Hebrews 8

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 60 – AD 69 · The early church · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

13 verses · 371 words · ~2 min read · ~2 min listen

Christʼs Eternal Priesthood

¹The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ²and who ministers in the sanctuary and true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. ³And since every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for this One also to have something to offer.

⁴Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts according to the law. ⁵The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

The New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:26–40

⁶Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises. ⁷For if that first covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second. ⁸But God found fault with the people and said:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

⁹It will not be like the covenant

I made with their fathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt,

because they did not abide by My covenant,

and I disregarded them,

declares the Lord.

¹⁰For this is the covenant I will make

with the house of Israel

after those days,

declares the Lord.

I will put My laws in their minds

and inscribe them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,

and they will be My people.

¹¹No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother,

saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know Me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

¹²For I will forgive their iniquities

and will remember their sins no more.”

¹³By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Footnotes (3)

a v5 Exodus 25:40; see also Exodus 26:30.
b v12 Jeremiah 31:31–34(see also LXX)
c v13 Literally In saying new; here and in Hebrews 9:1 and 18,covenant is included for clarity but is not contained in the Greek. A broader interpretation could also include priesthood or tabernacle.

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Type / patternLinked by the New Testament

The tabernacle as copy of the heavenly pattern

God told Moses to build the tabernacle exactly according to the pattern shown him on the mountain. Hebrews says the priests serve at a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, and that Christ entered the true one.

When: Sinai (traditionally c. 1446 or c. 1250 BC); Hebrews, before AD 70 (most likely).

Original passageExodus 25:40Exodus 25:8–9

Where the New Testament applies itHebrews 8:1–6Hebrews 9:23–24

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

A new covenant

God promises a new covenant written on hearts, with forgiveness of sins. At the Last Supper Jesus speaks of 'the new covenant in my blood', and Hebrews quotes the whole passage at length.

When: Jeremiah, c. 600–587 BC; Last Supper c. AD 30–33.

Original passageJeremiah 31:31–34

Where the New Testament applies itLuke 22:20Hebrews 8:8–12Hebrews 10:15–17