Hebrews 9:17

For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γὰρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
testament	διαθήκη diathēkē	G1242	properly · noun — nominative singular feminine
force	βεβαία, bebaia	G949	stable (literally or figuratively) · adjective — nominative singular feminine
after	ἐπὶ epi	G1909	properly · preposition
dead	νεκροῖς nekrois	G3498	dead (literally or figuratively · adjective — dative plural masculine
otherwise	ἐπεὶ epei	G1893	thereupon · conjunction
of	ἰσχύει ischuei	G2480	to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
no	μήποτε mḗpote	G3379	not ever
strength	ἰσχύω ischýō	G2480	to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively)
all	μήποτε mḗpote	G3379	not ever
while	ὅτε hote	G3753	at which (thing) too · conjunction
testator	διαθέμενος. diathemenos	G1303	to put apart · verb — second aorist middle participle, nominative singular masculine
liveth	ζῇ zēa	G2198	to live (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular

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

Genesis 48:21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it b…
Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 9:15-22

In these verses the apostle considers the gospel under the notion of a will or testament, the new or last will and testament of Christ, and shows the necessity and efficacy of the blood of Christ to make this testament valid and effectual. I. The gospel is here considered as a testament, the new and last will and testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is observable that the solemn transactions that pass between God and man are sometimes called a covenant, here a testament. A covenant is an agreement between two or more parties about things that are in their own power, or may be so, and this either with or without a mediator; this agreement takes effect at such time and in such ma…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 9:17

after--literally, "over," as we say "upon the death of the testators"; not as THOLUCK, "on the condition that slain sacrifices be there," which the Greek hardly sanctions. otherwise--"seeing that it is never availing" [ALFORD]. BENGEL and LACHMANN read with an interrogation, "Since, is it ever in force (surely not) while the testator liveth?"

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 9:16

For where a testament is - A learned and judicious friend furnishes me with the following translation of this and the 17th verse: - "For where there is a covenant, it is necessary that the death of the appointed victim should be exhibited, because a covenant is confirmed over dead victims, since it is not at all valid while the appointed victim is alive." He observes, "There is no word signifying testator, or men, in the original. Διαθεμενος is not a substantive, but a participle, or a participial adjective, derived from the same root as διατηκη, and must have a substantive understood. I therefore render it the disposed or appointed victim, alluding to the manner of disposing or setting apa…

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John Gill on Hebrews 9:17

For a testament is of force after men are dead,.... The necessity of Christ's death is here urged, from the nature and force of a testament or will, among men, which does not take place, and cannot be executed, till a man is dead. Otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testator liveth; no claim can be made by the legatees for the part they have in it, nor can any disposition be made by the executor of it; not that hereby is suggested, that the testament or will of God was uncertain and precarious till the death of Christ, and subject to change and alteration as men's wills are till they die; nor that the inheritance could not be enjoyed by the Old Testament saints; for it is certa…

The Church Fathers

"for it does not take effect while the one who made it lives." Read according to the question.
— Oecumenius, The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews

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

Altar — (Heb. mizbe’ah, from a word meaning “to slay”), any structure of earth (Ex. 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25) on which sacrifices were offered. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places…
Atonement, The Day Of — I. The great day of national humiliation, and the only one commanded in the Mosaic law. [Fasts] The mode of its observance is described in Levi 16, and the conduct of the people is emphatically…
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…
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.…
Covenant, The · Ratified by the blood of Christ — Ratified by the blood of Christ
Testament · A will — A will
Will · .In force only after — .In force only after

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).

Hebrews 9:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 9:15-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 9:17

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 9:16

John Gill on Hebrews 9:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Hebrews 9:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 9:15-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 9:17

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 9:16

John Gill on Hebrews 9:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Hebrews 9:13-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Hebrews 9:16-22