The Greek in Hebrews 7:27, 9:26

[KevJohn]

‘once and for all’
Would anyone who was accomplished in NT Greek be able to tell me the original linguistic style of these phrases; specifically, are they used in a context which refers to permanence (like in English we would say ‘we have seen the back of him once and for all’), or in a context which refers to a quantity of people?
Also, if possible, do the phrases say ‘once and for all’, or ‘once for all’?
Either way I know they mean the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but I was just interested!
Many thanks, Bless the Lord!
KevJohn, Glasgow, Scotland

 

[COPLAND_3]

I think it helps to see what the Greek Fathers had to say, since they spoke the language and would have a better understanding what it means than a Greek scholar today who understands it academically.

For 7:27 the Greek word is εφαπαξ, here is a lexicon on it strongsnumbers.com/greek/2178.htm

St. John Chrysostom says

This then he hints at here, and also the greatness of the sacrifice, if being [but] one, and having been offered up once only, it affected that which all [the rest] were unable to do.

Theodoret of Cyrus refers to it as ‘unceasingly.’

St. Ephrem, from a Syriac stand point of view says,

“In the house of Levi, because ‘they became priests without an oath,’ they did not last; Christ, on the contrary, lasts forever.”

As for 9:26 Chrysostom says

“Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the High Priest enters into the Holy place every year with blood of others.” Seest Thou how many are the differences? The “often” for the “once”; “the blood of others,” for “His own.” Great is the distance. He is Himself then both victim and Priest and sacrifice. For if it had not been so, and it had been necessary to offer many sacrifices, He must have been many times crucified. “For then,” he says, “He must often have suffered since the foundation of the world.”

In this place he has also veiled over something. “But now once more in the end of the world.” Why “at the end of the world”? After the many sins. If therefore, it had taken place at the beginning, then no one would have believed; and He must not die a second time, all would have been useless. But since later, there were many transgressions, with reason He then appeared: which he expresses in another place also, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. But now once in the end of the world, has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Romans 5:20

Theodoret says

'He completely destroyed the force of sin, promising us immortality; sin is incapable of proving a problem to immortal bodies.