Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 9:17

"For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth." — Hebrews 9:17 (ASV)

For a testament. Such an arrangement as God enters into with humanity. See the remarks on Hebrews 9:16.

Is of force. Is ratified, or confirmed—in the same way as a deed or compact is confirmed by affixing a seal.

After men are dead. epi nekrois. "Over the dead." This means, in accordance with the view given above, after the animal is dead, or over the body of the animal slain for sacrifice to confirm the covenant.

Dr. J. P. Wilson, in his manuscript notes, states, "For a covenant is completed or confirmed over dead sacrifices, since it never has force as long as the victim set apart for its ratification is still living."

To this interpretation, it is objected that "nekrois means only dead men; but men surely were not sacrificed by the Jews as a mediating sacrifice to confirm a covenant" (according to Professor Stuart, commenting on this passage).

Regarding this objection and the proper meaning of the passage, we may remark the following:

1. The word "men" is not in the Greek, nor is it necessarily implied, unless it is in the use of the Greek word rendered dead. The proper translation is, "upon, or over the dead." The use of the word "men" here by our translators would seem to limit it to the making of a will.

2. It is to be presumed, unless there is positive proof to the contrary, that the Greeks and Hebrews used the word "dead" as it is used by other people, and that it might refer to deceased animals or vegetables, as well as to men. A sacrifice that had been offered was dead; a tree that had fallen was dead; an animal that had been torn by other wild animals was dead. It is possible that a people might have one word to refer to dead men, another to dead animals, and another to dead vegetables; but what is the evidence that the Hebrews or the Greeks had such words?

3. What is the meaning of this very word—nekros—in Hebrews 6:1 and Hebrews 9:14 of this very epistle, when it is applied to works—dead works—if it never refers to anything but men? (Compare James 2:17, 20, 26; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Revelation 3:1).

In Ecclesiastes 9:4, it is applied to a dead lion. I suppose, therefore, that the Greek phrase here will admit of the interpretation that the "exigency of the place" (the urgent requirements of the context) seems to demand, and that the idea is, that a covenant with God was ratified over the animals slain in sacrifice, and was not considered as confirmed until the sacrifice was killed.

Otherwise. Since—epei. That is, unless this takes place it will be of no force.

It is of no strength. It is not strong—ischuei—it is not confirmed or ratified.

While the testator liveth. Or while the animal selected to confirm the covenant is alive. It can be confirmed only by its being slain. A full examination of the meaning of this passage (Hebrews 9:16, 17) may be found in an article in the Biblical Repository, vol. 20, pp. 51–71, and in Professor Stuart's reply to that article, Biblical Repository, vol. 20, pp. 356–381.

Note: "testament" may be understood as "covenant"; "testator" as "the one who made it."