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The Letters · New Testament

Hebrews 5

Hebrews 5: what a high priest is, and a rebuke about dull hearing

General context

The chapter begins with a description of the office. Every high priest is taken from among men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on the ignorant and those out of the way because he is himself compassed with infirmity, and for that reason he must offer for himself as well as for the people. No one takes the honour on himself; he is called of God, as Aaron was. Christ likewise did not glorify himself to be made a high priest, and two quoted sayings are given as the words of the one who appointed him, one about being begotten as a Son and one about a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. In the days of his flesh he offered prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to the one able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Though a Son, he learned obedience by the things he suffered, and being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him, called of God a high priest after the order of Melchisedec. The subject is then broken off. There is much to say that is hard to utter because the hearers are dull of hearing. They ought to be teachers by now but need the first principles taught again, and need milk rather than strong meat. Everyone who uses milk is a babe, unskilful in the word of righteousness; strong meat belongs to those of full age whose senses are exercised to discern good and evil.

Cited passages: Hebrews 5:1, Hebrews 5:2, Hebrews 5:3, Hebrews 5:4, Hebrews 5:5, Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 5:7, Hebrews 5:8, Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 5:11, Hebrews 5:12, Hebrews 5:13, Hebrews 5:14

Hebrews 5 (KJV)

1For 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:

2Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5So 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.

6As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7Who 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;

8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12For 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.

13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14But 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.

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Historical context

Aaron is the only priest named as a pattern for being called rather than self-appointed. The two quotations are given without a book: one is introduced by the words "he that said unto him" and the other only as "in another place". The first, "Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee", is the same saying quoted at Hebrews 1:5, where the letter prints "this day have I begotten thee", and Psalm 2:7 also reads "this day have I begotten thee". The second matches Psalm 110:4 apart from spelling and tense: the letter reads "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec", where the psalm spells the name Melchizedek and begins "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent". The prayers, crying and tears of verse 7 are placed only "in the days of his flesh", with no occasion, place or time given, and the letter does not say what he asked for. Verse 12 says the hearers have been taught long enough to teach others, which is the nearest the chapter comes to dating them, and it names no teacher and no congregation.

Cited passages: Hebrews 5:4, Hebrews 5:5, Hebrews 1:5, Psalms 2:7, Hebrews 5:6, Psalms 110:4, Hebrews 5:7, Hebrews 5:12

Literary context

The chapter sets out a definition and then measures a person against it. The office is described in four strokes, taken from among men, offering for sins, sharing infirmity, and called rather than self-chosen, and the account of Christ takes up the last of these first, at verse 5, reaching the others by way of his suffering. The two quotations sit side by side so that sonship and priesthood are claimed in one breath. Verse 7 slows to a scene without naming one, prayers, strong crying and tears, and then the sentence runs on through learning and being made perfect to the title repeated from verse 6, which closes the paragraph where it opened. The argument then stops short. The complaint about dull hearing turns the letter on its readers and uses the images of milk, strong meat, babe and full age to explain the delay. The Melchisedec thread is dropped here and is not picked up until chapter 7.

Cited passages: Hebrews 5:1, Hebrews 5:2, Hebrews 5:4, Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 5:7, Hebrews 5:8, Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 5:11, Hebrews 5:14

Key moments

  1. What a high priest does (Hebrews 5:1). The office is defined as offering gifts and sacrifices for sins.
  2. Called, not self-appointed (Hebrews 5:4). No one takes the honour except by God's call, as Aaron was called.
  3. Two sayings quoted (Hebrews 5:6). A priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec is quoted from another place.
  4. Strong crying and tears (Hebrews 5:7). He is said to have prayed to the one able to save him from death.
  5. Obedience learned by suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Sonship is said not to have exempted him from learning through suffering.
  6. Dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11). The argument stops so the writer can name the hearers' difficulty.
  7. Milk and strong meat (Hebrews 5:13). Readers are compared to babes who still need milk.

For reflection

The letter blames the difficulty of what it wants to say on the hearing of its readers rather than on the subject. When a reader finds a passage hard, how can that judgement be tested fairly in either direction?

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