Hebrews 10:4 Meaning and Explanation
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Animal blood, by its very nature, could never actually take away sins.
What Does Hebrews 10:4 Mean?
Here the writer states the heart of the matter without qualification. The blood of bulls and goats, offered through centuries of faithful worship, simply lacked the power to remove sin itself.
The animals were innocent, but they were not willing; they could not stand in for a moral creature and bear away moral guilt. Their blood pointed beyond itself to a sacrifice of a different order. What the law could not do, God would accomplish through One who offered Himself freely and fully. The plain impossibility of this verse is the doorway through which the sufficiency of Christ's offering enters.
Hebrews 10:4 in the Original Language
aphaireo (ἀφαιρέω), 'take away' -- to lift off and carry off entirely, to remove.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 10:4
What does Hebrews 10:4 mean?
Animal blood, by its very nature, could never actually take away sins.