“For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive” (Hebrews 9:16-17 NET).
A Last Will and Testament is an important legal document that is useful in managing the distribution of one’s assets following his or her death. This document acts as a set of instructions that serve to allocate the belongings and/or financial assets of someone who has passed away.
The person who creates a Last Will and Testament is known as a testator. A legal representative or individual who is charged with the responsibility to administer a Will is known as an executor. The executor’s primary responsibility involves acting on the testator’s instructions as expressed within his or her Will.
These definitions are important to our author’s argument here in Hebrews chapter nine. While it may not be obvious from the text, the words “covenant” and “will” find their origin in the same word (“diatheke”) in the original language of this passage. Having previously used the word “covenant” in reference to the Levitical sacrifices (“the Old Covenant”) and Jesus’ sacrificial death (“the New Covenant”), our author now shifts into the alternate definition of this word (“a will”) for a very important reason…
“The author now provides an explanation for the necessity of Jesus’ death. Diatheke in the Greek can mean ‘covenant,’ ‘testament,’ or ‘will.’ A last will and testament becomes operative only at death. Likewise, the divine covenant required a death in order to become operative. In the case of a will, the person who made it must die for it to take effect.
In the case of the covenant of Moses, provision was made for death to claim a substitute instead… The point is that Jesus brought a new will and final testament, and its provisions could not become operative until his own death as testator had occurred.” (1)
So, Jesus’ atoning death fulfills the definition of a will and a covenant. Thus we can identify it as both: a will here in Hebrews chapter nine and a covenant earlier in Hebrews chapter eight. (2) Just as the terms of a Last Will and Testament go into effect when the testator dies, Jesus’ death initiated the New Covenant on behalf of His beneficiaries. This clever word play by the inspired author of Hebrews thus serves to expand our understanding of Jesus’ sacrificial work on our behalf.
(1) Walters, John. “V. Fourth Point: “A New Covenant” (8:1-10:31)” In Asbury Bible Commentary. 1156. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1992.
(2) See Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds., KJV Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 2561.