Hebrews 9:7

εἰς δὲ τὴν δευτέραν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ … The law is given in Leviticus 16, both negatively and positively; negatively in Leviticus 16:2 μὴ εἰσπορευέσθω πᾶσαν ὥραν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον ἐσώτερον τ. καταπετάσματος promiscuous or continuous, daily entrance was forbidden; and positively, in Leviticus 16:34 ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, i.e., one day each year, viz., on the day of Atonement, the tenth of the seventh month the High Priest is to enter. On that day the High Priest was to enter the Holiest at least thrice, first with the incense, then with the blood of the bullock which atoned for his own sins and those of his house, and finally with the blood of the goat for the sins of the people. μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεύς in contrast with οἱ ἱερεῖς of Hebrews 9:6. This point is also emphasised by Philo, De Mon., p. 821 E., where he says that the things inside the veil were hidden from everyone πλὴν ἑνὶ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, and by Josephus (Bell. Jud. ver. 5; ver. 7) εἰσῄει ἅπαξ κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν μόνος. See also Leviticus 16:17. The law was emphasised by the destruction of Nadab and Abhu, Leviticus 10:1. The Holiness of the Presence and the difficulty of access was further illustrated and enforced by the demand that sacrifice should open the way οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος. This blood was offered, i.e., sprinkled with the finger on the ἱλαστήριον, first, the blood of the calf to cleanse from his own sins, and then, the blood of the goat to atone for the people's sins. [ἑαυτοῦ is manifestly under the direct government of ὑπὲρ and does not follow ἀγνοημάτων. This word does not occur in Leviticus 16; on the contrary the strongest words are used, ἀνομία, ἁμαρτία, ἀδικία, but cf. Hebrews 5:2.] These three points, then, bring out the impossibility of free access to the Presence; not διαπαντὸς but ἅπαξ τ. ἐνιαυτοῦ; not οἱ ἱερεῖς promiscuously, but μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεύς; not freely, but οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος. This was the δικαίωμα λατρείας which could not be neglected under pain of death. What did it signify? τοῦτο δηλοῦντος τ. πνεύματος … “ this the Holy Spirit signifying, that the way into the Holy of Holies has not yet been made manifest, while the fore-tent has still a place”. δηλοῦντος, the Holy Spirit is viewed as the author of the ritual and as meaning to teach by every part of it. Vaughan compares 1 Peter 1:11 and adds, “As there O.T. prophecy, so here O.T. ritual, is ascribed to the Holy Spirit.” τὴν τ. ἁγίων ὁδὸν “the way into the Holiest” as in Hebrews 8:2. Access to the Holy of Holies being thus barred was an intimation that the true access to God had not yet been furnished and that therefore worship and fellowship with God (that is, religion) were not yet perfect. [Cf. Theoph. ἡ τ. ἁγίων ὁδός, τουτέστιν ἡ εἰς τ. οὐρανὸν εἴσοδος. Weiss, “der Weg zum himmlischen Heiligthum”.] So long as the fore-tent (τῆς πρώτης σκηνῆς) has an appointed place as part of the Divine arrangements for worship (ἐχούσης στάσιν as in Polyb. Hebrews 9:5; Hebrews 9:3) this signifies that the very Presence of God is inaccessible. The very object of the division of the Tabernacle into two rooms, an outer and an inner, was to impress men with the fact that the way of access had not actually been disclosed (πεφανερῶσθαι). Hence the appropriateness of the rending of the veil as the Symbol that by the perfected work and sacrifice of Christ the new and living way (Hebrews 10:20) was opened.