10:20 the curtain, that is, through his flesh. In a surprising figure of speech, the author identifies the veil of the temple as Jesus’ body. The analogy lies in that just as the veil of the temple was torn to open the way into the Most Holy Place (6:19; 9:3; Matt. 27:51), so also Christ’s body was torn so that His blood might be shed to open the way into the heavenly sanctuary (v. 19). The parallel is figurative and is not to be pressed.