1Christ, our great high priest in the heavens, hath a more excellent ministry than the priests on earth: 6as he is also the mediator of a better covenant than that which was given to Moses.
1NOW of the things which we have spoken this is 1the sum: Wea have such an high priest, whob is set on 2the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
1 Or, the head point among, or, in the things, that is, the most important ones; for, the Greek word kephalaion signifies both.
a Heb. 3:1; 4:14; 6:20; 9:11.
b Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:2.
2 That is, at the right hand of God, Who is set on the throne of His majesty or glory, in the third or highest heaven. See of this in Heb. 1:3; Acts 3:21.
2A minister 3of the sanctuary, and of the 4true 5tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 Gr. of the Holies; whereby the heaven is understood, of which the Holy of Holies was a type, as afterward Heb. 9:8, 12; which is here distinguished from the first part of the tabernacle, into which the priests went every day, but the High Priest went but once a year into the sanctuary, or Holy of Holies, as is further declared in the beginning of the following chapter.
4 The word true is here contrasted to the shadows, as John 1:17.
5 As by the Holy of Holies heaven is represented, so by this tabernacle is understood the human nature of Christ, which is also compared thereto, John 1:14; 2:19; Heb. 9:11, and in which dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, as in His temple or tabernacle, Col. 2:9, which was received by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was set up by no man, and through the offering up and blood Christ went into the Holy of Holies, which agrees well with the following verse. Whereof Christ may also be said to be a Minister, because He sanctified this His human nature for a suitable sacrifice, to reconcile therein the sins of His people, and to accomplish the work of our salvation. See John 17:19, and hereafter Heb. 9:11, where this is thus declared in detail.
36For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: whereforecit is of necessity that this man have 7somewhat also to offer.
6 This word For gives a reason why he said in the previous verse that Christ is a Minister of the true tabernacle of His body, namely, because as an High Priest He must also have somewhat to offer.
c Eph. 5:2.
7 Namely, Himself, or His own body, as previous in Heb. 7:27 and in Heb. 9:14, is expressed.
4For if he were on earth, 8he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts 9according to the law:
8 Namely, because He had now fulfilled all things on earth, that were to be done by Him on earth as Priest. Therefore He would have finished His ministry, but He must yet fulfill the remaining part of His Priestly office in heaven in the true Holy of Holies.
9 That is, properly and legally. In these words is contained also a reason why Christ would now be no priest on earth, namely, Who would legally and according to the ordinance of God administer the Priesthood here, because the law makes no priest but out of the tribe of Levi, and no sacrifices but of ceremonial gifts, whereof Christ was made no minister, but a Minister of what was represented hereby, as the following verse also implies.
5Whod serve unto the example and shadow of 10heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God whene he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to 11the pattern shewed 12to thee 13in the mount.
d Col. 2:17; Heb. 10:1.
10 That is, of the things which must also be administered and fulfilled by Christ in heaven, and which are necessary for us for an entrance into heaven.
e Exod. 25:40; Acts 7:44.
11 Or, prescript, mold, pattern, example, according to which they do or build anything.
12 Namely, in a vision, either on the mount, or much rather in the opened heaven, as afterward in Heb. 9:23 is declared; for, Moses, being in the mount, saw himself this pattern in heaven.
13 Or, on the mount, namely, Horeb.
6Butf now hath 14he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of 15a better covenant, which was 16established upon 17better promises.
f 2 Cor. 3:6.
14 Namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Namely, than was the covenant of the law and the ceremonies.
16 Gr. was enacted.
17 Namely, which are expressed hereafter in verses 10, 11, 12.
7For if that first covenant had been 18faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
18 That is, in which nothing had been lacking, or, wherein nothing more could be required. For, that which is perfect is not to give place to something else of the identical condition. For the law of Moses, whereof the ceremonies are here considered as an appendix, was indeed perfect in itself, if any man had perfectly observed the same, but by reason of the impotency of the corrupt nature of man, which the law could not take away, it could not bring any man to salvation, Rom. 8:3; Gal. 3:21. Therefore God would make this new Covenant with man through Christ, in the place of the first, in order that the deficiency of the first might hereby be amended; of which the new Covenant the ceremonies were also shadows and types, Col. 2:17, as shall be shown in the following chapter, and of which the ancient fathers had indeed also received the promises, Gal. 3:17, etc., but the fullness thereof was revealed unto us by Christ, as the apostle shows in what follows out of Jeremiah 31.
8For 19finding fault 20with them, he saith, Behold,g21the days come, saith the Lord, when I will 22make a new 23covenant 24with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
19 Or, showing them the deficiency, or, complaining about them, that is, showing the weakness which was in that covenant through their corruption and the complaining about it.
20 Namely, the Israelites; or, the same, namely, covenant.
g Jer. 31:31, 32, 33, 34.
21 Namely, in the times of the Messiah.
22 Gr. bring to an end. See the annotation on verse 10.
23 Or, testament.
24 Hereby are also understood all the elect of the Gentiles, as may be seen generally in the prophets, who by faith would be engrafted into this olive tree. See Rom. 11:17, 25, 26; Gal. 4:26, etc.
9Not according to the covenant that I made 25with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded 26them not, saith the Lord.
25 Namely, by Moses in the wilderness.
26 Or, I esteemed them not. In the prophet it is, should I have remained in marriage with them, or, as a lord? which has one sense with these words. But the apostle wanted to retain the Greek translation, because there was no difference in the matter.
10For this is the covenant that I 27will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; Ih will put my laws 28into their mind, and write them in their hearts: andi I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
27 That is, fully reveal and spread abroad throughout the entire world. For the promise of this Covenant was not made void by the law of Moses, Gal. 3:17, but was first fulfilled through Christ, fully revealed and established in its perfection.
h Jer. 31:33.
28 That is, not only in tables of stone or parchments. See 2 Cor. 3:3, etc.
i Zech. 8:8.
11Andj they shall 29not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for 30all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
j John 6:45, 65; 1 John 2:27.
29 Namely, by words or by writings only, as was done in the covenant of the law, but they shall principally be taught of God (namely by His Spirit) as Christ speaks in John 6:45, 65, Who notwithstanding preached the Gospel unto them also with His own mouth, and exhorted them unto the knowledge of God. This therefore is not absolutely or altogether denied, but by comparison with the manner of instruction which occurred in the Old Testament, as such phrases repeatedly occur. See examples thereof, John 5:30, 45; 1 Thes. 4:9.
30 Namely, who shall learn it of God, as Christ testifies in the place aforementioned, John 6:45. For, that here is spoken only of the saving knowledge, and of true faith, appears from the following verse, seeing sins are forgiven to no man in the new Covenant but by true faith. Rom. 3:30. Some understand this of the state of the life to come, where there shall be no more need of any outward instruction, when we shall see Him face to face, 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2. But from the whole scope of the apostle it appears that these promises concern all elect believers of the New Testament even in this life.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember 31no more.
31 Namely, to punish them. Therefore God in the New Covenant retains no more punishment, when He has once forgiven sin, as some urge, though He yet chastises out of Fatherly love His own for their good. See Heb. 12:6, 7.
1332In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first 33old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready 34to vanish away.
32 Thus far the words of the prophet are recounted; now the apostle speaks again. Gr. in saying.
33 Or, cause to wax old, that is, declared to be old.
34 That is, to disappear, so that it is prevented in the midst and is used no more.