AFTER SAYING ABOVE SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES FOR SIN THOU HAST NOT DESIRED NOR HAST THOU TAKEN PLEASURE IN THEM WHICH ARE OFFERED ACCORDING TO THE LAW: anoteron legon (PAPMSN) hoti thusias kai prosphoras kai holokautomata: peri hamartias ouk ethelesas (2SAAI) oude eudokesas (2SAAI) aitines kata nomon prospherontai,(3PPPI):

After saying above - In Hebrews 10:8-9 the writer again quotes from Ps 40:6, 7, 8, but this time in a condensed form.

Saying (3004) (lego) means to speak or talk, with an apparent focus upon content of what is said. Present tense indicates continually saying which would refer to the enduring character of any and all of God's Word (Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, Lk 21:33)

Above (511) (anoteros) is the comparative of ano (above) and can mean above or preceding as in this verse (a higher place in the written column) or higher, better or more honorable place at the table as in the only other NT use (Lk 14:10). Anoteros is first in the Greek sentence for emphasis.

Albert Barnes writes that....

Saying above, when he said. That is, the Messiah. The word "above" refers here to the former part of he quotation. That is, "having in the former part of what was quoted said that God did not require sacrifices, in the latter part he says that he came to do the will of God in the place of them." Sacrifice and offering and burnt, offerings, etc. These words are not all used in the Psalm from which the apostle quotes, but the idea is, that the specification there included all kinds of offerings. The apostle dwells upon it because it was important to show that the same remark applied to all the sacrifices which could be offered by man. When the Redeemer made the observation about the inefficacy of sacrifices, he meant that there was none of them which would be sufficient to take away sin.

Sacrifices and offerings - Earle remarks that "These words may carelessly be thought of as synonymous. But they are not. The first, prosphora, literally means "something brought to." It aptly describes an "offering," which was "brought to" the altar. It might be composed of meal or oil, or even be a drink offering. On the other hand, "sacrifice" is thusia...Christ was both. It takes all the offerings of the OT—described in detail in the early chapters of Leviticus—to typify the many-sided work of Christ in His redemption of humanity." (Word Meanings in the New Testament)

Sacrifice (2378) (thusia/thysia  from thuo/thyo = to slay, sacrifice or kill a sacrificial victim; to bring a religious offering to a deity) refers literally to animal sacrifices that were slain and offered on the altar.

Homer (about nine centuries before Christ) used thusia to describe the "smoke or burnt offering." Later the sense of thusia was broadened to mean the actual slaying of a sacrifice. According to Pindar, thusia was the very ritual of sacrifice, the religious service in which a sacrifice was brought.

NIDNTT notes that in classic Greek usage the verb form thuo (which has been in use since Homer some 9 centuries prior to Christ)...

has in secular Gk. the basic meaning of to sacrifice, though originally in connexion with the smoke-offering it meant to smoke, and in particular, in the active form, to offer a smoking or a burnt sacrifice (Homer, Il. 9, 219; Xen., Cyr. 8, 7, 3). Because sacrificial animals or portions of animals-and human beings also-were burnt, thyo also assumed the meaning to slaughter for cultic ends (Hdt., 1, 216; Eur., Iph. Taur. 621). The noun thysia (since Pindar) signifies the ritual of sacrifice as well as the sacrificial animal or any other similar sacrificial gift (Hdt., 4, 60; Thuc., 8, 70).  (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan - excellent resource for in depth word studies)

Detzler notes that...

In the Septuagint Greek Old Testament, this word (thusia) was used to describe the Jewish sacrificial system. It also characterized the action of bringing a sacrifice. In fact, most of the major characters in the Old Testament brought sacrifices. Among them were: Noah (Ge 8:20), Abraham (Ge 12:6), Isaac (Ge 26:25), Jacob (Ge 33:20), Moses (Ex. 17:15), Elijah (1Ki 18:31), and David (2Sa 24:18)....

The words (thusia/thuo - Thuo = 14x in 13v - Mt 22:4; Mk 14:12; Lk 15:23, 27, 30; 22:7; Jn 10:10; Ac 10:13; 11:7; 14:13, 18; 1Co 5:7; 10:20) pertaining to sacrifice occur about 40 times in the Greek New Testament. Jesus gave basic teaching about the priority of sacrifice. In the Sermon on the Mount He warned against bringing a sacrifice when there is sin in one's life (Mt 5:23, 24). Later on He chided some Pharisees, because they substituted sacrifices for mercy (He 9:13; 12:7). When sacrifices were turned into commerce and exploited for personal gain, Jesus struck out literally and expelled the animal salesmen from the temple (Jn 21:12-17). Nevertheless, the earthly parents of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, brought a sacrifice at the time of Jesus' temple dedication (Lk 2:24). Their sacrifice was sincere.

In the Book of Acts, the church moved away from the Jewish sacrificial system. The early Christians realized that Jesus Christ had brought the only perfect Sacrifice, Himself.

It was the perversion of the old sacrifices, the offering to a golden calf, that Stephen condemned in his last sermon (Ac 7:41). The Apostle Paul fulfilled his vow and brought a sacrifice when he returned to Jerusalem at the end of his missionary journeys (Ac 21:26).

The Epistles emphasize the perfection of Christ's sacrifice, and the effectiveness of His death on our behalf. The theme is sounded in Romans, where Paul proclaimed that the sacrificed Saviour made us right with God (Ro 3:23-note, Ro 3:24-note, Ro 3:25-note).

It is in Hebrews, however, that this theme is fully developed. The priesthood of Christ is built on the idea of His atoning sacrifice (He 2:17-note). Part of the priestly task was sacrifice, which was exemplified perfectly in Christ (He 5:1-9). Not only did Christ present Himself as a sacrifice, but His sacrifice was once for all (He 7:27-note). Animal sacrifices could never cleanse one's conscience, but Christ's sacrifice could (He 9:9-14). On the basis of His sacrifice, Christ now exercises an intercessory ministry on our behalf (He 10:11, 12-note).

Because Christ sacrificed Himself on our behalf, Christians are also told to make sacrifices. They should present their bodies as living sacrifices to God (Ro 12:1-2). Their daily lives of separation from sin are an imitation, though a pale one, of the sacrifice of Christ (Ep 5:2-note). When Christians financially support the ministry, they also bring sacrifices to the Lord (Php 4:18-note). In fact, all Christians are priests designated to bring spiritual sacrifices to the Lord (1Pe 2:5-note, 1Pe 2:9-note).

Because of the deep significance attached to the sacrifice of Christ, the New Testament is strong in condemning sacrifices to idols. At the Jerusalem Council all of the apostolic leaders agreed to denounce sacrifices to idols (Acts 15:29). Paul insisted that idols were no gods at all; in fact they were nothing but bits of wood or stone (1Co 8:1, 4, 7).

Since Christ has been sacrificed, all other religious sacrifices are out of date. The only acceptable sacrifice is the sacrifice of worship and service which dedicated believers bring to their Lord. (Detzler, Wayne E: New Testament Words in Today's Language. Victor. 1986 [out of print] - If you enjoy word studies, this 407 page volume offers some excellent insights and illustrations on a number of Greek words - I would give it 5/5 stars.)

Thusia - 28x in the NT -

Matthew 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Comment: This verse is an excellent "commentary" on Hebrews 10:8 - God took no delight in sacrifices as such if they were not the product of a proper attitude. The same comment would apply to the next two uses of thusia below.

Matthew 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

Mark 12:33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Luke 2:24 (Context Jesus' parents offering sacrifice - Lk 2:22, 23) and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

Luke 13:1  Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

MacArthur comments: Evidently, some worshipers from Galilee were condemned by Rome—perhaps because they were seditious zealots (see Mt 10:4)—and were sought out and killed in the temple by Roman authorities while in the process of offering a sacrifice. Such a killing would have been the grossest sort of blasphemy. Incidents like this inflamed the Jews’ hatred of Rome and finally led to rebellion, and the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word or Logos)

Acts 7:41 "At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?

Comment: From the outset when Israel was solemnly given the law, they rebelled against the Giver and only Living God and willfully turned to worthless and lifeless idols.

Romans 12:1-note  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

John Sutherland Bonnell - "Take that gift God has entrusted to you, and use it in the service of Christ and your fellowmen. He will make it glow and shine like the very stars of heaven."

John Benton - Sacrifice is the giving up of something we genuinely value in order to express our devotion to God.

Jim Elliot - He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

C T Studd - If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.

Amy Carmichael poetically pictures the living and holy sacrifice of Romans 12:1 in her famous poem...

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire.
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me thy fuel, Flame of God.

1 Corinthians 10:18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

Ephesians 5:2-note and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Philippians 2:17-note But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

Vine comments that thusia: "here stands for the victim, not for the act of sacrificing. While in one aspect the believers were the sacrifice, as being consecrated to God, each being “a living sacrifice,” and that by reason of their faith, yet in Paul’s view here they were the offerers, their faith was the sacrifice, and Paul was the libation." (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos)

R. G. LeTourneau (read his bio!) (1888-1969) was a man who typifies "the sacrifice" of his faith. Having become a multi-millionaire from the invention and production of earth-moving machinery he used his machinery and money to build roads in Latin America to open the jungle for missionary advance. He founded a Christian university in LeTourneau College in Longview, Texas (one of my disciples opens each morning's class with the sola Scriptura devotional of the day - Daily Light indicating LeTourneau U. has not drifted from its Christian moorings!). LeTourneau's legacy included building large Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches at Lima. Though LeTourneau made millions, he gave nine-tenths of it to the Lord's work (so much for the "tithe"!), setting a high standard for the sacrifice of faith! As F B Meyer once said (and as proven truth in LeTourneau's life and continuing legacy) "God will be our compensation for every sacrifice we have made."

The famous orphanage founder and man of prayer George Mueller said that "Self-denial is not so much an impoverishment as a postponement: we make a sacrifice of present good for the sake of a future and greater good."

Philippians 4:18-note But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

Hebrews 5:1-note  For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

Hebrews 7:27-note who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Hebrews 8:3-note For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

Hebrews 9:9-note which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

Hebrews 9:23-note  Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Hebrews 9:26-note Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Hebrews 10:1-note  For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

Hebrews 10:5-note  Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

Hebrews 10:8-note After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law),

Hebrews 10:11-note  Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

Hebrews 10:12-note but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,

Hebrews 10:26-note  For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Hebrews 11:4-note  By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Hebrews 13:15-note Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Comment: Webster defines sacrifice as the act of offering to a deity something precious! Here thusia is used metaphorically to describe their volitional offering of their words.

1 Peter 2:5-note you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Thusia - 295x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) (Often rendered offering in NAS) -  Gen 4:3, 5; 31:54; 46:1; Ex 10:25; 12:27; 18:12; 24:5; 29:34, 41f; 30:9; 32:6; Lev 1:9, 13, 17; 2:1ff, 13ff; 3:1, 3, 6, 9; 4:10, 26, 31, 35; 5:13; 6:14f, 20f, 23; 7:9ff, 15ff, 20f, 29, 32, 34, 37; 9:4, 17f; 10:12, 14; 14:10, 20f, 31; 17:5, 7f; 19:5; 21:6, 21; 22:21, 29; 23:13, 16, 18f, 37; 26:31; Num 4:16; 5:15, 18, 25f; 6:15, 17f; 7:13, 17, 19, 23, 25, 29, 31, 35, 37, 41, 43, 47, 49, 53, 55, 59, 61, 65, 67, 71, 73, 77, 79, 83, 87f; 8:8; 10:10; 15:3ff, 8f, 24; 16:15; 23:3, 15; 25:2; 28:5, 8f, 13, 20, 26, 28, 31; 29:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18f, 21f, 24f, 27f, 30f, 33f, 37ff; Deut 12:27; 27:7; 32:38; 33:19; Josh 8:30; 22:23, 26ff; Judg 6:18; 13:19, 23; 1Sa 1:21, 24; 2:17, 19, 29; 3:14; 6:15; 9:12f; 10:8; 11:15; 15:22; 16:3, 5; 20:6, 29; 26:19; 2Sa 14:17; 1 Kgs 8:62ff; 12:27; 18:29; 2 Kgs 3:20; 10:19, 21; 16:13, 15; 1 Chr 9:31; 21:23; 23:29; 29:21; 2 Chr 7:1, 5, 12; 29:31; 30:22; 31:2; 33:16; Ezra 7:17; 9:4f; Neh 10:33; Job 1:5; 20:6; Ps 4:5; 20:3; 27:6; 40:6; 50:5, 8, 14, 23; 51:16f, 19; 96:8; 106:28; 107:22; 116:17; 141:2; Prov 7:14; 15:8; 16:7; 21:3, 27; Eccl 5:1; Isa 1:11; 19:21; 34:6; 43:23f; 56:7; 57:6f; 65:4; 66:20; Jer 6:20; 7:21f; 14:12; 17:26; 46:10; Ezek 39:17, 19; 42:13; 44:11, 15, 29; 45:15, 17, 24; 46:5; Dan 2:46; 4:1; 8:11ff; 9:21, 25; 11:31; 12:11; Hos 3:4; 6:6; 8:13; 9:4; Joel 1:9, 13; 2:14; Amos 4:4; 5:22, 25; Jonah 1:16; Zeph 1:7f; 3:10; Zech 9:1; Mal 1:8, 10f, 13; 2:12f; 3:3f

Offerings (4376) (phosphora  from pros = toward, before + phero = to bring or bear) literally is "a bringing before" and thus describes the act of offering or a bringing to and metonymically to that which is offered (a gift, a present).

The major Scriptural use of prosphora is found in Hebrews 10 (5x) and thus it behooves one to study these passages in context to derive a good sense of the meaning of the word.

Phosphora - 9x in 9v -  offering(6), offerings(2), sacrifice(1).

Acts 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Acts 24:17 "Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings;

Romans 15:16-note to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:2-note and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Hebrews 10:5-note Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

Hebrews 10:8-note After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law),

Hebrews 10:10-note By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:14-note For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Hebrews 10:18-note Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Prosphora - 4x in the Septuagint - 1Ki 7:34; Ps 39:7; Da 3:38; 4:37

Whole burnt offerings (3646) (holokautoma) refers to  a victim the whole (and not like other victims only a part) of which is burned (Latin holocaustum). This word is used in the Septuagint The Septuagint Ex 30:20; Lev  5:12; 23:8,25,21).

Sin  (266) (hamartia [word study] literally conveys the sense of missing the mark as when hunting with a bow and arrow (in Homer some hundred times of a warrior hurling his spear but missing his foe). Later hamartia came to mean missing or falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose. Ryrie adds that "this is not only a negative idea but includes the positive idea of hitting some wrong mark."

(Not = absolute negation) Desired (2309) (thelo) means first resolved, determined, or purposed, then to desire or wish and as here in Hebrews to take delight or have pleasure (cp Col 2:18, Mt 9:13, 12:7 [Lxx of Ho 6:6], Lxx Ps 112:1, 147:10, Ezek 18:32).

Have you taken pleasure (2106) (eudokeo [word study] from eu = well, good + dokeo = to think) means literally to think well of and so to be well pleased, to take pleasure or delight in (This is the meaning of eudokeo in this passage albeit in a negative sense). The idea is to find satisfaction in something or someone or to view with approval. To delight means to take great pleasure, to give keen enjoyment, to provide a high degree of gratification, something God did not do with the sacrifices and offerings (for reasons discussed elsewhere).

Wiersbe explains this easily confused statement...

This does not suggest that the old sacrifices were wrong, or that sincere worshipers received no benefit from obeying God's Law. It only means that God had no delight in sacrifices as such, apart from the obedient hearts of the worshipers. No amount of sacrifices could substitute for obedience (1Sa 15:22, Ps. 51:16, 17; Is 1:11, 19; Je 6:19, 20; Ho 6:6; Am 5:20, 21). (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary - New Testament. 1989. Victor or Logos or Wordsearch)

Simon J. Kistemaker helps us understand God's displeasure at the sacrifices which were according to the Law by taking us...

back to the beginning of human history recorded in Genesis. God looked with favor on the offering that Abel brought him, but with disfavor on Cain's offering. Why was Abel's offering—"fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock"—acceptable, and the offering of Cain—"some of the fruits of the soil"—unacceptable (Ge 4:3, 4, 5)? The writer of Hebrews answers by saying,

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings (He 11:4-note).

The author of Hebrews asserts not that God has an aversion to offerings presented to him, but that sacrifices offered without faith and obedience are an abomination (Is 1:11, 12, 13, 14-note; Amos 5:21, 22). Through Hosea God says to Israel,

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Ho 6:6). (Baker New Testament Commentary – Exposition of Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Hebrews) (Bolding added)

According to the Law - The writer describes God's displeasure over sacrifices but adds that they are according to the Law, just in case his Jewish audience might think he is referring to sacrifices such as the pagans who did not know God offered to dumb idols who are no gods. No, the writer is referring to the very sacrifices God Himself had ordained in the OT.

William Gurnall echoed the thoughts of the writer of Hebrews 10:8 when he said...

Sacrifice without obedience is sacrilege.

Stedman notes that...

That none of his readers should miss this important point the writer takes pains to indicate clearly, in Hebrews 10:8, 9, 10, the meaning of the quote from Psalm 40. He acknowledges that though God authorized the animal sacrifices of the past, He did not delight in them. Then he stresses the fact that Christ deliberately set Himself to do the will of the Father, though He knew it would lead to pain and separation. Intimations of Gethsemane are certainly present in these words, though it was on the Cross that they were fully carried out. Here the writer also declares that the death of Jesus, by fulfilling the will of the Father, completely replaces the provision of animal deaths which had provided some degree of forgiveness before. Finally, he announces the only possible conclusion: it is by the fulfillment of the will of God in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ (note the double name, only here in Hebrews) that we (all believers) have been made holy. The Greek expression for made holy indicates action with a lasting effect. We have been made holy by the death of Jesus, and we remain holy even though we struggle with daily weakness and sin. This should be borne in mind when we come to the statement in He 12:14 (see note), “without holiness no one will see the Lord.” It is a holiness obtained by faith, not by self-righteous effort, and it is not lost by momentary failure. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” (Ro 8:1-note). (Hebrews 10:1-39 Let Us Go On!)

THEN HE SAID, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO THY WILL HE TAKES AWAY THE FIRST IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND: tote eireken (3SRAI): idou heko (1SPAI) tou poiesai (AAN) to thelema sou anairei (3SPAI) to proton  hina to deuteron stese (3SAAS): (He 9:11, 12, 13, 14) (He 7:18,19; 8:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 12:27,28)

Will (2307)(thelema from thelo = to will with the "-ma" suffix indicating the result of the will = "a thing willed") generally speaks of the result of what one has decided. One sees this root word in the feminine name "Thelma." In its most basic form, thelema refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some event. (Note: See also the discussion of the preceding word boule for comments relating to thelema).

Takes away (337) (anaireo from aná = an emphatic or up + haireo = to take) means literally to take up or lift up or away. Figuratively, it means to take away violently and so to put to death, kill, slay, murder. In this verse anaireo means to do away with or remove the validation of something, specifically the first covenant or old covenant. The idea is to  invalidate it, the process of invalidation implying making something powerless or unacceptable by declaration of its logical or moral or legal unsoundness.

Anaireo - 24x in 23v - Matt 2:16; Luke 22:2; 23:32; Acts 2:23; 5:33, 36; 7:21, 28; 9:23f, 29; 10:39; 12:2; 13:28; 16:27; 22:20; 23:15, 21, 27; 25:3; 26:10; 2 Thess 2:8; Heb 10:9. NAS =  do away(1), executed(1), kill(4), killed(2), put...to death(8), put to death(3), slain(1), slay(3), slaying(1), slew(1), takes away(1), took...away(1).

Phil Newton comments...

Having done the Father's will, "He takes away the first [that is, the old covenant with all of its sacrificial system and inadequacies] in order to establish the second." Through the righteousness of Christ and His death on our behalf, the old covenant was overturned! The word for "take away," was used in Classical Greek to refer to a law or government or custom that was abolished or repealed or destroyed. The strength of the word must have been startling to the audience receiving this epistle. They knew precisely what the writer meant: it is over. The old covenant has no more demand over your life. The sacrificial system offers you nothing. The rituals and ceremonies are no longer valid or needed. You are free from the tyranny of the old covenant that constantly exposed your weakness but gave you nothing to change the heart.

But the good news is that not only did Christ through obedience to the will of the Father overturn the old covenant, but also established the new covenant: "in order to establish the second."

The first covenant had to be removed so that the new covenant mediated through Jesus Christ might be established.

IT IS REMOVED!

All who cling to the hope or even fear that obeying the law or following a ritual will put you into a right relationship with God must see that this old covenant is removed. But you are not left hanging with no hope; instead you have a better hope, a sure one (He 3:6-note, He 6:11-note, He 6:19-note, He 7:19-note, He 10:23-note) in what Christ has done. Jesus Christ established with finality the new covenant. The language of the text expresses this beautifully. A literal rendering would be,

'He removes and forever removes the first
in order that the second might be established with finality'

(the use of present tense for "takes away" and aorist for "establish" makes this clear). (Sermons from the Epistle to the Hebrews)

First (4413) (protos) is used in this context to refer to the first in time and/or first in a series. Sometimes protos implies superior, but in this context that is clearly not the meaning.

Establish (2476) (histemi) means to stand and here to make firm, to fix and so to establish.

Second (1308) (deuteros) refers to the second in time or order and in context refers to the second or new covenant. The second is elsewhere described as the better covenant for it accomplishes for sinners what the first could never accomplish but only point us toward -- the need for a Savior.

What is the first? He is referring to the first covenant, not the Abrahamic but the Mosaic. As Paul taught in Romans, believers are now no longer under the Law but have been made to die to the Law and thus are released from the Law...

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law (how?) through the body of Christ, (why?) that you might be joined to another, to Him Who was raised from the dead, (what is to be the result?) that we might bear fruit for God. (Why did we need to die to the Law?) 5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 (What is the contrast of our life now compared with life under the Law?) But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. (See notes Romans 7:4; 7:5; 7:6)

This truth about the believer's new relationship with the Law does not mean we are lawless because in fact in the New Covenant the Law is actually written upon our hearts Jeremiah prophesying of this new covenant writing that...

But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jer 31:34; quoted He 8:10-note - See note)

The Old (First) Covenant was in a sense a covenant dealing with shadows, the substance of which was fulfilled in Christ in the New Covenant.  The first was thus like a 2,000 year "picture book" and we all know how children love to look at picture books when first learning!

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From F B Meyer, Our Daily Homily...He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.

BY THIS WILL WE HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED THROUGH THE OFFERING OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST ONCE FOR ALL: en o thelemati hegiasmenoi (RPPMPN) dia tes prosphoras tou somatos Iesou Christou ephapax: (Heb 2:11; 13:12; Zech 13:1; Jn 17:19; 19:34; 1Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; 1John 5:6) (He 10:5,12,14,20; 9:12,26,28)

Will (2307) (thelema from thelo = to will, the ending -ma signifying the result of something, in this case of God willing) in this case is God’s gracious disposition towards God hating sinners! His will is reflected in His electing and predestining sinners unto adoption as sons, not as a result of any merit in us nor as a result of anything outside of God Himself. This will in sanctifying us is a reflection of His own pure goodness, originating wholly in the freedom of His own thoughts and loving counsel. It is what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.

We have been sanctified (37) (hagiazo [word study] from hagios  = holy, set apart) conveys the idea of setting someone apart, in this case God's Spirit setting the sinner apart from the world, the flesh and the devil and unto God, to be His possession and His willing vessel. The perfect tense speaks of a past completed action (which took place at the moment of our salvation) with permanent or lasting effect (we are forever set apart). As an aside, the permanence of this tense undergirds the NT teaching that the believer once saved is eternally secure (but of course one must be absolutely certain that their salvation is genuine an important issue addressed by Peter - see note 2 Peter 1:10; 1:11).  Hagiazo in the perfect tense also speaks of what is often referred to as past tense salvation, a one time event, at which time the sinner is justified the moment they exercise faith in Christ. They will never need to be justified again. Their position in Christ is forever righteous and forever secure. 

In sum, in this verse the writer is describing positional sanctification or past tense salvation (see study of Three Tenses of Salvation). However past tense salvation indubitably leads to present tense salvation or progressive sanctification which the writer describes in Hebrews 10:14 (see note there) where he again uses the verb hagiazo, albeit this use being in the present tense which speaks of one's practice and not their position. In contrast to past tense salvation, present tense salvation is an ongoing process of daily being conformed to the image of God's Son. This process will continue for the rest of our lives.

F B Meyer (The "Once" of a Purged Conscience) on the word "once"...

THERE is a word here which recurs, like a note on an organ beneath the tumult of majestic sound. Five times, at least, it rolls forth its thunder, pealing through all ages, echoing through all worlds, announcing the finality of an accomplished redemption to the whole universe of God "ONCE!" And there is another phrase which we must couple with it, spoken by the parched lips of the dying Saviour, yet with a loud voice, as though it were the cry of a conqueror: "When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, 'It is finished'; and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost." It is very seldom that man can look back on a finished life-work. The chisel drops from the paralyzed hand ere the statue is complete; the chilling fingers refuse to guide the pen along another line, though the book is so nearly done; the statesman must leave his plans and far-reaching schemes to be completed by another, perhaps his rival. But as from his cross Jesus Christ our Lord looked upon the work of redemption which he had undertaken, and in connection with which he had suffered even to the hiding of his Father's face, he could not discover one stitch, or stone, or particle deficient. For untold myriads for thee and me and all there was done that which never needed to be done again, but stood as an accomplished fact forevermore...

THE "ONCE" OF A FULFILLED PURPOSE - (Heb. 10:10). Space forbids our lingering longer. In our next chapter we may show how completely the purpose of God has been realized in Jesus, and, therefore, that there is no necessity for a repetition of his sacrificial work. The will or purpose of God for man's redemption asks for nothing more than that which is given it in the life and death of our Saviour. Nothing more is required for the glory of God, for the accomplishment of the divine counsels, or for the perfect deliverance and sanctification of those who believe.

Once for all, O sinner, receive it!
Once for all, O brother, believe it!
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall;
Christ has redeemed us, once for all

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One Sacrifice - Journalist Jill Neimark wrote an article titled "Shaman in Chicago" about her very unconventional uncle. A well-educated, prosperous commodities trader, he has become a high priest in the Ifa religion, which practices animal sacrifice as its highest act of worship. Formerly an atheist, he is now a convinced believer in a divine energy that he insists cannot be experienced in traditional religion.

Neimark thinks her uncle is an extreme example of those millions of questing Americans who crave a firsthand experience with dynamic supernaturalism. As one of Neimark's friends put it, "We want to dial God direct; we don't want to go through the operator." Or as Neimark says, we're "beating our own path to God."

We who know the truth, power, and joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be grateful for these truths: (1) There is no need for any further sacrifice, because Jesus offered Himself as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sin (Heb. 10:10). (2) There is no need for any other mediator between God and us, because Jesus, who is our mediator (1Ti 2:5), guarantees direct access to God. (3) There is no need to beat our own way to God, because Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). --V C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The cross of Christ is all we need
To take our sins away;
He is our perfect sacrifice--
The life, the truth, the way. --Sper

Salvation is achieved by Christ's atonement, not by our attainment.