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Hebrews chapter 8

English Standard Version

1Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
9not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
New International Version

1Now the main 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 serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5They serve at a sanctuary that 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.' 6But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
8But God found fault with the people and said: 'The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 9It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'
13By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
New American Standard Bible

1Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. 3For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, 'SEE,' He says, 'THAT YOU MAKE all things BY THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN TO YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.' 6But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
7For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no circumstances would have been sought for a second.
8For in finding fault with the people, He says, 'BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE Lord, WHEN I WILL BRING ABOUT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, 9NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE ABOUT THEM, SAYS THE Lord. 10FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE Lord: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR God, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 11AND THEY WILL NOT TEACH, EACH ONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EACH ONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE Lord,’ FOR THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TOWARD THEIR WRONGDOINGS, AND THEIR SINS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.'
13When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.
Christian Standard Bible

1Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. 3For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4Now if he were on earth, he wouldn't be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. 5These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. 6But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one.
8But finding fault with his people, he says:See, the days are coming, says the Lord,when I will make a new covenantwith the house of Israeland with the house of Judah -- 9not like the covenantthat I made with their ancestorson the day I took them by the handto lead them out of the land of Egypt.I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,because they did not continue in my covenant. 10For this is the covenantthat I will make with the house of Israelafter those days, says the Lord:I will put my laws into their mindsand write them on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people. 11And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,and each his brother or sister, saying, "Know the Lord,"because they will all know me,from the least to the greatest of them. 12For I will forgive their wrongdoing,and I will never again remember their sins.
13By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
New Living Translation

1Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
3And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. 5They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: 'Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.'
6But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
7If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.
8But when God found fault with the people, he said: 'The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 9This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. 10But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. 12And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.'
13When God speaks of a 'new' covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
King James Version

1Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9Not according to the covenant that I made with 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 them not, saith the Lord. 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

What does Hebrews chapter 8 mean?

Hebrews chapter 8 continues the writer's explanation for why Jesus, and the new covenant He brings, is superior to the old covenant of Judaism. In prior chapters, the writer has explained how the Promised One could not have been an angel, but had to be human. The writer has also shown that Jesus, because of His perfect life, is in a position to be the ultimate high priest for all mankind. This especially involves the example of Melchizedek, who was both priest and king, and who was honored by Abraham (Genesis 14). In the prior chapter, this association with Melchizedek included the idea that God had always intended to replace the Levitical priesthood with something greater. This was demonstrated using various Jewish Scriptures (Psalm 110).

The chapter begins by extending a bridge from prior ideas. The end of chapter 7 included a description of a priest who was perfect and sinless. This chapter explains that Jesus is this perfect priest, and that He is currently serving in a greater place than some earthly temple. In order to demonstrate this, the writer explains that earthly objects, such as the tabernacle, are intended to be symbols of the "real" covenant with God. Since the promise of the new covenant is heavenly and eternal, it is far better than the old covenant, which fails due to the weakness of humanity (Hebrews 7:19, 23; Romans 7:12).

A major point in favor of this view is that God has predicted this eventual transition. The writer has already cited passages such as Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. Now, another Jewish prophet is added, in a quote from Jeremiah 31:31–34. There, Jeremiah wrote to predict a time, in his own future, when God would create a new covenant with His people. This new covenant would be in the minds and hearts of the people, instead of something external and manmade. Since this prediction was given after the issuing of the Levitical priesthood, it must be a reference to something completely separate.

As the writer of Hebrews reasons, why would God replace the old covenant unless it was flawed (Hebrews 7:11; 8:13)? Since the old covenant was obviously flawed due to a dependence on sinful humans, a better covenant needs to be grounded on better promises. Christ's ultimate, finished, perfect work on our behalf is that very thing. This sets the stage for chapter 9, which will explore the relationship between the earthly tabernacle and the heavenly work performed by Jesus Christ.
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