Hebrews 9:10

which stood only in meats and drinks The "which" of the A. V. refers to the "present time." The Greek is here elliptical, for the verse begins with the words "only upon." The meaning is that the "gifts and sacrifices" consist only in meats and drinks and divers washings being ordinances of the flesh, imposed (only) till the season of reformation.

meats Exodus 12.; Leviticus 11.; Numbers 6.

drinks Leviticus 10:8-9; Numbers 6:2-3; Leviticus 11:34.

divers washings Leviticus 8:6; Leviticus 8:12; Exodus 40:31-32; Numbers 19 and the Levitical law passim. All these things had already been disparaged by Christ as meaning nothing in themselves(Mark 7:1-15); and St Paul had written "Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink … which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Colossians 2:16-17).

and carnal ordinances This is a wrong reading. The "and" should be omitted, and for dikaiomasiwe should read dikaiomatain the accusative case. It stands in apposition to the sentence in general, and to the "gifts and sacrifices" of the last verse; they could not assure the conscience, because they had only to do with meats, &c. being only ordinances of the flesh, i.e. outward, transitory, superficial.

imposed on them There is no need for the "on them." The verb means "imposed as a burden," "lying as a yoke." Comp. Acts 15:10; Acts 15:28; Galatians 5:1.

until the time of reformation The season of reformation is that of which Jeremiah prophesied: it is in fact the New Covenant, see Hebrews 8:7-12. The "yoke of bondage," which consists of a galling and wearisome externalism, was then changed for "an easy yoke and a light burden" (Matthew 11:29).