Good News Translation reverses the two halves of this verse, putting the negative statement first. This is natural in English, but in some languages it may be better to keep the order of the Greek and Revised Standard Version.

A literal translation of a will means nothing may be misleading. What is important in some languages is a statement to the effect that “a will has no power while the person who made it is alive” or “a will doesn’t cause anything to be given to anybody while the person who wrote the will is still alive.”

The adjective translated goes into effect is used by the writer in various senses. In this legal context it means “valid.” Elsewhere it means “to be relied upon.” It is used in 2.2 of the “word spoken by angels,” in 6.19 of the “secure anchor,” and in 3.14 (and some manuscripts of 3.6) of holding on “firmly” to the confidence which is one aspect of Christian faith. The related verb means “confirm, prove to be true” (2.3) or “make strong” (13.9). A related noun is used in 6.16, in a similar context to 9.17, of an oath “confirming” what someone says. add possible footnote text here It may be better to omit only, which is not expressed in the Greek. This strengthens the positive statement and prepares for verse 18.

It goes into effect only after his death: his is understood; New English Bible has “a testament is operative only after a death.” Another model is “it causes a person’s possessions to be distributed only after that person has died.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .