Hebrews 8

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, 2a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord1 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 in accordance with the Taurat2; 5who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Musa was warned by God3 when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, 

“You must make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.” 4

6But now ‘ISA5 has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8But finding fault with them, he said,

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD6, “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 that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and I turned away from them,” says the LORD. 10“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD; “I will put my Taurat in their minds, I will also write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11They will no more teach every man his neighbour, or every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12For I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more.” 7

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.

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  1. 8:2 Lord, translated from the Greek kurios. Depending on context, it can refer to: 1. God, 2. ’ISA AL-MASIH, 3. men in authority, such as kings, landlords, etc., 4. a respectful salutation meaning, “sir.” ↩︎
  2. 8:4 Taurat, this Arabic word derived from Torah (Hebrew) literally means “instruction” or “teaching.” In the Injil, the Greek text says nomos (meaning, “law”). Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
    2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
    3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
    4. Taurat can also refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book of the Hebrew Bible. ↩︎
  3. 8:5 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
  4. 8:5 Quoting the Taurat, Exodus 25:40 which says: “You must make them according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.” ↩︎
  5. 8:6 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  6. 8:8 LORD, the use of all capital letters means that the original Hebrew text quoted here uses God’s Name, YAHWEH, which God-fearing Jews to this day do not say out of respect. YAHWEH is the Name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
  7. 8:8-12 Quoting the Taurat, Armiya 31:31-34 which says: “Behold, the days are coming,” says YAHWEH, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not 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; which covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them,“ says YAHWEH. “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,“ says YAHWEH: “I will put my Taurat in their minds, I will also write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people: They will no more teach every man his neighbour, or every man his brother, saying, ‘Know YAHWEH;’ for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” says YAHWEH: “for I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more.” ↩︎