7:28 men in their weakness: The high priests of Israel were sinful (7:27) and mortal (7:23), and the Law they administered brought nothing to perfection (7:19). The high priest of the New Covenant is sinless (7:26) and immortal (7:24), and he embodies the perfection of humanity (5:9) made possible in the new economy of grace (10:14; 12:23) (cCC 1540). Back to text.

8:1-10:39 The climax of Hebrews, where the author demonstrates the superior excellence of the New Covenant over the Old. He shows that the cultic and liturgical traditions of Israel, especially the Tabernacle and the rites of the Day of Atonement, are earthly and historical signs that teach us about heavenly realities and help us to understand the priestly work of Christ (CCC 522). Back to text.

8:1 the point: The main idea of the book. the right hand: An allusion to Ps 110:1, also referred to in Heb 1:3 and cited explicitly in 1:13. • Psalm 110 provides the template for the presentation of Jesus in Hebrews. It is a messianic psalm that describes how the Lord will enthrone the anointed One in heaven and ordain him an eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:1-4). Back to text.

8:2 true tent: The sacred dwelling place of God in heaven. The Mosaic Tabernacle was only a model and reflection of this eternal reality (8:5), also called his "holy tent" (Wis 9:8). Back to text.

8:3 something to offer: Levitical priests offered the blood of bulls and goats in the earthly sanctuary (Lev 16:14-15). In a similar but superior way, Christ offers his own humanity, his body (10:10) and blood (9:12-14), as an atonement sacrifice in the sanctuary of heaven (9:24). Back to text.

8:4 he would not be a priest: Because Jesus descended, not from the priestly tribe of Levi, but from the royal tribe of Judah (7:14). Back to text.

8:5 See that you make: A citation from Ex 25:40. • Moses spent 40 days on Sinai (Ex 24:18) receiving instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex 25:1-27:19). Its blueprint was based on a vision of the heavenly sanctuary that God had shown him (Acts 7:44). Back to text.

8:7 first covenant: The Mosaic covenant ratified at Sinai (Ex 19-24) and administered by the Levitical priests (Lev 1-16). Because the prophet Jeremiah later spoke of a "new covenant" (Heb 8:8), which the author calls a second covenant, he infers that the first is deficient and destined to pass away. For a similar line of reasoning, see note at Heb 7:11-19. Back to text.

8:8-12 A citation from Jer 31:31-34. • Jeremiah gives one of the clearest prophecies of the New Covenant in the OT. He defines it over against the Mosaic covenant established during the Exodus period. The Old Covenant was engraved on stone tablets (Ex 31:18) and transgressed by Israel (Ex 32:1-6); it prescribed sacrifices to remind the people of their sins (Heb 10:3). The New Covenant, by contrast, is inscribed on the heart (8:10), makes a deeper knowledge of God possible (8:11), and wipes away the memory of sin through an efficacious remission of guilt (8:12) (CCC 580, 1965). Back to text.

8:13 ready to vanish: This is the strongest hint in Hebrews that the sanctuary (Jerusalem Temple) and apparatus (Levitical cult and priesthood) of the Old Covenant were still operating when the letter was written. Other passages, such as 8:4-5 and 10:1-3, give the same impression. The overall perspective of the letter confirms this, as well: it is inconceivable that readers would be tempted to revert to the system of Levitical worship after the Temple and priestly leadership of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. See introduction to Hebrews: Date. Back to text.

9:1-14 The layout of the Mosaic Tabernacle. The sanctuary proper was composed of two chambers: the outer tent or Holy Place, where the priests of Israel performed regular duties, and the inner tent or Holy of Holies, where the high priest alone could enter once a year. For the author, the first and second chambers of the Tabernacle symbolize the first (Mosaic) and second (New) covenants (8:7), as well as earth and heaven. Thus, the Aaronic high priest, who passed from the first tent to the second once a year, is a type of Christ, who passed from the Old Covenant into the New once for all time when he ascended into the presence of God in heaven (4:14; 9:24). • The distinction between the first and second tents can be explained in two ways. In one sense, the first tent represents the Old Covenant, and the second tent the New. In another, the first signifies the Church, and the second the glory of heaven (St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews 9, 1). Back to text.

9:2 Holy Place: The outer tent where priests performed daily and weekly rituals (9:6). It was furnished with a lampstand (Ex 25:31-37), a table overlaid with gold (Ex 25:23-29), and 12 loaves of the bread of Presence (Ex 25:30; Lev 24:5-8). Back to text.

9:3 second curtain: The embroidered veil that hung as a partition between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Ex 26:31-33). A similar veil separated the Holy Place from the outer courtyard. Holy of Holies: The most sacred chamber of the Tabernacle, inaccessible to all but the high priest once a year (9:7). It housed the Ark of the Covenant, the golden chest that served as the earthly throne of Yahweh (Ex 25:10-15). The Ark was topped with the mercy seat and its two cherubim (Ex 25:17-22), and inside it were the tablets of the covenant (Ex 25:16), a jar of manna (Ex 16:33), and the rod of Aaron (Num 17:8-10). Back to text.

9:4 altar of incense: Scripture normally puts the incense altar in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies (Ex 30:1-10; 40:26). Perhaps the author is alluding to the Day of Atonement liturgy, when incense was taken from the altar into the presence of the Ark (Lev 16:12-13). Back to text.

9:5 mercy seat: The slab of pure gold that formed the lid of the Ark (Ex 25:17-22). Back to text.

9:7 once a year: On the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:2934). • On this day, the high priest offered sacrifices for himself (bull calf) and the people (goat) and took the blood of the victims into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle it on the mercy seat of the Ark (Lev 16:14-15). The event was an annual renewal of the Mosaic covenant ratified at Sinai, which Aaron promptly broke when he fashioned the golden calf (Ex 32:4) and which the people continued to break by worshiping goat idols in the Sinai wilderness (satyrs, Lev 17:7). See note on Lev 9:1-24. Back to text.

9:8 not yet opened: The definitive passage from the old order to the new, and thus from earth to heaven, was pioneered by Christ, who leads the way for his people to follow (2:10; 4:14-16). Back to text.

9:9 present age: The age of the Old Covenant, which at the time of the author was nearing its end (8:13; 9:26). Back to text.

9:11 greater . . . tent: The heavenly sanctuary that Christ entered when he ascended to the right hand of the Father (4:14; 8:1; 9:24) (CCC 662). not made with hands: I.e., not earthly. See essay: Not Made with Hands at 2 Cor 5. Back to text.

9:12 once for all: In marked contrast to the "once a year" (9:7) entrance of the high priests of Israel (9:25). Holy Place: The Greek is better rendered "sanctuary", as in 8:2 and 9:24. blood of goats and calves: The author appears to telescope two different liturgical events: the ratification of the Mosaic covenant at Sinai, where the Greek OT specifies that young calves were sacrificed (Ex 24:5), and the renewal of the Mosaic covenant on the Day of Atonement, when a goat was sacrificed for the transgressions of the people (Lev 16:15). The effect is to show that the sacrificial blood of Christ both ratifies a New Covenant and truly atones for the sins committed under the Old (Heb 9:15) (CCC 592). For a similar use of this technique, See note on Heb 7:27. Back to text.

9:13 ashes of a heifer: The ashes of a red heifer, burned with its blood, were mixed with water in order to purify persons defiled by contact with the dead (Num 19:1-13). In a more powerful way, the blood of Christ cleanses us from the guilt of "dead works" (Heb 9:14). Back to text.

9:14 the eternal Spirit: The Spirit carried the risen humanity of Jesus beyond the veil of creation into the heavenly sanctuary (Acts 1:9-11). offered himself: Jesus is both priest and sacrificial victim. without blemish: Animals offered in sacrifice had to be free of physical defects (Lev 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; etc.). Christ is free of every moral and spiritual defect (Heb 7:26; 1 Pet 1:19). to serve: Redemption from sin brings a new freedom for worship (12:28; 13:15-16). Back to text.

9:15 mediator: One who brings God and his people together. See word study: Mediator at 12:24. promised . . . inheritance: The heavenly blessings pledged to the world through Abraham (6:17; Gen 22:16-18). Back to text.

9:17 takes effect: Or, "is confirmed". Back to text.

9:18 Refers to the ratification of the Sinai covenant described in Ex 24:3-8. Back to text.

9:20 This is the blood: A citation from Ex 24:8. • Since the Hebrew and Greek versions of this passage begin with the word "Behold" instead of "This", it is likely that the author of Hebrews has deliberately adjusted the words of Moses to evoke the eucharistic words of Jesus: "[T]his is my blood of the covenant" (Mt 26:28). If so, then he is drawing a parallel between the founding of the Old Covenant at Sinai and the founding of the New Covenant at the Last Supper (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). See note on Heb 13:10. Back to text.

9:22 the shedding of blood: Blood was a key element in the atonement and purification rites of Israelite religion. This was especially so on the Day of Atonement, when blood was used to purify the priests and people as well as the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Lev 16:11-19). Back to text.

9:24 made with hands: The Mosaic Tabernacle was an earthly tent, i.e., part of this creation (9:11). Back to text.