Hebrews 9:7 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

This verse contains the special anniversary of the high priest alone in the inward tabernacle, the holy of holiest, of which you have the law, Exodus 30:14 Leviticus 16:2, &c. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year; into this place the high priest was to enter once a year only, and every year to repeat it, as Exodus 30:10, upon the atonement day, being the tenth day of the month Tisri, the seventh month in their ecclesiastical year, and the first of their civil: that day was he to enter several times into that place, first for himself, Leviticus 16:11-14, and then for the people, Leviticus 16:15,16, &c., carrying in the blood first within the veil, and then coming out again, and carrying in the incense on the golden censer: none of the other priests were to enter into the holy place while he was ministering, but him alone, as Leviticus 16:17. Not without blood: when he first entered into the holiest of all, it was with the blood of a young bull, of a ram, Leviticus 16:3,14, with the blood of the he-goat, Hebrews 9:15,27. After he had offered the incense on his golden censer, Hebrews 9:4, he must sprinkle the blood upon the mercy-seat and before it, by which expiatory blood there was made an atonement, Hebrews 9:12-14. Which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people; first, for his sinful self and family, Leviticus 16:11, and then for the ignorances, incogitancies, errors, and all sorts of sins committed by the people, Hebrews 9:16 Hebrews 7:27; all of them being committed with some error of the understanding. Which type, in all its parts, was perfectly fulfilled in Christ, the gospel High Priest, as is shown in the following verses; whereby not only his office, but his services, are transcendently set above, and preferred to, all the Aaronical ones.

Hebrews 9:7

7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: