Greek Key Terms:
Context: Hebrews 9:28 summarizes Christ's work in a single sentence that gathers the entire Day of Atonement into two advents: "So Christ, having been offered once (ἅπαξ) to bear (ἀνενεγκεῖν) the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." The "offered once to bear sins" echoes both Isaiah 53:12 ("bore the sin of many") and Leviticus 16:22 (scapegoat bearing sins). The "second appearance" completes what the scapegoat's departure began.
OT-to-OT Development:
Connections:
Christological Connection: Hebrews 9:28 is the most concentrated NT statement of Christ's scapegoat fulfillment. In a single verse, the author accomplishes three things. First, he identifies Christ as the one who was "offered" — fulfilling the slain goat whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place. Second, he identifies Christ as the one who "bears the sins of many" — fulfilling the scapegoat who carried sins away. Third, he announces that Christ will "appear a second time" — not to deal with sin (that work is finished) but to bring salvation. The two goats of the Day of Atonement — one slain, one sent away — are merged into one Person across two advents.
The verb ἀναφέρω (anapherō, "to bear up/carry up") deserves close attention. It is used in the LXX for bringing offerings to the altar (Leviticus 14:20; 1 Peter 2:5) and for the scapegoat's sin-bearing. When applied to Christ, it carries both senses: He was the offering brought to the altar of the cross, and He was the bearer who carried sins away. The "once" (hapax) is theologically decisive: the scapegoat ritual was annual, "year after year" (Hebrews 10:1); Christ's offering is unrepeatable because it is effective. What the annual repetition proved could not be accomplished definitively, Christ accomplished in a single act.
The two-advent structure mirrors the Day of Atonement's sequence. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place (first appearance to God), then came back out to the waiting congregation (second appearance to the people). Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary through His ascension (first advent completed), and He will appear again to His waiting people at His return (second advent). The key difference: when the high priest reappeared, the people knew atonement had been accepted; when Christ reappears, His people will know their salvation is complete. Already: Christ has been offered once and has borne sin decisively. Not yet: His second appearance — "not to deal with sin but to save" — brings the consummation: resurrection of the body, final glorification, and the eternal state where sin's removal is complete and irreversible.
Connection Method(s): Typology (Direct, Forward-Looking) — Hebrews explicitly presents Christ as fulfilling the scapegoat's sin-bearing function, "offered once to bear the sins of many," combining both goats' functions (slain goat + scapegoat) in His single sacrifice. All 5 criteria met: analogical correspondence (both involve sin-bearing and removal), historicity (both real), escalation (annual/symbolic/two animals → once-for-all/effective/one Person), pointing-forwardness (the annual repetition signals anticipation of a definitive fulfillment), retrospective interpretation (Hebrews makes the identification explicit with anapherō + hapax). ANTI-DEFAULT CHECK: Typology is primary because Hebrews 9:28 directly identifies Christ as fulfilling the Day of Atonement's sin-bearing function; the two-advent structure also operates as Redemptive-Historical Progression (first coming = sacrifice; second coming = salvation consummation).
Trajectory Table: 141 - Scapegoat (Removal of Sins)