Hebrews 10:9-10
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The verse highlights that Christ's coming wasn't just to add something new, but to remove the old system of sacrifices. By establishing the "doing of your will" through his own perfect obedience and sacrifice, Jesus effectively declares the previous offerings insufficient for true atonement and access to God.
then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The author is drawing from Psalm 40, quoting it to show how Christ, in coming to do God's will, supersedes the old sacrificial system. The text highlights that God wasn't looking for just any offerings, but for a willing heart expressed through obedience, which Christ perfectly embodied and accomplished. This truth is then used to transition to how believers are sanctified through Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
The Old Testament was filled with sacrifices, but were they the final answer? This verse reveals a profound shift in God's plan.
The passage contrasts two things: the 'first' and the 'second.'
The 'First'
This refers to the sacrificial system under the Old Covenant. These were the animal offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings prescribed by the Law.
The 'Second'
This points to the ultimate fulfillment found in Jesus Christ. It signifies His obedience, the offering of His body, and the doing of God's will.
The verse explains that Jesus 'does away with the first' – meaning the old sacrifices are rendered unnecessary and invalid as a means to perfect righteousness – 'in order to establish the second.' This establishes the reality that the Old Testament sacrifices only pointed towards: perfect obedience and atonement through Christ.
Jesus declared, 'I have come to do your will.' What does this mean for us, and why is it so central?
The core of Jesus' mission, as stated in this verse, was to accomplish God's will. This wasn't just a casual statement; it was the driving purpose behind His coming.
Obedience Perfected
Unlike the sacrificial system which humans performed, Jesus' obedience was a perfect, willing act of love. The Old Covenant sacrifices were prescribed by God, but Jesus God's will through His life and ultimate sacrifice.
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The Ultimate Sacrifice
His obedience led directly to the 'offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' (Hebrews 10:10). This singular act of doing God's will was the atoning sacrifice that could truly take away sin, establishing a new and living way to God.
Understand the original words
hagiazō · Greek Verb
The state of being set apart or consecrated for God’s exclusive use; in the New Covenant, it refers to being positionally made holy through faith in Christ.
sōma · Greek Noun
The physical human form of Jesus, which he offered as the definitive, atoning sacrifice to satisfy God’s justice.
ephapax · Greek Adverb
A term signifying that Christ's sacrifice was unique, complete, and unrepeatable, permanently finishing the work of redemption.
This verse is rooted in the shift from the Old Covenant sacrificial system to the New Covenant established by Christ's perfect sacrifice, a transition deeply impacting Jewish identity and practice, especially after the Temple's destruction.
c. 450 BC
Psalm 40 Written
The psalm from which Hebrews 10:9 quotes was likely composed during the divided monarchy or early post-exilic period, reflecting on God's deliverance and the inadequacy of animal sacrifices.
c. 100 BC - AD 70
Second Temple Period
The era of the Second Temple saw a complex religious landscape with the Jerusalem Temple as the central place of sacrifice, but also with increasing theological reflection on the Law and prophetic critique of ritualism.
c. AD 30— this verse
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus Christ is crucified, fulfilling the prophetic anticipation of a perfect sacrifice that would supersede the Old Testament sacrificial system.
c. AD 60-62
Letter to the Hebrews Written
The author of Hebrews writes to a community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome, to encourage them to persevere in their faith by highlighting Jesus' superiority over the Old Covenant.
AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Roman army destroys Jerusalem and the Second Temple, ending the divinely appointed sacrificial system described in the Old Testament.
This is the original passage quoted, showing the prophetic longing for obedience and a divine plan that supersedes mere sacrifice.
John 6:38Jesus directly echoes the sentiment of doing God's will, highlighting His mission as fulfilling the Father's purpose, which the author of Hebrews applies here.
Romans 3:31This passage explains how the Gospel does not abolish the Law but fulfills it, similar to how Christ's coming establishes a new way that transcends the old sacrificial system.
1 Samuel 15:22This verse from the Old Testament illustrates God's preference for obedience over sacrifice, setting a precedent for the shift that Christ's coming accomplishes.
Hebrews 9:26This verse immediately following explains that Christ's appearance was to 'put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,' directly tying His fulfillment of God's will to the abolition of former sacrifices.
meyerHebrews 10:9: "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second."
Hebrews 10:9 . Τότε εἴρηκεν ] are words of the author, and form the apodosis to ἀνώτερον λέγων , Hebrews 10:8 . Quite erroneously does Peirce, who, with Chrysostom, Hom . xviii. and the Vulgate (tunc dixi), instead of τότε εἴρηκεν will read τότε εἶπον , which, however, only arose from Hebrews 10:7 , make the apodosis begin first with ἀναιρεῖ τὸ πρῶτον . τότε , however, not…
clarkeHebrews 10:9: "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second."
He taketh away the first - The offerings, sacrifices, burnt-offerings, and sacrifices for sin, which were prescribed by the law. That he may establish the second - The offering of the body of Jesus once for all. It will make little odds in the meaning if we say, he taketh away the first covenant, that he may establish the second covenant; he takes away the first dispensati…
The verse highlights that Christ's coming wasn't just to add something new, but to remove the old system of sacrifices. By establishing the "doing of your will" through his own perfect obedience and sacrifice, Jesus effectively declares the previous offerings insufficient for true atonement and access to God.
The author is drawing from Psalm 40, quoting it to show how Christ, in coming to do God's will, supersedes the old sacrificial system. The text highlights that God wasn't looking for just any offerings, but for a willing heart expressed through obedience, which Christ perfectly embodied and accomplished. This truth is then used to transition to how believers are sanctified through Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
The author is drawing from Psalm 40, quoting it to show how Christ, in coming to do God's will, supersedes the old sacrificial system. The text highlights that God wasn't looking for just any offerings, but for a willing heart expressed through obedience, which Christ perfectly embodied and accomplished. This truth is then used to transition to how believers are sanctified through Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
"then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." — The verse highlights that Christ's coming wasn't just to add something new, but to remove the old system of sacrifices. By establishing the "doing of your will" through his own perfect obedience an…
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Last reviewed October 2026
