Hebrews 5:7–9

Context

Hebrews 4:14–5:10 is a section presenting Jesus Christ as high priest. The author of Hebrews is not known with certainty. In 5:1–4 the author first sets out the qualifications of a high priest: he is taken from among men, deals gently with the weak, and must be called by God. Then, in verses 5–6, citing Psalms 2:7 and 110:4, the author states that Christ was appointed by God as a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Verses 7–9 show that Christ was qualified to be high priest because he suffered as a human being. Verse 10 concludes the section. Within the letter as a whole, the passage belongs to a line of argument encouraging readers who are in danger of drawing back from the faith.

Interpretation

• Connection with Gethsemane: Many commentators connect the "strong crying and tears" with Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane or with his cry from the cross. Others extend the reference to the whole of Jesus' earthly life.
• The meaning of "was heard": Interpreters differ over what it means that Jesus' prayer was heard, given that he did in fact die. A widely held view takes it to mean not that he escaped death but that he was delivered out of death through the resurrection. Another view understands it to mean that he received strength to submit to the will of God.
• "Learned obedience" and "being made perfect": Traditional Christology (the doctrine of the person of Christ) reads the passage this way: the sinless Son did not change from disobedience to obedience; rather, as a man he came to know obedience through personal experience in the midst of suffering. For this reason the passage is frequently cited as a text showing the true humanity of the incarnate Son. "Made perfect" (Greek teleioō) is generally interpreted not as the correction of a moral defect but as being brought to completion for, or fully fitted to, the office of high priest.

Debates and Issues

• Translation questions: The Greek word eulabeia, rendered "in that he feared" in the KJV and often translated "reverence" or "godly fear," can also be understood as "fear" in the sense of dread. A minority interpretation therefore reads the text as saying that he was "delivered from fear." The German theologian Adolf von Harnack is reported to have conjectured that the original text read "he was not heard." No manuscript, however, supports this reading.
• "Them that obey him" and salvation: Denominational traditions place different emphases on "all them that obey him" in verse 9. The Reformed tradition regards obedience not as a condition of salvation but as the fruit and mark of genuine faith. The Wesleyan and Arminian traditions read the verse alongside the warning passages of Hebrews 6 and 10 and place greater emphasis on the importance of continuing in obedience within faith. This difference bears on the discussion of the perseverance of the saints and assurance of salvation.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited in Holy Week sermons and in preaching on suffering and obedience. The prayer offered "with strong crying and tears" is sometimes held up as a model of fervent prayer. Others point out, however, that the focus of the passage is on Christ's qualification as high priest.

Related Passages

• Hebrews 2:10
• Hebrews 4:14–16
• Matthew 26:36–46
• Philippians 2:5–8