Hebrews / Chapter 5

Hebrews 5

14 verses • SBL Greek New Testament 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Hebrews 5 begins the Melchizedek priesthood argument by establishing the qualifications of any high priest: he must be taken from among humans, he must be able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward because of his own weakness, and he must be called by God. The author then shows how Christ meets these qualifications — particularly through his anguished prayers during his earthly life and his learning obedience through suffering. God designated him a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The chapter ends with a rebuke: the audience should be teachers by now but still need elementary instruction.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verse 7 contains a vivid and emotionally raw depiction of Jesus's prayer life — 'loud cries and tears' — likely alluding to Gethsemane. The statement that Jesus 'learned obedience through what he suffered' (verse 8) is among the most theologically daring in the New Testament. The introduction of Melchizedek via Psalm 110:4 opens an argument the author will not complete until chapter 7, creating intentional suspense.

Translation Friction

The phrase 'he was heard because of his reverent submission' (verse 7) is debated — Jesus prayed to be saved from death, and he did die. In what sense was he 'heard'? Options include: heard in the sense of being rescued from death through resurrection, or heard in the sense that his prayer was received. We note both readings. The rebuke in verses 11-14 is sharp and raises questions about the audience's spiritual state.

Connections

Psalm 2:7 (verse 5) was already quoted in 1:5. Psalm 110:4 (verse 6) introduces the Melchizedek theme from Genesis 14:18-20 that dominates chapter 7. The Gethsemane allusion connects to the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 14:32-42 and parallels). The 'milk versus solid food' metaphor (verses 12-14) parallels 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. **Tradition comparisons:** The Latin Vulgate shaped Western theology here: Sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech — identical to Psalm 110:4 in the Vulgate, creating verbal consistency across the canon. This phrase became the ordination text for Catholic priests,... See the [Vulgate Hebrews](/vulgate/hebrews).

Hebrews 5:1

Πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἵνα προσφέρῃ δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν,

For every high priest chosen from among humans is appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

KJV For 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:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ex anthrōpōn lambanomenos ('taken from among humans') establishes the first qualification: solidarity with humanity. The high priest must share the condition of those he represents. The verb kathistatai ('is appointed') indicates divine appointment, not self-selection. The twin offerings — gifts (dōra, voluntary offerings) and sacrifices (thysias, sin-related offerings) — cover the full range of priestly service.
Hebrews 5:2

μετριοπαθεῖν δυνάμενος τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν καὶ πλανωμένοις, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν,

He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is also subject to weakness.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek metriopathein ('to deal gently, to moderate one's feelings') is a rare term — it describes a measured emotional response, neither indifferent nor overwhelmed. It was a term from Stoic philosophy for the moderation of passion. The Levitical high priest could be gentle because he knew his own frailty. This is both the strength and limitation of the old system — a weakness Christ transcends (he sympathizes without sharing the weakness of sin, 4:15).
Hebrews 5:3

καὶ δι' αὐτὴν ὀφείλει καθὼς περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ οὕτως καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ προσφέρειν περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν.

Because of this, he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins not only for the people but also for himself.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This obligation to sacrifice for himself distinguishes the Levitical high priest from Christ. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest first offered a bull for his own sins before offering for the people (Leviticus 16:6, 11). Christ, being without sin (4:15), has no such need — a superiority the author will develop in 7:27.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Leviticus 16:6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Hebrews 5:4

καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμὴν ἀλλὰ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών.

And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The second qualification: divine calling. The high priesthood is not an office one can seize — it requires God's appointment. The reference to Aaron (Exodus 28:1) grounds this in the Levitical system. The author will immediately show that Christ too was divinely called (verses 5-6), satisfying this requirement through a different but equally valid divine appointment.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Exodus 28:1. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
Hebrews 5:5

Οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασεν γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερέα ἀλλ' ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν· Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε·

So also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son; today I have fathered you."

KJV So 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Psalm 2:7 returns from 1:5, now applied not to Christ's superiority over angels but to his priestly appointment. The logic: the same God who declared Jesus 'Son' also appointed him priest. The verb edoxasen ('glorified') indicates that the high priesthood is an honor (doxa/glory), not a position Christ arrogated to himself.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 2:7 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Hebrews 5:6

καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ.

As he also says in another passage, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

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

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Μελχισέδεκ Melchisedek
"Melchizedek" — Melchizedek (Hebrew: 'king of righteousness')

The mysterious priest-king of Salem who appears in Genesis 14:18-20 and Psalm 110:4. He has no recorded genealogy, beginning, or end — features the author of Hebrews will interpret typologically in chapter 7.

Translator Notes

  1. Quoting Psalm 110:4, which the author will expound at length in chapter 7. This is the key text for the entire priestly argument of Hebrews. The phrase kata tēn taxin Melchisedek ('according to the order of Melchizedek') establishes a priesthood that is neither Aaronic nor Levitical but of a different and prior order — the order of the priest-king who blessed Abraham in Genesis 14:18-20. The word taxin ('order, arrangement, succession') means a category or type of priesthood, not a sequential organization.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalms 110:4. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 14:18-20. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 384 CE)

"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"

Sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech — identical to Psalm 110:4 in the Vulgate, creating verbal consistency across the canon. This phrase became the ordination text for Catholic priests, who are ordained 'according to the order of Melchizedek' — a priesthood superior to and independent of the Levitical order.

Hebrews 5:7

ὃς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ δεήσεις τε καὶ ἱκετηρίας πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον σῴζειν αὐτὸν ἐκ θανάτου μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων προσενέγκας καὶ εἰσακουσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας,

During the days of his life in the flesh, he offered up prayers and pleas with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

KJV Who 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;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase en tais hēmerais tēs sarkos autou ('in the days of his flesh') refers to Jesus's entire earthly life, though the 'loud cries and tears' (kraugēs ischyras kai dakryōn) likely allude specifically to Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42). The word hiketērias ('pleas, supplications') originally referred to olive branches held by those seeking mercy — it denotes urgent, desperate petition. The phrase eisakoustheis apo tēs eulabeias ('heard because of his reverent submission') is much debated. The preposition apo could mean 'because of' or 'out of.' His prayer to be saved from death was 'heard' — but he still died. Most scholars understand this as being heard through resurrection: God saved him not from dying but from remaining dead.
  2. The Greek eulabeia ('reverent submission, godly fear, devotion') describes not terror but reverent awe before God's will.
Hebrews 5:8

καίπερ ὢν υἱός, ἔμαθεν ἀφ' ὧν ἔπαθεν τὴν ὑπακοήν,

Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek emathen ... epathen ('he learned ... he suffered') is a deliberate wordplay — learning and suffering are paired by sound and by theology. The statement does not imply that Jesus was previously disobedient, but that obedience became experientially his through the process of suffering. As Son, he was always obedient; through suffering, he experienced what obedience costs in a fallen world. This is the 'perfecting' of verse 9 — vocational completion, not moral correction.
Hebrews 5:9

καὶ τελειωθεὶς ἐγένετο πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου,

And having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The passive teleiōtheis ('having been made perfect/complete') is the same verb used in 2:10. It describes vocational completion through suffering — Jesus was fully equipped as high priest through the full experience of human obedience under pressure. The word aitios ('source, cause, author') identifies Jesus not merely as an example of salvation but as its origin. The phrase 'all who obey him' (pasin tois hypakouousin autō) makes obedience the correlate of faith — those who are saved are those who respond with obedient trust.
Hebrews 5:10

προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ.

Called of God an high priest following the order of Melchisedec.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb prosagoreutheis ('designated, addressed as, named') is a formal term — it denotes an official declaration or title conferral. God did not merely allow Jesus to function as priest; he formally proclaimed him one. This returns to Psalm 110:4 from verse 6 and completes the christological argument: Jesus meets both qualifications (solidarity with humanity, divine appointment) and exceeds them (his priesthood is of a superior order).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalm 110:4 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Hebrews 5:11

Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν, ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς.

We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain since you have become slow to understand.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek dysermēneutos ('difficult to explain, hard to interpret') is a rare word indicating the complexity of the Melchizedek argument. But the difficulty is not in the subject matter alone — it is in the audience. The word nōthroi ('slow, sluggish, dull') suggests a regression, not an original state. They have 'become' (gegonate) sluggish — they were once more receptive. This sharp transition from christological exposition to pastoral rebuke is characteristic of Hebrews.
Hebrews 5:12

καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς τινὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.

For by this time you ought to be teachers, yet you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of God's oracles. You have come to need milk, not solid food.

KJV For 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase dia ton chronon ('because of the time') indicates they have been believers long enough to be mature. The 'basic elements' (ta stoicheia tēs archēs) literally means 'the ABC's of the beginning' — the elementary principles. The word logia ('oracles') refers to God's authoritative utterances. The milk/solid food metaphor parallels Paul's use in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 and reflects a common ancient educational analogy. The regression from solid food back to milk represents spiritual decline.
Hebrews 5:13

πᾶς γὰρ ὁ μετέχων γάλακτος ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης, νήπιος γάρ ἐστιν·

For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since such a person is an infant.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase apeiros logou dikaiosynēs ('unskilled in the word/message of righteousness') could mean 'inexperienced in the teaching about righteousness' or 'unfamiliar with the righteous word/message.' The metaphor is straightforward: infants cannot digest solid food, and immature believers cannot process advanced theological teaching — specifically, the Melchizedek argument the author wants to make.
Hebrews 5:14

τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ.

But solid food is for the mature — for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

KJV But 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek teleiōn ('the mature, the complete') contrasts with nēpios ('infant') in verse 13. The word aisthētēria ('faculties, senses, organs of perception') refers to the spiritual equivalent of the physical senses — the capacity to perceive and evaluate theological truth. The verb gegymnasmena ('trained, exercised') is from the gymnasium — spiritual maturity requires regular, disciplined exercise, not merely accumulated time. The phrase diakrisin kalou te kai kakou ('distinguishing good from evil') echoes the tree of knowledge in Genesis 2:17 — maturity involves the capacity for moral and theological discernment.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Genesis 2:17. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
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