Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 10:2

"Else would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins." — Hebrews 10:2 (ASV)

The rhetorical question here emphasizes the truth that the very continuity of the sacrifices witnesses to their ineffectiveness. Had the sacrifices really dealt with sins, the author reasons, the worshipers would have been cleansed and that would have been that. There would have been no need for repeating them (cf. 9:9). The necessity for repetition shows that the desired cleansing and atonement have not been effected. The translation “would no longer have felt guilty for their sins” obscures the reference made here to “conscience,” noted so often in this letter (see also 9:9, 14; 10:22; 13:18). A really effectual atonement would mean the permanent removal of the worshipers’ sins and eliminate the need for the annual Day of Atonement.