Hebrews 5: Qualified Priests and Dull Hearing

Hebrews 5 documents the divine qualifications of Jesus as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, rather than the line of Aaron. It highlights Christ’s obedience learned through suffering, which made Him the source of eternal salvation for all who obey. The chapter ends with a sharp rebuke of the audience's 'dullness of hearing' and their inability to digest advanced doctrine.

  1. v1-10: Qualifications of the High Priest
  2. v11-14: The Rebuke of Spiritual Immaturity

Hebrews chapter 5

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

See how Jesus' suffering qualified Him to be your High Priest and why 'spiritual milk' is insufficient for a growing faith. Begin your study with hebrews 5 summary.

Jesus 'learned obedience' not because He was once disobedient, but because He had to experience the full human weight of carrying out God's will. It demonstrates that maturity requires 'senses exercised' to discern good and evil. The Word Secret is Nothros, meaning 'sluggish' or 'lazy,' used to describe someone who has stopped trying to understand deeper truths. Discover the riches with hebrews 5 commentary, containing expert led word study (original greek/hebrew) and passage level analysis.

Unlock the hidden hebrews 5 1 meaning and summary by exploring context, analyzing original greek and hebrew words, and studying cross references of each verse.

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2 min read (321 words)