A careful reading of Hebrews 2:17-18
reveals the passage is not referring to the death of Christ. Christ is declared
to be a faithful and merciful high priest based on his being “made like them,
fully human in every way” (verse 17) and on his suffering temptation (verse
18). A reference to the death of Christ does occur in verse 14, but nothing is
said of propitiation. The purpose of Chris’s death is “that by his death he
might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (2:14).
(Vee Chandler, Victorious Substitution: Exploring the Nature of Salvation and
Christ’s Atoning Work [Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf & Stock, 2025], 42)
