What does in the days of His flesh mean (Hebrews 5:7)?

“In the days of his flesh” in Hebrews 5:7 (ESV) refers to Jesus’ time here on earth—His physical, earthly existence—specifically the period when He lived among people as a human being. The writer of Hebrews uses this phrase while explaining Christ’s role as our great High Priest. Hebrews 5 explains that high priests were chosen from among humans so they could sympathize with human weakness and represent people in their dealings with God. In the same way, Jesus entered the course of human life, experiencing all that comes with it, so He could perfectly represent us before God.

The phrase in the days of his flesh does not mean that Jesus stopped being human after His earthly ministry ended. Hebrews teaches that our High Priest in heaven remains fully human, able to empathize with our weaknesses and temptations (Hebrews 4:14–15). Instead, the expression delineates between His earthly, incarnate life and His present exalted state at the Father’s right hand. During His earthly life, Jesus lived within the limitations of mortality, experiencing hunger, fatigue, sorrow, pain, and even death. Now, in His risen and glorified state, He continues to be human but is no longer subject to suffering or death.

Hebrews 5:7-9 highlights what Jesus did during His life on earth: “He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7). This description most likely points to Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46), where He prayed with deep sorrow and distress as He faced the coming cross. In those moments, Jesus felt the full load of human fear, anguish, and suffering. His cries were not signs of weakness but expressions of genuine humanity. He prayed as one who sincerely felt the pressure of obedience in a broken world.

This passage also shows that in the days of His flesh, Jesus learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). To be clear, He was never disobedient (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:8); rather, He lived out obedience amid the real conditions of human hardship. By walking through suffering, He demonstrated perfect faithfulness to the Father. Hebrews emphasizes that Christ’s pilgrimage on earth enabled Him to be the compassionate High Priest we need. Because He passed through testing, He can sympathize with our struggles. He knows what it is like to face temptation, sorrow, grief, and pain. He is not distant from human experience; He lived it.

The significance of this timeframe—the days of his flesh—becomes clearer when we consider Hebrews’ broader argument. Through Christ’s real human experiences, “God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9, NLT). Jesus’ earthly life was the arena in which He carried out His priestly work: praying, suffering, obeying, and ultimately presenting Himself as a sacrifice. His entire life was an offering of obedience, culminating in His death on the cross. Unlike the old priesthood, which relied on repeated sacrifices, Jesus’ earthly obedience accomplished what no other priest could. His suffering in the flesh secured eternal salvation for all who trust in Him (Hebrews 10:11–14; 1 Peter 3:18).

By calling attention to the days of His flesh, Hebrews reminds us that Christ’s saving work was carried out in real human history and through actual human experience. Jesus did not save us from afar. He stepped into our world, lived our life, felt our pain, and obeyed perfectly on our behalf. Now, as the risen and exalted High Priest, He continues to intercede for us, fully understanding what it means to be human. His earthly days were temporary, but the results of His obedience are eternal.