Hebrews 10:15 (KJV)

What does Hebrews 10:15 mean?

Hebrews 10:15 presents the Holy Ghost as a witness to the writer’s point about Jesus’ offering. The witness comes through words from Scripture, which the writer begins to introduce here and continues in the following verses.

“Holy Ghost” is the KJV’s term for the Holy Spirit. The verse addresses “us,” drawing the writer and readers together as people hearing that witness. The sentence is unfinished in verse 15; the words introduced here follow in verses 16–17.

The Greek behind Hebrews 10:15

• “witness” — μαρτυρέω (martyreō): The word carries the sense of giving testimony or bearing witness. Here the testimony comes through the words the writer is about to quote.
• “before” — προείρηκα (proeirēka): This form carries the sense of having said something beforehand. It points the reader forward to words already spoken in Scripture.

Why Hebrews 10:15 matters

• The writer treats Scripture as a present witness, not merely a record of past speech. “Is a witness to us” connects the coming quotation with the people receiving the letter.
• The quotation helps explain why the writer has just spoken of Jesus’ single offering as sufficient. After the quoted words about God remembering sins no more, verse 18 says there is no more offering for sin.
• The verse introduces a passage from Jeremiah 31:33–34. In Hebrews, those earlier words support the writer’s discussion of forgiveness.