Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Hebrews · About this commentary
Taken from Among Men
Hebrews 5:1-6
1 For every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. · WEB
The job description of a high priest is set out in four requirements, and then Christ is shown to meet the one that matters most.
The argument pauses to define the office before claiming it, and the definition is drawn from the existing priesthood without criticism.
Every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Four elements. He comes from among men — the office is filled from the ranks of those it serves. He is appointed for men, so the direction of the work is representative. His sphere is things pertaining to God. And his function is to offer.
Verse 2 adds the quality the readers needed most, and grounds it in a defect: the high priest can deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, because he himself is also surrounded with weakness.
Gentleness is credited to shared frailty. A priest untouched by weakness would handle failure badly, which is the same logic as the previous paragraph Hebrews 4:15 — except that here the weakness includes sin, and verse 3 says so: he must offer for the people, as well as for himself.
That is the point at which the comparison will later break, and the book states the difference plainly when it comes Hebrews 7:27.
Verse 4 states the fourth requirement and it is the one the whole chapter turns on: nobody takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just like Aaron was.
Self-appointment disqualifies. And Aaron is named as the standard rather than as a foil — the levitical priesthood is treated as legitimately called, which is why the argument has to show a call for Christ rather than a fault in Aaron.
So verse 5 does exactly that: Christ didn't glorify himself to be made a high priest. The negative comes first, and then the evidence is two quotations, both of them words spoken to him.
The first is the sonship text from chapter 1 Hebrews 1:5, now put to a different use — the one who declares the Son also appoints the priest.
The second introduces the name the next two chapters will need: you are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. It names an order older than Aaron's and outside his tribe, and it attaches one word the levitical office never had — forever.
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