Hebrews 10:5 Meaning and Explanation
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Coming into the world, Christ declares in the words of the Psalm that God desired not sacrifice but a body prepared for obedience.
What Does Hebrews 10:5 Mean?
The writer now puts the words of Psalm 40 on the lips of Christ as He enters the world. Where the old offerings fell short, a new and willing self-offering is announced from the very beginning of His earthly coming.
God did not ultimately delight in animal sacrifice for its own sake; He desired a living obedience offered in a human life. So a body was prepared for the Son, that He might do in flesh what no animal could do. The whole drama of redemption turns on this: a real human life, given freely to the Father's will, becomes the offering that the shadows could only foreshadow.
Hebrews 10:5 in the Original Language
soma (σῶμα), 'body' -- the physical human body, here prepared as the vessel of obedient self-giving.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 10:5
What does Hebrews 10:5 mean?
Coming into the world, Christ declares in the words of the Psalm that God desired not sacrifice but a body prepared for obedience.