The Bible — World English Bible
Hebrews 8
In brief
Hebrews 8 presents Jesus as the high priest seated at the right hand of God, serving in the true sanctuary in heaven. Temple worship was only a copy and shadow of this reality. The author explains that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, and quotes the great promise of Jeremiah 31: God will write his law on hearts, all will know him and he will forgive sins. The first covenant, now old, is about to disappear.
The chapter in 4 parts
1Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
3For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law,
5who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, “See, you shall make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.”
6But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8For finding fault with them, he said, “Behold, the days come”, says the Lord, “that 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 that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they didn’t continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them,” says the Lord.
10“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
11They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all will know me, from their least to their greatest.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.”
13In that he says, “A new covenant”, he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.
Key verses
Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
The author sums up his point: we have a high priest seated beside God, who serves in the true tabernacle set up by the Lord. The center of the Christian faith is a living person, not a place.
But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.
Jesus is the mediator of a superior covenant, founded on better promises. The newness is not in different rules but in what God himself accomplishes for his people.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
God promises to put his laws in the minds of his people and to write them on their hearts. Obedience no longer comes only from an outside rule but from an inner transformation.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.”
The promise ends with forgiveness: God will remember sins no more. This is the foundation of the new covenant, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ.
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Frequently asked questions about Hebrews 8
What does the new covenant mean in Hebrews 8?
It is the promise, quoted from Jeremiah 31, that God will establish a renewed relationship with his people: his law written on hearts, a personal knowledge of God for all, and forgiveness of sins. For Christians, this covenant is founded on the work of Jesus Christ, mediator of this better covenant.
Why did the first covenant have to be replaced?
Verse 7 says that if the first had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second. According to verse 9, the fault lies with the people, who did not continue in the covenant. The new covenant offers what the old could not give: a transformed heart and lasting forgiveness.
What is the main message of Hebrews 8?
Jesus is the high priest who serves in the true heavenly sanctuary and the mediator of a better covenant. Temple worship foreshadowed this reality like a shadow. Through him, God writes his law on hearts and forgives sins, which gives a new assurance in approaching him.
Articles quoting Hebrews 8
World English Bible translation — public domain.