Texts in Conversation
The Psalms of Solomon describes a future Davidic king who will be free from sin and rule God's people with divine wisdom and strength. Hebrews echoes this traditional Jewish image by portraying Jesus as without sin and also as a royal, priestly figure.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalms of Solomon 17:36
Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
32 And he (shall be) a righteous king, taught by God, over them, And there shall be no unrighteousness among them during his days, For all shall be holy and their king the anointed of the Lord. 33 For he shall not put his trust in horse and rider and bow, Nor shall he accumulate for himself gold and silver for war, Nor shall he gain confidence from (?) a multitude (?) for the day of battle. 34 The Lord Himself is his king, the hope of the one who is powerful through (his) hope in God. All nations (shall be) in fear before him, 35 For he will strike the earth with the word of his mouth forever. He will bless the people of the Lord with wisdom and gladness, 36 And he himself (will be) free from sin, so that he may rule a great people. He will rebuke rulers, and remove sinners by the power of his word; 37 And (relying) on his God, throughout his life he will not stumble; For God will make him powerful by means of (His) holy spirit, And wise by means of the spirit of understanding, with strength and righteousness.
Date: 65–30 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Hebrews 4:15
New Testament
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. 14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
Date: 80–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Hebrews follows a common Christian tradition in declaring that Jesus was 'without sin' (4:15), 'holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners' (7:26), who 'offered himself without blemish to God' (9:14). Hebrews' idea of Jesus' sinlessness was not derived in any simple way from current views of priesthood or messianic expectation, although it was compatible with such ideas. The messianic 'Branch' of David was to be righteous (Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16; Isaiah 9:7; 11:1-5), and the Messiah was to 'be clean of sin' (Psalms of Solomon 17:36) and to oppose sin and unrighteousness (17:22-32; compare Hebrews 1:8-9). Priests were expected, not to be sinless, but to minister in a state of purity. Some anticipated an eschatological priest who would make sin to cease (CD XII, 23; Testament of Levi 18:9), and Philo spoke of the Logos as a priest, 'immune from all unrighteousness.' None of these sources, however, portrays sinlessness as obedience in suffering, as does Hebrews ..."
Craig R. Koester, Hebrews: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 294.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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