" (Lk 22:29). On the other hand, the death of Jesus Christ was necessary for the redemption of men from sins. This had already been indicated at the conclusion of the Old Covenant. Precisely for this reason the latter was inaugurated (έγκεκαίνισται), that is, consecrated for habitation as a kind of building (cf. Deut 20:5), through the shedding of blood. At the same time the Apostle finds it necessary to recall that blood was also used afterward for the cleansing of the tabernacle, and generally in almost all cases of defilement.