Hebrews 10:22 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
the body (as a sound whole) · noun — accusative singular neuter
washed
λελουσμένοιlelousmenoi
G3068
to bathe (the whole person · verb — perfect middle participle, nominative plural masculine
with
ὕδατιhudati
G5204
water (as if rainy) literally or figuratively · noun — dative singular neuter
pure
καθαρῷ.katharō
G2513
clean (literally or figuratively) · adjective — dative singular neuter
water
ὕδωρhýdōr
G5204
water (as if rainy) literally or figuratively
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good consc…
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit o…
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness i…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hebrews 10:19–end
I. Here the apostle sets forth the dignities of the gospel state. It is fit that believers should know the honours and privileges that Christ has procured for them, that, while they take the comfort, they may give him the glory of all. The privileges are, 1. Boldness to enter into the holiest. They have access to God, light to direct them, liberty of spirit and of speech to conform to the direction; they have a right to the privilege and a readiness for it, assistance to use and improve it and assurance of acceptance and advantage. They may enter into the gracious presence of God in his holy oracles, ordinances, providences, and covenant, and so into communion with God, where they receive co…
(Heb 4:16; Heb 7:19.)
with a true heart--without hypocrisy; "in truth, and with a perfect heart"; a heart thoroughly imbued with "the truth" (Heb 10:26).
full assurance-- (Heb 6:11); with no doubt as to our acceptance when coming to God by the blood of Christ. As "faith" occurs here, so "hope," and "love," Heb 10:23-24.
sprinkled from--that is, sprinkled so as to be cleansed from.
evil conscience--a consciousness of guilt unatoned for, and uncleansed away (Heb 10:2; Heb 9:9). Both the hearts and the bodies are cleansed. The legal purifications were with blood of animal victims and with water, and could only cleanse the flesh (Heb 9:13, Heb 9:21). Christ's blood purifies the heart and…
Let us draw near - Let us come with the blood of our sacrifice to the throne of God: the expression is sacrificial.
With a true heart - Deeply convinced of our need of help, and truly in earnest to obtain it.
In full assurance of faith - Being fully persuaded that God will accept us for the sake of his Son, and that the sacrificial death of Christ gives us full authority to expect every blessing we need.
Having our hearts sprinkled - Not our bodies, as was the case among the Hebrews, when they had contracted any pollution, for they were to be sprinkled with the water of separation, see Num 19:2-10; but our hearts, sprinkled by the cleansing efficacy of the blood of Christ, without which we c…
The Church Fathers
These things I cannot ask from any but the God from whom I know I shall obtain them, both because He alone bestows them and because I have claims upon Him for their gift, as being a servant of His, rendering homage to Him alone, persecuted for His doctrine, offering to Him, at His own requirement, that costly and noble sacrifice of prayer despatched from the chaste body, an unstained soul, a sanctified spirit, not the few grains of incense a farthing buys -tears of an Arabian tree,-not a few drops of wine,-not the blood of some worthless ox to which death is a relief, and, in addition to other offensive things, a polluted conscience, so that one wonders, when your victims are examined by these vile priests, why the examination is not rather of the sacrificers than the sacrifices.
"let us draw near with a true heart." In the faith of Christ with truth, having nothing false or deceitful. "in full assurance of faith." For hereafter, nothing is visible, neither the temple, that is, the heaven, nor the high priest, that is, Christ, nor the sacrifice, that is, his body, but there is a need for faith. And since there is both believing and doubting, he says, "in full assurance of faith," that is, so that we may be fully informed about these things. "having our hearts sprinkled." This shows that there is a need not only for faith but also for a righteous life. "sprinkled." The Jews, he says, sprinkle their bodies; but let us sprinkle and purify our consciences, so that we may not have any evil consciousness of ourselves. "with pure water," that is, with baptism. For the Jews, by washing, only cleanse the body; but we purify the soul with baptism. For the water we have is pure, that is, purifying.
For since a person's nature is twofold, compounded of soul and body, the purification is also twofold, incorporeal for the incorporeal part, bodily for the body. For as the water purifies the body, so the Spirit seals the soul, that having our hearts sprinkled and our bodies washed with clean water, we may draw near to God. Therefore, when about to enter the water, do not regard it as mere water, but look for its saving power by the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, for without both you cannot be made perfect. It is not I who say this, but the Lord Jesus, who has the power in this matter, says, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Neither does he who is baptized but has not been deemed worthy of the Spirit possess perfect grace; nor will one who acts virtuously, but does not receive the seal by water, enter into the kingdom of heaven. This may appear a bold saying, but it is not mine, for it was Jesus who pronounced it.
Dictionary and topics
Assurance — The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:31) is the “assurance” (Gr. pistis, generally rendered “faith”) or pledge God has given that his revelation is true and worthy of acceptance. The “full assurance…
High priest — Aaron was the first who was solemnly set apart to this office (Ex. 29:7; 30:23; Lev. 8:12). He wore a peculiar dress, which on his death passed to his successor in office (Ex. 29:29, 30). Besides…
Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or…
Purification — The process by which a person unclean, according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and the festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges. The great…
Synagogue — (Gr. sunagoge, i.e., “an assembly”), found only once in the Authorized Version of Ps. 74:8, where the margin of Revised Version has “places of assembly,” which is probably correct; for while the…
Tabernacle — (1.) A house or dwelling-place (Job 5:24; 18:6, etc.). (2.) A portable shrine (comp. Acts 19:24) containing the image of Moloch (Amos 5:26; marg. and R.V., “Siccuth”). (3.) The human body (2 Cor.…
Ablution · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Access To God · Typified — Typified
Assurance · Produced by faith — Produced by faith
Conscience · 20:12; — 20:12;
Emblems Of The Holy Spirit, The · Cleansing — Cleansing
Let us draw near with a true heart,.... Either to the holiest of all, into which the saints have boldness to enter; or to Christ the high priest, who is entered there; or to the house of God, over which he is an high priest; or rather to God himself, as on a throne of grace, on the mercy seat in heaven, the most holy place: to "draw near" to him is a sacerdotal act, common to all the saints, who are made priests to God; and includes the whole of divine worship, but more especially designs prayer; to which believers are encouraged from the liberty and boldness they may have and use, of entering into the holiest by the blood of Jesus; from Christ's being the new and living way into it, and fro…
Hebrews 10:19-23
19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
19. Habentes itaque, fratres, fiduciam ingrediendi in sancta per sanguinem Iesu,
20. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
20. Via quam dedicavit nobis recentem ac vivam per velum, hoc est carnem suam,
21. And having an high priest over the house of God;
21. Et sacerdotem magnum super domum Dei,
22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
22. Accedamus cum sincero corde in certitudine fidei, aspersi c…
sincere hearts: Under the new covenant, believers have transformed hearts (8:10; 10:16; Jer 31:31-34). • fully trusting him: Christ’s work on our behalf gives us confidence that God will welcome us into his presence. • our guilty consciences have been sprinkled . . . our bodies have been washed: Christ’s sacrificial death has provided complete cleansing from sin (see 9:13-14, 19-23).
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
