John Gill Commentary Hebrews 13:12

"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate." — Hebrews 13:12 (ASV)

Wherefore Jesus also
In order to answer the type of him;

that he might sanctify the people with his own blood : by "the people" are meant the people who are the objects of divine love and favour; a chosen and covenant people; a distinct and peculiar people; Christ's own special people, by the gift of his Father to him: and the sanctification of them does not design the internal sanctification of them, though this is from Christ, and in consequence of his blood; nor does it so much regard the cleansing of the filth of sin, though Christ's blood sanctifies, in this sense; but rather the expiation of the guilt of sin, which Christ has fully took away; complete pardon being procured, and a perfect righteousness brought in:

and this by "his own blood"; the priests sanctified, to the purifying of the flesh, with the blood of others, with the blood of bulls and goats; but Christ with his own blood, which he was, really, a partaker of; and his human nature, being in union with his divine person, as the Son of God, it had a virtue in it, to sanctify and cleanse from all sin, and to make full expiation of it; in shedding of which, and sanctifying with it, he has shown great love to his people:

and, that he might do this agreeably to the types of him on the day of atonement, he

suffered without the gate ;
that is, of Jerusalem: the Syriac version reads, "without the city"; meaning Jerusalem; which answered to the camp of Israel, in the wilderness; without which, the bodies of beasts were burnt, on the day of atonement: for so say ^F26 the Jews;

``as was the camp in the wilderness, so was the camp in Jerusalem; from Jerusalem to the mountain of the house, was the camp of Israel; from the mountain of the house to the gate of Nicanor, was the camp of the Levites; and from thence forward, the camp of the Shechinah, or the divine Majesty:'' and so Josephus ^F1 renders the phrase, without the camp, in (Leviticus 16:27) by (en toiv proasteioiv) ; "in the suburbs"; that is, of Jerusalem, where Christ suffered,

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FOOTNOTES:

• F26: T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 116. 2. Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 7. fol. 188. 3. 4. Maimon. Beth Habbechira, c. 7. sect. 11.
• F1: Antiqu. l. 3. c. 10. sect. 3.