12. Neither--"Nor yet."
by--"through"; as the means of His approach.
goats . . . calves--not a bullock, such as the
Levitical high priest offered for himself, and a goat for the people,
on the day of atonement
(Le 16:6, 15),
year by year, whence the plural is used, goats
. . . calves. Besides the goat offered for the people the
blood of which was sprinkled before the mercy seat, the high priest led
forth a second goat, namely, the scapegoat; over it he confessed the
people's sins, putting them on the head of the goat, which was sent as
the sin-bearer into the wilderness out of sight, implying that the
atonement effected by the goat sin offering (of which the ceremony of
the scapegoat is a part, and not distinct from the sin offering)
consisted in the transfer of the people's sins on the goat, and their
consequent removal out of sight. The translation of sins on the victim
usual in other expiatory sacrifices being omitted in the case of the
slain goat, but employed in the case of the goat sent away, proved the
two goats were regarded as one offering [ARCHBISHOP MAGEE]. Christ's death is
symbolized by the slain goat; His resurrection to life by the living
goat sent away. Modern Jews substitute in some places a cock for
the goat as an expiation, the sins of the offerers being transferred to
the entrails, and exposed on the housetop for the birds to carry out of
sight, as the scapegoat did; the Hebrew for "man" and "cock"
being similar, gebher [BUXTORF].
by--"through," as the means of His entrance; the key unlocking
the heavenly Holy of Holies to Him. The Greek is forcible,
"through THE blood of His own" (compare
Heb 9:23).
once--"once for all."
having obtained--having thereby obtained; literally,
"found for Himself," as a thing of insuperable difficulty to all save
Divine Omnipotence, self-devoting zeal, and love, to find. The access
of Christ to the Father was arduous
(Heb 5:7).
None before had trodden the path.
eternal--The entrance of our Redeemer, once for all, into
the heavenly holiest place, secures eternal redemption to us;
whereas the Jewish high priest's entrance was repeated year by year,
and the effect temporary and partial, "On redemption," compare
Mt 20:28;
Eph 1:7;
Col 1:14;
1Ti 2:5;
Tit 2:14;
1Pe 1:19.
JFB.
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