The Greek adjective aparabatos means inviolable, not to be transgressed, permanent, or unchangeable. Appearing only once in the New Testament (Hebrews 7:24), it describes the permanent, untransferable nature of Jesus Christ's priesthood — in sharp contrast to the temporary, successive Levitical priesthood.
Hebrews 7:24 states: 'But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent (aparabatos) priesthood.' The Levitical priests died and had to be replaced; their priesthood was transferable and impermanent. But Christ, who 'lives forever,' holds a priesthood that is aparabatos — it cannot be transferred to another, it cannot be violated, it does not pass away. The word carries legal resonance: in Greco-Roman legal contexts, aparabatos described an inviolable contract or an office that could not be overridden or annulled. For the author of Hebrews, this permanence is the foundation of Christian assurance: 'Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them' (Hebrews 7:25). Our salvation rests not on a priest who might die or fail, but on the eternal, inviolable, ever-living high priesthood of the risen Christ.