Hebrews 9:27

New Testament Epistle (General) ASV (1901)

What does Hebrews 9:27 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [cometh] judgment;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [cometh] judgment;
Hebrews 9:27 — American Standard Version

Context — Hebrews 9

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
27And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [cometh] judgment;

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, etc..] Not a moral, or what is commonly called a spiritual death, nor an eternal one, but a corporeal one; which does not arise from the constitution of nature, but from the sin of man, and God's decree on account of it; by which it is fixed that men shall die, and how long they shall live, and when they shall die; so that they cannot die sooner nor later; all things antecedent to death, which lead on to it, and issue in it, are appointed by God, and so is death itself, with all its circumstances; men's days can neither be lengthened nor shortened, either by Christ himself, or others: and this statute and appointment of God concerns men, not…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“as--inasmuch as. it is appointed--Greek, "it is laid up (as our appointed lot)," Col 1:5. The word "appointed" (so Hebrew "seth" means) in the case of man, answers to "anointed" in the case of Jesus; therefore "the Christ," that is, the anointed, is the title here given designedly. He is the representative man; and there is a strict correspondence between the history of man and that of the Son of man. The two most solemn facts of our being are here connected with the two most gracious truths of our dispensation, our death and judgment answering in parallelism to Christ's first coming to die for us, and His second coming to consummate our salvation. once--and no more. after this the…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die - Or, “since it is appointed unto men to die once only.” The object of this is to illustrate the fact that Christ died but once for sin, and that is done by showing that the most important events pertaining to man occur but once. Thus, it is with “death.” That does not, and cannot occur many times. It is the great law of our being that people die only once, and hence, the same thing was to be expected to occur in regard to him who made the atonement. It could not be supposed that this great law pertaining to man would be departed from in the case of him who died to make the atonement, and that he would repeatedly undergo the pains of death. The…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“After this, the judgment - Of the great day. At the moment of death every man's final state is determined. But there is not a word in scripture of a particular judgment immediately after death. Hebrews 9:28”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“9:27-28 Christ’s first coming was to take away the sins of many people. When he will come again, it will not be to deal with sins, since that has already been accomplished. Instead, he will bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (see study note on Gal 5:5).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“as: Gen 3:19; Sa2 14:14; Job 14:5, Job 30:23; Psa 89:48; Ecc 3:20, Ecc 9:5, Ecc 9:10, Ecc 12:7; Rom 5:12 but: Heb 6:2; Job 19:25; Ecc 11:9, Ecc 12:14; Matt. 25:31-46; Joh 5:26-29; Act 17:31; Rom 2:5, Rom 14:9-12; Co1 4:5; Co2 5:10; Ti2 4:1; Jde 1:15; Rev 20:11 Hebrews 9:28”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification