Hebrews 8

Hebrews 8 gathers up the argument so far: Jesus is our high priest, seated in heaven, serving in the true sanctuary. The earthly tabernacle was only a copy of heavenly realities. Jesus also mediates a better covenant, the new covenant promised by Jeremiah, in which God writes His law on the heart, gives all His people a personal knowledge of Him, and forgives their sins for good.

Hebrews 8:1

The writer states his main point: we have a high priest of the highest rank. Having finished His work, Jesus has sat down in the place of supreme honor beside God. He does not stand like the old priests, whose work was never done. That is our security.

BSA: right hand (“place of honor, position of power”): Jesus shares God’s own honor and power, so His priesthood carries full authority. sat down (“took his seat, was seated”): Sitting shows that His offering is finished and accepted.

See also: Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 10:11-12.

Hebrews 8:2

Jesus serves in the true sanctuary, the real dwelling place of God, which the Lord Himself set up and no human hands built. Moses’ tent was a pointer. Christ ministers where God actually dwells, so our access to God is real and not symbolic.

BSA: true (“genuine, authentic”): The heavenly sanctuary is the real thing, of which earthly ones were only illustrations. ministers (“serves as a priest, a public servant”): Christ is actively serving on our behalf.

Greek: λειτουργός (leitourgos, G3011) — “a minister, a public servant.” The word was used for someone who served the people in an official capacity. Jesus is a priestly servant working for our benefit.

Hebrews 8:3

A priest exists to present offerings to God. So Jesus, as our high priest, must also have an offering. The next chapters show what it is: not animals, but His own life given for us.

BSA: offer (“present, bring to”): A priest brings something to God on behalf of the people.

See also: Hebrews 9:14; Ephesians 5:2.

Hebrews 8:4

On earth, Jesus could not serve as a priest under the old system, for He came from Judah, not from the priestly tribe of Levi, and Levitical priests were already serving in the temple. His priesthood belongs to another order and another place, which shows it is something new.

BSA: law (“God’s instructions, divine regulations”): The old priests served within the framework God gave through Moses.

See also: Hebrews 7:14.

Hebrews 8:5

The earthly tabernacle was a copy and shadow of heavenly reality. God told Moses to follow the pattern shown to him on the mountain, because the tent was meant to point beyond itself. A shadow is real, but it is not the substance that casts it.

BSA: shadow (“image, representation”): A shadow gives the outline of something real without being the thing itself. pattern (“design, blueprint”): Moses was given a model to follow, which points to a heavenly original.

Greek: σκιᾷ (skia, G4639) — “shadow.” A shadow shows the shape of a solid object but has no substance of its own. The old worship pictured Christ and His work.

See also: Exodus 25:40; Colossians 2:16-17.

Hebrews 8:6

Jesus’ ministry is far better than that of the old priests, because the covenant He mediates is better. It rests on better promises. He stands between God and people and secures the agreement Himself.

BSA: mediates (“acts as a go-between, negotiates”): Jesus brings God and people together and guarantees the agreement. promises (“assurances, vows”): The new covenant rests on God’s own firm commitments.

Greek: μεσίτης (mesitēs, G3316) — “mediator, go-between.” The word describes one who stands in the middle between two parties and brings them into agreement. Jesus does this as both God and man.

See also: 1 Timothy 2:5.

Hebrews 8:7

If the first covenant had been all that was needed, God would not have promised another. The fault lay not in God’s law, which was holy, but in what it could not do: change the human heart and truly take away sin.

BSA: without fault (“blameless, free from defect”): The first covenant could not bring people the inner change they needed.

See also: Romans 8:3.

Hebrews 8:8

God found fault with the people, not simply with the arrangement, and He announced something new through the prophet Jeremiah. The writer begins quoting a long passage, Jeremiah 31:31-34. The promise is made to both parts of the divided nation, Israel and Judah.

BSA: new (“fresh, renewed”): This covenant is a fresh work of God, not a repair of the old one.

See also: Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Hebrews 8:9

The new covenant will not be like the one made at the exodus, when God took His people by the hand and led them out of Egypt. That was a tender rescue, yet they did not remain faithful. The old covenant was broken by the people, not by God.

BSA: abide by (“remain faithful to, persevere in”): They did not continue in the covenant, so its blessings were lost.

See also: Exodus 19:4-8.

Hebrews 8:10

Here is the heart of the new covenant. God’s law is no longer only on stone tablets outside a person, but placed in the mind and written on the heart. The result is a real relationship: He is their God, and they are His people.

BSA: inscribe (“write, engrave”): God’s word is engraved on the inner person, not just displayed outside. hearts (“inner being, emotions”): The change reaches the center of a person’s will and desires.

Greek: ἐπιγράψω (epigrapsō, G1924) — “I will write upon.” God Himself is the writer. The law is no longer only an outside demand but something He engraves within.

See also: 2 Corinthians 3:3; Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Hebrews 8:11

Under the new covenant, everyone from the least to the greatest knows God personally. This does not mean teaching ends, but no one needs to be told who God is as if a stranger. Every member of His people has direct knowledge of Him.

BSA: know (“have a deep understanding of, be acquainted with”): This is personal acquaintance with God, not only facts about Him.

See also: 1 John 2:20; John 17:3.

Hebrews 8:12

This is the foundation of the new covenant: God will forgive and will remember sins no more. He does not hold them against His people again. All the other blessings rest on this free and complete forgiveness.

BSA: forgive (“be merciful to, show compassion for”): Forgiveness flows from God’s mercy, not from our earning it. remember (“keep in mind, recall”): God will no longer hold their sins against them.

Greek: ἵλεως (hileōs, G2436) — “merciful, gracious.” The word carries the sense of mercy that comes with a sacrifice dealing with the offense. Forgiveness here is rooted in Christ’s offering.

See also: Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 10:17-18.

Hebrews 8:13

By calling this covenant new, God showed the first one was growing old. The writer says it is about to disappear. The old order has served its purpose and gives way to the better one in Christ.

BSA: obsolete (“out-of-date, no longer in use”): The old covenant has been set aside because its purpose is fulfilled in Christ.

Greek: πεπαλαίωκεν (pepalaiōken, G3822) — “has made old.” The verb is in a tense that points to a lasting result: by calling the covenant new, God has put the first into the category of the old.