Hebrews 6:20

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Whither	ὅπου hopou	G3699	what(-ever) where · preposition
forerunner	πρόδρομος prodromos	G4274	a runner ahead · noun — nominative singular masculine
is	εἰσῆλθεν eisēlthen	G1525	to enter (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
for	ὑπὲρ huper	G5228	"over" · preposition
us	ἡμῶν hēmōn	G2257	of (or from) us
entered	εἰσέρχομαι eisérchomai	G1525	to enter (literally or figuratively)
Jesus	Ἰησοῦς Iēsous	G2424	Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
made	γενόμενος genomenos	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent participle, nominative singular masculine
priest	ἀρχιερεὺς archiereus	G749	the high-priest (literally · noun — nominative singular masculine
for	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
ever	αἰῶνα.¶ aiōna	G165	properly · noun — accusative singular masculine
after	κατὰ kata	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
order	τάξιν taxin	G5010	regular arrangement · noun — accusative singular feminine
Melchisedec	Μελχισέδεκ Melchisedek	G3198	Melchisedek (i.e. Malkitsedek) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name

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

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Hebrews 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
John 14:2-3 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh in…
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had b…
Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salva…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 6:9–end

The apostle, having applied himself to the fears of the Hebrews, in order to excite their diligence and prevent their apostasy, now proceeds to apply himself to their hopes, and candidly declares the good hope he had concerning them, that they would persevere; and proposes to them the great encouragements they had in the way of their duty. I. He freely and openly declares the good hope he had concerning them, that they would endure to the end: But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, Heb 6:9. Observe, 1. There are things that accompany salvation, things that are never separated from salvation, things that show the person to be in a state of salvation, and will issue in eternal sal…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 6:20

The absence of the Greek article requires ALFORD'S translation, "Where. As forerunner for us (that is, in our behalf), entered Jesus" [and is now: this last clause is implied in the 'where' of the Greek, which implies being IN a place: 'whither' is understood to 'entered,' taken out of 'where'; whither Jesus entered, and where He is now]. The "for us" implies that it was not for Himself, as God, He needed to enter there, but as our High Priest, representing and introducing us, His followers, opening the way to us, by His intercession with the Father, as the Aaronic high priest entered the Holiest Place once a year to make propitiation for the people. The first-fruits of our nature are ascend…

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Adam Clarke on Hebrews 6:20

Whither the forerunner - The word προδρομος, prodromos, does not merely signify one that goes or runs before another, but also one who shows the way, he who first does a particular thing; also the first fruits. So in the Septuagint, Isa 28:4, προδρομος συκου signifies the first fruits of the fig tree, or the first ripe figs. To this meaning of the word Pliny refers, Hist. Nat., lib. xvi., c. 26: Ficus et praecoces habet, quas Athenis Prodromos (προδρομος), vocant. "The fig tree produces some figs which are ripe before the rest, and these are called by the Athenians prodromos, forerunner." The word is interpreted in the same way by Hesychius; it occurs in no other part of the New Testament, b…

The Church Fathers

He augmented their confidence with the name forerunner: if he is our forerunner and has gone up for us, we too must follow and be granted ascent.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 6

Paul added that "Christ" has become "an eternal high priest" for us, in that Christ leads all those believing through him in each generation to God based on the hope of the resurrection.
— Theodore of Mopsuestia, FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 6.20

I speak of those heavens from which we expect the Lord will come, who will transform us from corruption to incorruption, and take us up where He himself has entered before us. For this also he says elsewhere: The forerunner himself hath for us entered.
— Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 7

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Aaron — The eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a daughter of Levi (Ex. 6:20). Some explain the name as meaning mountaineer, others mountain of strength, illuminator. He was born in Egypt three years before…
Covenant — A contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word berith is always thus translated. Berith is derived from a root which means “to cut,” and hence a covenant is a…
Forerunner — John the Baptist went before our Lord in this character (Mark 1:2, 3). Christ so called (Heb. 6:20) as entering before his people into the holy place as their head and guide.
Ascension Of Christ, The · As the forerunner of his people — As the forerunner of his people
Christ, The High Priest · After the order of Melchizedek — After the order of Melchizedek
Forerunner · Figurative of Christ — Figurative of Christ
Heaven · Christ: As Mediator, entered into — Christ: As Mediator, entered into
High Priest, The · Inferior to Christ in: Being of the order of Aaron — Inferior to Christ in: Being of the order of Aaron
Melchizedek · A priest and type of Christ — A priest and type of Christ
Priest · .Melchize — .Melchize
Tabernacle · Illustrative: (The holy of holies,) of heaven — Illustrative: (The holy of holies,) of heaven
Titles And Names Of Christ

Hebrews 6:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 6:9–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 6:20

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 6:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Hebrews 6:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 6:9–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 6:20

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 6:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Hebrews 6:20

John Calvin on Hebrews 6:16–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Hebrews 6:19-20