Take away (4014) (periaireo from perí = around, suggests completeness + hairéo = in sense of take, seize, grasp) means to take away from around something (picture it binding and constricting movement) and so to remove that which envelops. In secular Greek it was a nautical term meaning to cast lose by taking up the anchors from both sides of the ship in preparation for departing. To take away altogether or entirely. In a secular Greek writing it was used of taking off from oneself, as taking off one's helmet and of taking off the cover of a letter (and thus opening it). Metaphorically as used in this verse periaireo means to take away completely that with which one is, as it were, enveloped, which is the guilt of sin. It means to make complete expiation for sin. Picture sin as an anchor of one's soul weighing you down and preventing you from sailing off into the life God has prepared for you in Christ Jesus. Only the blood of Christ sets you free from the heavy weight that binds you! Beloved in the Lord, is there some "weight" that you have been set free from because of your acceptance of Christ's perfect sacrifice and yet you still cling to so that it envelops and restricts your freedom in Christ? Is there some wrong done to you, some wrong you did to another, some unforgiveness, some ungratefulness, etc that holds you? Christ is the anchor of your soul Who can set you free from that which binds you. Vincent writes that periaireo... literally means to strip off all round. See Genesis 41:42 (of a ring): Genesis 38:14; Deut 21:13 (of clothes). Comp. euperistatos He 12:1-note, and perikeitai astheneias is compassed about with weakness, He 5:2-note. See also clothed with shame, and with cursing, Ps. 35:26; 109:18. [Comments on periaireo in 2Cor 3:16] The verb occurs twice in Acts [Acts 27:20, 40] of the taking away of hope, and of the unfastening of the anchors in Paul’s shipwreck; and in Heb. 10:11, of the taking away of sins. There is an allusion here [2Cor 3:16] to the removal of the veil from Moses’ face whenever he returned to commune with God. See Ex 34:34. (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament). Periaireo is used 51 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Gen. 38:14, 19" class="scriptRef">19; 41:42; Exod. 8:8, 11, 31" class="scriptRef">31; 10:17; 35" class="scriptRef">32:2f, 24; 33:6; 34:34; Lev. 3:4, 9f, 15" class="scriptRef">15" class="scriptRef">15; 4:8f, 19, 31, 35; 7:4; Num. 17:5; 30:12f, 15; Deut. 7:15; 21:13; Jos. 24:14, 23; 1 Sam. 1:14; 7:3f; 28:3; 2 Sam. 3:10; 1 Chr. 21:8; 2 Chr. 32:12; 33:15; 34:33; Est. 3:10; Ps. 119:22, 39, 43; Prov. 4:24; 27:22; Jer. 4:1; Jon. 3:6; Zeph. 3:11, 15; Zech. 10:11) and 4 times in the NT... Acts 27:20 And since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned (periaireo)...40 And casting off (they let go the ropes that held the anchors and thus "abandoned" them) the anchors , they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. 2Corinthians 3:16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; The point is that animal blood sacrifices could never take away sins. That is what the writer had just explained noting that... it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (see note Hebrews 10:4) Even the Day of Atonement and the Scapegoat being led away into the wilderness to never be seen again was only a shadow pointing to the reality of the substance of the once for all perfect blood sacrifice of the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, Who Alone forever "takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29) In the OT Moses records the necessity of unceasing sacrifices under the Levitical system... Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; (Exodus 29:38,39) And you shall say to them, 'This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD; two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day. (Numbers 28:3) 'After this manner you shall present daily, for seven days, the food of the offering by fire, of a soothing aroma to the LORD; it shall be presented with its libation in addition to the continual burnt offering. (Numbers 28:24) besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. The Lord Jesus Christ our Great High Priest... does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (see note Hebrews 7:27) The Psalmist reiterates the problem with the OT sacrifices, noting that the problem was not with the gift per se but with the giver... "I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I shall take no young bull out of your house, Nor male goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all it contains. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of male goats? (Then what did God want in the OT?) Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." (Psalms 50:8-13) (Comment: God did not reprove them for failing to bring their offerings, but in this context for bringing them with the motive of trying to make the God who owns everything dependent on their generosity.) Hebrews 10:12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, (NASB: Lockman) Greek: outos de mian uper amartion prosenegkas (AAPMSN) thusian eis to dienekes ekathisen (3SAAI) en decia tou theou Amplified: Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, (Amplified Bible - Lockman) Barclay: But he offered one single sacrifice for sin and then took his seat for ever at the right hand of God, (Westminster Press) NLT: But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand. (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins for ever, took his seat at God's right hand, (Phillips: Touchstone) Wuest: But this priest, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down in perpetuity on the right hand of God, (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: And He, for sin one sacrifice having offered -- to the end, did sit down on the right hand of God,-- BUT HE, HAVING OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR ALL TIME SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD: houtos de mian huper hamartion prosenegkas (AAPMSN) thusian eis to dienekes ekathisen en dexia tou theou: (He 1:3; 8:1; 9:12; Acts 2:33,34; Ro 8:34; Col 3:1) But - Striking contrast with the need for repetitive sacrifices under the Old Covenant. Jesus taking His seat at the right hand of God is taken from Ps 110:1 where David writes... The LORD (God the Father) says to my Lord (God the Son): "Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." (Comment: Literally this begins "Jehovah said to Adonai". David records a remarkable conversation between two Persons of the Godhead. This Messianic psalm is quoted as such at least 12 times in the NT. In Mt 22:43-45 Christ specifically applies Psalm 110:1 to Himself claiming that He is not just the son of David but David's Lord. In short, Psalm 110 pictures the Messiah as King, Priest and victorious Warrior. Psalm 110 verse 1 is quoted 5 times in the NT -- Mk 12:36, Lk 20:42; Acts 2:34, Heb 1:13 and Heb 10:12. There are 15 other Scriptural references to Christ seated at the right hand of God: Ps 16:11 [KJV "at Thy right hand"], Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62; 16:19; Lk 22:69; Acts 7:55,56, Ro 8:34 [note]; Ep 1:20 [note]; Col 3:1 [note]; 1Pe 3:22 [note] and the 4 verses in Hebrews - see below.) The writer of Hebrews obviously considers this teaching about the position of Christ Jesus our Great High Priest at the right hand of His Father as very important for he records this truth four times, at the beginning, in the middle and toward the end of his epistle... Hebrews 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR THY FEET"? Hebrews 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a High Priest, Who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Considering the importance of the truth (in view of its repetition some 21 times in Scripture) that Christ is now at the right hand of God, it is not surprising that the Antichrist, the counterfeit ''Christ'' sits down' in the Holy of holies where no priest had ever been allowed to sit nor could sit because there was no chair! Paul warns the believers at Thessalonica to... Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2Thes 2:3-4) In this sense the Antichrist mimics Christ's finished work on the Cross ("It is finished" Jn 19:30) which gives Him Alone the right to be seated at the right hand of God (the Holy of holies symbolizing the throne of God in heaven). To reiterate the significance of Christ sitting indicates that His work of offering sacrifice is done. He does not stand daily to offer sacrifices for sin. The one sacrifice of Himself was perfectly complete. God is forever satisfied (propitiated by the Lamb's blood on the "mercy seat" Ro 3:24,25) with the sacrifice of His Son. God honors His Son with the seat at His right hand to show how fully He is satisfied with the debt paid for sin. This is a great picture to encourage us that our sins are fully dealt with. Christ's sitting also indicates that He, together with His Father, is the sovereign ruler over all His enemies. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/hebrews_1011-13.htm#take