Keluaran 26:31

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ¹  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ²  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Imamat 16:12-16

16:12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord ³  and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, ⁴  and bring them inside the veil-canopy. ⁵  16:13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, ⁶  so that he will not die. ⁷  16:14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement plate, ⁸  and in front of the atonement plate he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. ⁹ 

16:15 “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, ¹⁰  and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement plate and in front of the atonement plate. 16:16 So ¹¹  he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, ¹²  and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities.

Imamat 16:2

16:2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy ¹³  in front of the atonement plate ¹⁴  that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate.

Imamat 3:14

3:14 Then he must present from it his offering as a gift to the Lord: the fat which covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, ¹⁵ 

Matius 27:51

27:51 Just then ¹⁶  the temple curtain ¹⁷  was torn in two, from top to bottom. The ¹⁸  earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

Markus 15:38

15:38 And the temple curtain ¹⁹  was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Efesus 2:14-18

2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ²⁰  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 2:15 when he nullified ²¹  in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man ²²  out of two, ²³  thus making peace, 2:16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. ²⁴  2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 2:18 so that ²⁵  through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Ibrani 6:19

6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, ²⁶ 

Ibrani 9:3-8

9:3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. 9:4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark ²⁷  were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 9:5 And above the ark ²⁸  were the cherubim ²⁹  of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. 9:6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent ³⁰  as they perform their duties. 9:7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, ³¹  and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. ³²  9:8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle ³³  was standing.

Ibrani 10:19-22

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ³⁴  since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us ³⁵  through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ³⁶  10:21 and since we have a great priest ³⁷  over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, ³⁸  because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience ³⁹  and our bodies washed in pure water.

[26:31]  ¹ tn Although translated “curtain” (traditionally “veil,” so ASV, NAB, NASB) this is a different word from the one used earlier of the tent curtains, so “special curtain” is used. The word פָרֹכֶת (farokhet) seems to be connected with a verb that means “to shut off” and was used with a shrine. This curtain would form a barrier in the approach to God (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 289).

[26:31]  ² tn The verb is the third masculine singular form, but no subject is expressed. It could be translated “one will make” or as a passive. The verb means “to make,” but probably has the sense of embroidering both here and in v. 1.

[16:12]  ³ tn Heb “and he shall take the fullness of the censer, coals of fire, from on the altar from to the faces of the Lord.”

[16:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the fullness of the hollow of his two hands, finely ground fragrant incense.”

[16:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he shall bring from house to the veil-canopy.”

[16:13]  ⁶ tn The text here has only “above the testimony,” but this is surely a shortened form of “above the ark of the testimony” (see Exod 25:22 etc.; cf. Lev 16:2). The term “testimony” in this expression refers to the ark as the container of the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them (see Exod 25:16 with Deut 10:1, 5, etc.).

[16:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he will not die,” but it is clear that the purpose for the incense cloud was to protect the priest from death in the presence of the Lord (cf. vv. 1-2 above).

[16:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “on the faces of the atonement plate toward the east.” Some have taken this to mean that the ark was stationed just behind the veil-canopy on the eastern side of the most holy place. Thus, the high priest would need to enter and walk toward the west end of the most holy place and then turn eastward in order to face the ark and sprinkle the blood in an eastward direction. The rendering here, however, requires that the ark was stationed on the western end, or perhaps in the middle of the area, so that as the priest entered he was already facing the ark and would sprinkle the blood on the eastern face of the atonement plate, in a westward direction (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 239 versus J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1032).

[16:14]  ⁹ sn Presumably in this case the blood was sprinkled seven times on the ground in front of the ark on which the atonement plate was mounted.

[16:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he shall bring its blood into from house to the veil-canopy.”

[16:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.

[16:16]  ¹² tn Heb “to all their sins.”

[16:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “into the holy place from house to the veil-canopy.” In this instance, the Hebrew term “the holy place” refers to “the most holy place” (lit. “holy of holies”), since it is the area “inside the veil-canopy” (cf. Exod 26:33-34). The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place, and thus formed more of a canopy than simply a curtain (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).

[16:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the faces of the atonement plate.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew term כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) here rendered “atonement plate” is much debated. The traditional “mercy seat” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) does not suit the cognate relationship between this term and the Piel verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement, to make expiation”). The translation of the word should also reflect the fact that the most important atonement procedures on the Day of Atonement were performed in relation to it. Since the Lord would “appear in the cloud over the atonement plate,” and since it was so closely associated with the ark of the covenant (the ark being his “footstool”; cf. 1 Chr 28:2 and Ps 132:7-8), one could take it to be the place of his throne at which he accepts atonement. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1014; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 234-35; and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:691, 699. Cf. NIV “the atonement cover”; NCV “the lid on the Ark”; NLT “the Ark’s cover – the place of atonement.”

[3:14]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on this phrase in 3:3.

[27:51]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And behold.”

[27:51]  ¹⁷ tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

[27:51]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:38]  ¹⁹ tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

[2:14]  ²⁰ tn Grk “who made the both one.”

[2:15]  ²¹ tn Or “rendered inoperative.” This is a difficult text to translate because it is not easy to find an English term which communicates well the essence of the author’s meaning, especially since legal terminology is involved. Many other translations use the term “abolish” (so NRSV, NASB, NIV), but this term implies complete destruction which is not the author’s meaning here. The verb καταργέω (katargew) can readily have the meaning “to cause someth. to lose its power or effectiveness” (BDAG 525 s.v. 2, where this passage is listed), and this meaning fits quite naturally here within the author’s legal mindset. A proper English term which communicates this well is “nullify” since this word carries the denotation of “making something legally null and void.” This is not, however, a common English word. An alternate term like “rendered inoperative [or ineffective]” is also accurate but fairly inelegant. For this reason, the translation retains the term “nullify”; it is the best choice of the available options, despite its problems.

[2:15]  ²² tn In this context the author is not referring to a new individual, but instead to a new corporate entity united in Christ (cf. BDAG 497 s.v. καινός 3.b: “All the Christians together appear as κ. ἄνθρωπος Eph 2:15”). This is clear from the comparison made between the Gentiles and Israel in the immediately preceding verses and the assertion in v. 14 that Christ “made both groups into one.” This is a different metaphor than the “new man” of Eph 4:24; in that passage the “new man” refers to the new life a believer has through a relationship to Christ.

[2:15]  ²³ tn Grk “in order to create the two into one new man.” Eph 2:14-16 is one sentence in Greek. A new sentence was started here in the translation for clarity since contemporary English is less tolerant of extended sentences.

[2:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “by killing the hostility in himself.”

[2:18]  ²⁵ tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).

[6:19]  ²⁶ sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.

[9:4]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in which”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.

[9:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “above it”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.

[9:5]  ²⁹ sn The cherubim (pl.) were an order of angels mentioned repeatedly in the OT but only here in the NT. They were associated with God’s presence, glory, and holiness. Their images that sat on top of the ark of the covenant are described in Exod 25:18-20.

[9:6]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the first tent.”

[9:7]  ³¹ tn Grk “the second tent.”

[9:7]  ³² tn Or perhaps “the unintentional sins of the people”; Grk “the ignorances of the people.” Cf. BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνόημα, “sin committed in ignorance/unintentionally.” This term seems to be simply a synonym for “sins” (cf. Heb 5:2) and does not pick up the distinction made in Num 15:22-31 between unwitting sin and “high-handed” sin. The Day of Atonement ritual in Lev 16 covered all the sins of the people, not just the unwitting ones.

[9:8]  ³³ tn Grk “the first tent.” The literal phrase “the first tent” refers to either (1) the outer chamber of the tabernacle in the wilderness (as in vv. 2, 6) or (2) the entire tabernacle as a symbol of the OT system of approaching God. The second is more likely given the contrast that follows in vv. 11-12.

[10:19]  ³⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[10:20]  ³⁵ tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.

[10:20]  ³⁶ sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.

[10:21]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.

[10:22]  ³⁸ tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”

[10:22]  ³⁹ sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).