SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:16
Porque donde hay testamento, necesario es que intervenga la muerte del testador.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Hebrew 9:16
Verse 16. For where a testament is] A learned and judicious friend furnishes me with the following translation of this and the 17th verse:- "For where there is a covenant, it is necessary that the death of the appointed victim should be exhibited, because a covenant is confirmed over dead victims, since it is not at all valid while the appointed victim is alive." He observes, "There is no word signifying testator, or men, in the original. diaqemenov is not a substantive, but a participle, or a participial adjective, derived from the same root as diathkh, and must have a substantive understood. I therefore render it the disposed or appointed victim, alluding to the manner of disposing or setting apart the pieces of the victim, when they were going to ratify a covenant; and you know well the old custom of ratifying a covenant, to which the apostle alludes. I refer to your own notes on Gen. vi. 18, and Gen. xv. 10. - J. C." Mr. Wakefield has translated the passage nearly in the same way.
"For where a covenant is, there must be necessarily introduced the death of that which establisheth the covenant; because a covenant is confirmed over dead things, and is of no force at all whilst that which establisheth the covenant is alive." This is undoubtedly the meaning of this passage; and we should endeavour to forget that testament and testator were ever introduced, as they totally change the apostle's meaning. See the observations at the end of this chapter.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. For where a testament is , etc..] The covenant of grace, as administered under the Gospel dispensation, is a testament or will. The Jews have adopted the Greek word, here used, into their language, and pronounce it yqytyyd , and by it understand a dying man's last will and testament f195 . Some of them make it to be of Hebrew derivation; as if it was said, qyml yht ad , this shall be to confirm f196 , or this shall be stable and firm; though others own it to be the same with this Greek word diayhkh f197 . The covenant of grace, is properly a covenant to Christ, and a testament or will to his people: it is his and their Father's will, concerning giving them both grace and glory; it consists of many gifts and legacies; in it Christ is made heir of all things, and his people are made joint heirs with him; they are given to him as his portion; and they have all things pertaining to life and godliness bequeathed to them, even all spiritual blessings; the witnesses of it are Father, Son, and Spirit; and the seals of it are the blood of Christ, and the grace of the Spirit; and this is registered in the Scriptures by holy men as notaries; and is unalterable and immutable: and this being made, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator ; who is Christ; he has various parts in this will or testament; he is the surety and Mediator of it; and he is the executor of it; what is given in it, is first given to him, in order to be given to others; all things are put into his hands, and he has a power to give them to as many as the Father has given him; and here he is called the testator: Christ, as God, has an equal right to dispose of the inheritance, both of grace and glory; and as Mediator, nothing is given without his consent; and whatever is given, is given with a view to his death, and comes through it, and by virtue of it: hence there is a necessity of that, and that on the account of the divine perfections; particularly for the declaration of God's righteousness, or by reason of his justice; and also because of his purposes and decrees, which have fixed it, and of his promises, which are yea and amen in Christ, and are ratified by his blood, called therefore the blood of the covenant; and likewise on account of the engagements of Christ to suffer and die; as well as for the accomplishment of Scripture prophecies concerning it; and moreover, on account of the blessings which were to come to the saints through it, as a justifying righteousness, pardon of sin, peace and reconciliation, adoption and eternal life.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-22 - The solemn transactions between God and man, are sometimes called covenant, here a testament, which is a willing deed of a person bestowing legacies on such persons as are described, and it only take effect upon his death. Thus Christ died, not only to obtain the blessings of salvation for us, but to give power to the disposal of them. All, by sin, were become guilty before God, had forfeited ever thing that is good; but God, willing to show the greatness of his mercy, proclaimed a covenant of grace. Nothing could be clean to sinner, not even his religious duties; except as his guilt was don away by the death of a sacrifice, of value sufficient for that end, an unless he continually depended upon it. May we ascribe all real goo works to the same all-procuring cause, and offer our spiritual sacrifices as sprinkled with Christ's blood, and so purified from their defilement.
Greek Textus Receptus
οπου 3699 γαρ 1063 διαθηκη 1242 θανατον 2288 αναγκη 318 φερεσθαι 5342 5745 του 3588 διαθεμενου 1303 5642
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. For where a testament is (opou gar diaqhkh). "The English Version has involved this passage in hopeless obscurity by introducing the idea of a testament and a testator." This statement of Rendall (Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 159) is none too strong. That interpretation, however, is maintained by a very strong array of modern expositors. 212 It is based upon klhronomia inheritance; it being claimed that this word changes the whole current of thought. Hence it is said that the new covenant established by Christ is here represented as a testamentary disposition on his part, which could become operative in putting the heirs in possession of the inheritance only through the death of Christ. See Additional Note at the end of this chapter.
There must also of necessity be the death of the testator (qanatou anagkh feresqai tou diaqemenou). Rend. it is necessary that the death of the institutor (of the covenant) should be born. With the rendering testament, feresqai is well-nigh inexplicable. If covenant the meaning is not difficult. If he had meant to say it is necessary that the institutor die, he might better have used genesqai: "it is necessary that the death of the institutor take place"; but he meant to say that it was necessary that the institutor die representatively; that death should be born for him by an animal victim. If we render testament, it follows that the death of the testator himself is referred to, for which qanatou feresqai is a very unusual and awkward expression.
