Hebrews 5

A) 1 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:

B) 2 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.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

C) 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

D) 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest;

D’) but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2: 7)

C’) 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Psalm 110: 4)

B’) 7 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;

A’) 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

A2) 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

a) 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,

a’) ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;

b) and are become such as have need of milk,

c) and not of strong meat.

b') 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

c') 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,

A2’) even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Psalm 2: 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psalm 110: 4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

The phrase "and was heard in that he feared" (Hebrews 5:7) has long wrestled translators and theologians. Because the Father did not save Jesus from physical death, the statement seems paradoxical.

In both mainstream biblical scholarship and Latter-day Saint (LDS) theology, this text is understood to refer to the Father answering Christ’s prayers by granting Him the spiritual strength to endure Gethsemane and the Cross, culminating in His complete victory over death via the Resurrection.

The passage hinges on two key concepts:

1. The Meaning of "He Feared" (Reverence, Not Terror)

In the original Greek, the word translated as "feared" is eulabeia (εὐλάβεια).

• It does not mean cowardly terror or panic.
• It means godly fear, devout reverence, and absolute submission to God's will.
• Modern translations (like the ESV or NASB) clarify this by rendering the phrase: "he was heard because of his reverent submission."

2. How Was the Prayer "Heard"?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). The Father did not remove the cup of suffering, but the prayer was "heard" and answered in two profound ways:

• The Granting of Strength: The Father immediately answered by sustaining Him. As Luke 22:43 records, "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." He was heard because he was given the power to complete the infinite sacrifice.
• Deliverance Out of Death, Not From It: The Greek phrase for "save him from death" is sōzein ek thanatou, which literally means "to save out of death." The Father did not prevent Jesus from dying; instead, He answered Christ's perfect submission by raising Him out of the grave, making Him the firstfruits of the Resurrection.

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The main message of this chiastic structure is that true priesthood authority and spiritual perfection are not achieved through self-exaltation or passive belief, but through divine calling, submissive suffering, and active obedience.

By framing Hebrews 5 this way, the author uses Hebrew poetic parallelism to contrast human weakness with Christ's ultimate qualification, while simultaneously rebuking the audience for failing to progress along the same path.

Here is the breakdown of the overarching theological message revealed by each parallel layer:

1. The Climax (D / D'): Divine Appointment Over Self-Glorification

The absolute center of the chiasm (Verses 5–6) contrasts self-promotion with divine decree.

• The Message: Christ did not seize the office of High Priest. His authority is entirely legitimate because it rests on the word of the Father ("Thou art my Son"). Priesthood is inherently a gift received, never an honor taken.

2. The Inner Ring (C / C'): The Shift from Aaron to Melchizedek

The C and C' elements parallel the lineage and order of the priesthood.

• The Message: While Levitical priests were called after the order of Aaron (C), Christ is called after a higher, eternal order—the order of Melchizedek (C'). This signals a structural shift from a temporary, hereditary priesthood to an unchanging, eternal one.

3. The Middle Ring (B / B'): Compassion Through Shared Suffering

The B and B' layers pair the human condition of mortal priests with the mortal reality of Jesus.

• The Message: Mortal high priests can have compassion because they are "compassed with infirmity" (B). Jesus matched and exceeded this requirement in "the days of his flesh" through His agonizing prayers, crying, and tears (B'). Christ's capacity to succor His people is rooted in the fact that He intimately felt the full weight of mortal vulnerability.

4. The Outer Ring (A / A'): Perfection and the Pattern of Obedience

The outermost layer of the main chiasm (Verses 1 and 8–10) connects the ultimate purpose of the priesthood.

• The Message: Human priests offer temporary sacrifices for sins (A). Christ, however, learned obedience through suffering, was "made perfect," and became the author of eternal salvation (A'). This establishes that perfection is a process of learning obedience through trials, creating the ultimate pattern for all who desire to inherit that salvation.

5. The Appendix (A2 / a b c): A Rebuke of Stagnant Progression

The final section (Verses 11–14) acts as a jarring mirror to the main chiasm.

• The Message: While Christ progressed from a mortal Son to a perfected High Priest, the audience has regressed. The parallel contrasts those who should be teachers but need to be re-taught (a/a'), and those who are stuck on milk rather than digesting strong meat (b/b' & c/c').
• The final capstone (A2') reveals how to escape this state: spiritual maturity requires active exertion—having your "senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

The Overarching Takeaway

The parallel structure shows that salvation is an active, developmental journey. Just as Jesus Christ had to experience the flesh, offer submissive prayers, and learn obedience to be "made perfect" as a High Priest, believers cannot remain spiritual "babes" surviving on milk. They must actively exercise their spiritual faculties, embrace the "strong meat" of higher priesthood doctrines, and follow the exact path of submissive obedience modeled by the Son.