HEBREWS
Study Notes—Chapter 8
the main point of what we are saying: Paul here stresses the main point of what he has been discussing in detail—that Jesus Christ as the heavenly King-Priest is far superior to any high priest who served under the Mosaic Law covenant. (Heb 4:14–7:28) The apostle goes on to explain that the sacred service of the Levitical priests was “a shadow” of heavenly things. (Heb 8:3-5) Next, from Heb 8:6 to 10:21, he reasons that because Jesus is a superior High Priest, the covenant he mediates must be “correspondingly better” than the Mosaic Law covenant. (Heb 8:6 and study note) Thereafter, Paul focuses on the importance of faith, endurance, and Christian conduct in order to help the Hebrew Christians to see how they could put these deep truths to work in their lives.—Heb 10:22–13:22.
at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty: See study note on Heb 1:3.
a minister: The Greek term used here (lei·tour·gosʹ), which can also be rendered “a public servant,” is related to the term used at Heb 8:6 (and study note) regarding Jesus’ “ministry,” or “public service” (lei·tour·giʹa). These terms were used in the Septuagint to refer to “priests” (Isa 61:6) or to the “duties” (Nu 7:5) and the “service” (Nu 4:28; 1Ch 6:32 [6:17, LXX]) carried out by the priests at the tabernacle and at Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. (See study notes on Lu 1:23; Ro 15:16 for more details regarding the renderings “public service” and “public servant.”) As the great High Priest in heaven, Christ Jesus ministers for the benefit of mankind. He pleads in their behalf and applies to them the benefits of his ransom sacrifice.—Heb 7:23-25; 9:11-14.
the true tent: This phrase could also be rendered “the true [or, “real”] tabernacle.” “The true tent” represents Jehovah’s arrangement for pure worship based on the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. By means of this arrangement, sinful humans may worship God in a proper, holy way. Paul goes on to explain (in chapter 9) that the holy place, or the Most Holy, of this tabernacle represents something truly impressive: Jehovah’s own presence in heaven. (Heb 9:24) By using the phrase “the true tent,” Paul seeks to help Jewish Christians who struggle with this question: Is Christian worship truly superior to that carried out in the impressive temple in Jerusalem? (Heb 7:22-28) That building was widely revered, and the Jews took great pride in the ceremonies that the priests carried out there. Fittingly, then, Paul reminds Christians that the Great High Priest, Jesus, serves in a vastly superior place, a great spiritual temple.
which Jehovah set up, and not man: As explained in the preceding note, Paul here refers to the spiritual tent, which originated with Jehovah God himself. (See study note on Heb 9:11.) In contrast, the physical tabernacle in the wilderness was set up by humans. Even so, they followed the detailed instructions that Jehovah gave to Moses.—Ex 25:9, 40; Nu 8:4; Heb 8:5 and study note; compare study note on Ac 7:44; for the use of the divine name here, see App. C3 introduction; Heb 8:2.
gifts and sacrifices: See study note on Heb 5:1.
to have something to offer: By arranging for his Son to be born as a human, Jehovah gave Jesus something to offer—a perfect human life—with which to redeem Adam’s offspring from sin and death. (Heb 10:5) Whereas the high priests of Israel had to offer animal sacrifices repeatedly, Jesus sacrificed his human body “once for all time.”—Heb 7:27; 9:12, 28; 10:1-4, 11, 12; 1Pe 3:18.
a typical representation: The Greek word for this expression, occurring also at Heb 9:23, means an “outline, sketch, symbol”—something that is a reflection, or an image, of the original. The sacred service that the priests were rendering at the tabernacle and later at the temple symbolized and foreshadowed greater heavenly realities. The expression “a typical representation” also applies to features of the tabernacle and the temple.—Heb 9:2-10, 23-28.
a shadow: Various aspects of the Mosaic Law, including the tabernacle, sacrifices, and festivals, were like shadows that suggested greater things to come. (Heb 10:1) The Israelites who paid careful attention to these shadows were better able to confirm that Jesus was the Messiah and to understand what he accomplished. (See study note on Col 2:17.) However, a shadow provides only a general outline or an indication of the overall shape of the object that creates the shadow. Similarly, this “typical representation” conveyed only a small-scale idea of the heavenly realities and “the true tent” that the shadow represented.—Heb 8:2.
was given the divine command: Or “was given divine warning.” In the Scriptures, the Greek verb used here often refers to warnings and directives that come from God. (Mt 2:12; Heb 11:7; 12:25) According to one lexicon, the word as here used has a “focus on strict instruction.” Some translations of Heb 8:5 use the phrase “was warned by God” or “was instructed by God.” (See study note on Ac 10:22.) Paul goes on to quote Jehovah’s words to Moses recorded at Ex 25:40.
pattern: Or “design; type.”—See study note on Ac 7:44.
ministry: Or “public service.”—See study note on Heb 8:2.
mediator: See study note on 1Ti 2:5 and Glossary.
a correspondingly better covenant: This is a reference to the new covenant. (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 7:22; 8:8; 9:15) The word “correspondingly” shows that just as Jesus is a greater High Priest, so the covenant he mediates is a better covenant. The old covenant was the basis for Jehovah’s relationship with ancient Israel, and it served to reveal the sinfulness of imperfect humans. But the new covenant is the basis for Jehovah’s relationship with a new nation, spiritual Israel. This covenant is better, for it has been legally established on better promises. God promised that this covenant would be written on the hearts of God’s devoted servants, that their sins would be forgiven, and that they would all truly know him. This covenant thus offered “a better hope.”—Heb 7:19 and study note.
better: This is one of the key words in the book of Hebrews. As is the case here, it is used repeatedly to emphasize the superiority of the Christian way of worship.—Heb 7:22; 9:23; see “Introduction to Hebrews” and study note on Heb 1:4.
If that first covenant had been faultless: Paul shows here that the “first covenant” made with Israel was not faultless. He gives a key reason in the next verse: “For he [God] does find fault with the people.” (Heb 8:8 and study note) The Israelites were responsible for upholding their side of the covenant, but most of them failed to take the spirit of that covenant to heart. Therefore, “they broke” the covenant repeatedly. (Jer 31:32) Paul also shows in this letter that the first covenant was not faultless in another respect: It did not make possible the complete forgiveness of sins. In fact, that was not its purpose. (Heb 7:11, 19; 9:9; 10:1, 2; compare Ro 8:3 and study note.) That Law was designed “to make transgressions manifest” (Ga 3:19), to point to a better arrangement for worship (Col 2:17), and to lead people to the Messiah (Ga 3:24). It did accomplish those goals. Therefore, Paul is not contradicting what he states at Ro 7:12.
For he does find fault with the people: Some scholars recommend a different rendering here, suggesting that God found fault with the Mosaic Law covenant itself. However, the context and the quote that follows from the prophet Jeremiah indicate that the real fault lay, not with God’s covenant, but with his people who broke that covenant. The rendering “find fault with the people” harmonizes with this idea.—Jer 31:32.
“Look! The days are coming”: Paul here begins a quote from the prophet Jeremiah. (Jer 31:31-34) The quote ends with verse 12. This is the longest passage from the Hebrew Scriptures quoted in the Christian Greek Scriptures.—See Introduction to Hebrews.
says Jehovah: In this quote from Jer 31:31, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, the divine name is used here in the main text.—See App. C1 and C2.
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant: Jeremiah’s prophetic statement about “a new covenant” was originally directed to natural Israel and Judah, but Paul here shows that Jehovah fulfills his promise by making this covenant with spirit-anointed Christians, or spiritual Israel.—Jer 31:31; Heb 8:6 and study note; see also study note on 2Co 3:6.
so I stopped caring for them: For centuries, Jehovah patiently showed great concern for his people and held true to his side of the Law covenant. However, Israel “did not remain in [that] covenant”; time and again, they rebelled against Jehovah. He forgave them repeatedly, but in a sense, he stopped caring for them when he allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and its temple in 607 B.C.E. (2Ch 36:17; Eze 16:59; Mal 3:6, 7; compare Ne 9:16-19, 26-31.) He later showed exceptional mercy by regathering his people, and they then rebuilt his place of worship. (Isa 54:6-8; Jer 29:10; Zec 1:16) Though Jehovah had shown them so much mercy, the Israelites rejected his own Son. (Mt 21:43; 23:38) It was then that Jehovah permanently “stopped caring for them.” He ended his covenant with fleshly Israel as his chosen nation. Even so, Jehovah continued to care for individuals of that nation who sought a good relationship with him. From Pentecost 33 C.E. onward, such faithful ones could be taken into the new covenant.—Compare Heb 2:16 and study note.
stopped caring: Paul quotes from Jer 31:32, where the Masoretic Hebrew text reads “although I was their true master [their husband].” However, the Septuagint reads “and I stopped caring for them,” and Paul is obviously quoting from that translation. Various possibilities have been suggested to account for the difference. Some suggest that the translators of the Septuagint simply used what they understood to be an alternate meaning of the Hebrew verb. Others suggest that those translators were using a slightly different Hebrew text. In any case, the meaning Paul attributes to the Greek text is clear and fits the context of his discussion.
says Jehovah: In this quote from Jer 31:32, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, the divine name is used here in the main text.—See App. C1 and C2.
says Jehovah: In this quote from Jer 31:33, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, the divine name is used here in the main text.—See App. C1 and C2.
I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I will write them: As foretold at Jer 31:31-34, the new covenant would establish a form of worship that differed significantly from the worship carried out under the Mosaic Law covenant. (Heb 8:6) The Ten Commandments were engraved in stone, and the entire Law was copied out in handwritten documents. Even so, the Hebrew Scriptures emphasized the importance of taking the words of God to heart. (De 5:6, 7; Pr 3:3) Sadly, sin rather than God’s Law was inscribed on the hearts of most Israelites. (Jer 17:1) Unlike the Mosaic Law covenant, which consisted of a long written list of requirements along with penalties for disobedience, the new covenant would be based on “the law of the Christ.” Men and women of faith would obey that law willingly and eagerly, as if it were inscribed on their hearts.—Ga 6:2 and study note.
they will become my people: Paul here quotes from Jer 31:33. There Jehovah had stated his purpose to make a new covenant with his people. For centuries, the nation of Israel had been God’s people. (Ex 3:7; 19:5, 6; De 7:7, 8) But in the first century C.E., Jehovah rejected that disobedient nation and adopted a new nation as his people, one consisting of spirit-anointed Christians. (Mt 21:43; Ro 2:28; 9:6; Ga 6:16 and study note) Thus, Paul applies Jeremiah’s words about the new covenant to spiritual Israel. The apostle Peter made a similar point, applying to spiritual Israel words that were originally directed to natural Israel.—1Pe 2:9, 10.
his fellow citizen: Paul refers to the restoration prophecy of Jer 31:34, which was originally addressed to the ancient nation of Israel. Here Paul quotes the verse from the Septuagint translation and applies it to “the Israel of God,” whose “citizenship exists in the heavens.” (Ga 6:16; Php 3:20 and study note) Some Bible translations use the rendering “neighbor,” based on the reading of this verse in some late Greek manuscripts. However, most Greek texts use the word for “fellow citizen.”
“Know Jehovah!”: One distinguishing feature of the “new covenant” foretold by Jeremiah was that “all . . . from the least to the greatest of them” would “know Jehovah.” (Jer 31:31, 34) Both the Hebrew and the Greek words for “to know” include the basic idea of knowing facts, but here much more is involved. One reference work says that in the context of a covenant, the expression “to know” God “involves an acknowledgment of his sovereignty and whole hearted commitment to obedience to him.” Both in Hebrew and in Greek, “to know” may also refer to knowing someone personally and having a close relationship with him.—Compare study notes on Joh 17:3; Ga 4:9.
Jehovah: In this quote from Jer 31:34, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, the divine name is used here in the main text.—See App. C1 and C2.
from the least to the greatest of them: Bible writers used this and similar expressions to state emphatically that everyone is included, without exception. (Ge 19:11; Jer 6:11-13; 8:10; 16:6; 42:1, 8; 44:12; Ac 8:10; Re 13:16; 19:5, 18) Here Paul quotes Jehovah’s words at Jer 31:34, emphasizing that all who are taken into the new covenant will know Jehovah, his qualities, and his ways.
he has made the former one obsolete: In a sense, Jehovah made the old covenant obsolete (the Greek verb literally means “to make old”) in the seventh century B.C.E. That was when God revealed that he would replace the old covenant with a new one. (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 7:12) From then on, the days of the old covenant were numbered. It remained in effect for centuries, but throughout that time, the Law was near to vanishing away. It finally did vanish away, or become invalid, when it was replaced with the new covenant in 33 C.E. (Eph 2:15) Thus, Paul writes in the next verse that “the former covenant used to have legal requirements.” (Heb 9:1) When he wrote this letter, about 61 C.E., the legal requirements of the old covenant had been invalid for some 28 years. (Da 9:27) The Jews of that time still revered the temple in Jerusalem and worshipped there, convinced that the old covenant was still in force. However, when the temple and its genealogical records were destroyed in 70 C.E., the Levitical priesthood could never be reestablished. So all claims that the old covenant was still valid became impossible to support.