Hebrews 8:5 kjv
Who 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.
Hebrews 8:5 nkjv
who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
Hebrews 8:5 niv
They 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."
Hebrews 8:5 esv
They 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."
Hebrews 8:5 nlt
They 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."
Hebrews 8 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 25:9 | According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle... so shall you make it. | God commanded exact replica of a heavenly pattern. |
| Exo 25:40 | See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown you on the mountain. | Direct source of the quoted warning to Moses. |
| Num 8:4 | This was the craftsmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. | Moses built according to God's heavenly blueprint. |
| Act 7:44 | Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen. | Stephen reiterates Moses followed a heavenly pattern. |
| Heb 9:11 | But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation). | Christ serves in the true, heavenly sanctuary. |
| Heb 9:23-24 | Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified... but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. | Earthly sanctuary and sacrifices are copies of heavenly realities. |
| Heb 10:1 | For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never... make perfect those who draw near. | The Law (including rituals) is a shadow, not the substance. |
| Col 2:16-17 | Therefore let no one pass judgment on you... regarding a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. | Old Covenant rituals are shadows, Christ is the reality. |
| Heb 7:19 | For the law made nothing perfect; but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. | Old Law's inability to perfect highlights need for Christ. |
| Heb 7:22 | by so much more Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. | Jesus inaugurates a superior covenant. |
| Heb 8:6 | But 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. | Contrast between the old (shadow) and new (substance). |
| Heb 8:13 | In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. | The old covenant is superseded by the new. |
| Heb 12:22-24 | But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. | Believers approach the true, heavenly reality, not earthly symbols. |
| Rom 5:14 | Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the One who was to come. | Adam as a type (shadow) of Christ (anti-type). |
| 1 Cor 10:6 | Now these things happened as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. | Old Testament events serve as examples. |
| Gal 3:24 | So the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. | Law had a temporary, preparatory role until Christ. |
| Joh 1:17 | For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. | Juxtaposition of Law and Christ. |
| 1 Pet 3:21 | Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. | Baptism is the antitype to Noah's flood. |
| 1 Chr 28:11-19 | Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the porch of the temple... all this he made clear by the writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done by the plan. | Even Temple details were divinely revealed patterns. |
| Rev 11:19 | Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen within His temple. | Hints at the heavenly original of the ark. |
| Rev 21:10-27 | And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God... | Heavenly Jerusalem, the ultimate sanctuary/dwelling place of God with man. |
Hebrews 8 verses
Hebrews 8 5 Meaning
Hebrews 8:5 explains that the Old Testament Levitical priests, serving within the earthly tabernacle and its subsequent temple, ministered in a system that was merely a copy and shadow of true, eternal heavenly realities. God's specific instruction to Moses to build the tabernacle "according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain" confirms that this earthly dwelling and its rituals were not ends in themselves, but divinely designed models or types pointing to the ultimate, perfect sanctuary in heaven and the superior ministry of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 8 5 Context
Hebrews chapter 8 marks a pivotal transition in the book, moving from establishing Christ's superior priesthood (ch. 7) to detailing His superior ministry within a superior sanctuary and under a superior covenant. Verse 5 acts as the concluding point in the comparison of the two priesthoods and the introduction to the new covenant. The preceding verses in chapter 8 establish Christ as a High Priest who serves in the heavenly sanctuary, making the earthly sanctuary obsolete.
Historically and culturally, the Jewish-Christian audience addressed by Hebrews faced strong temptation to revert to Judaism, including its visible Temple rituals and ancestral traditions, especially amidst persecution or social pressure. The author masterfully argues that such a reversion would be a step backward from a true, substantial reality in Christ to a mere copy and shadow. The entire Book of Hebrews is a sustained theological argument asserting the absolute supremacy and finality of Jesus Christ over every aspect of the Old Covenant – angels, Moses, the Levitical priesthood, sacrifices, and the Temple system. Hebrews 8:5 serves as a direct polemic against the continued reliance on the earthly sanctuary as the ultimate place of worship, revealing its true, preparatory nature. It subtly critiques any lingering notion that the physical rituals or location possessed intrinsic redemptive power apart from their pointing to Christ.
Hebrews 8 5 Word analysis
- who serve: (Greek: latreuō, λατρεύω) – This verb signifies to perform sacred service, to render religious devotion or worship, particularly priestly ministration. It indicates that the Old Covenant priests were engaged in legitimate, God-ordained service, but their sphere of service was earthly and symbolic.
- a copy: (Greek: hypodeigma, ὑπόδειγμα) – Means an example, pattern, or a representation. In this context, it implies something that gives a faint likeness or incomplete resemblance to an original. It denotes an image, often incomplete, from which a real thing may be known or conjectured.
- and shadow: (Greek: skia, σκιᾷ) – A direct shadow, a dark outline, lacking substance or detail. In New Testament theology, particularly in Hebrews and Colossians, "shadow" stands in stark contrast to the "substance" or "body." A shadow is temporal and lacks the reality of the object casting it.
- of the heavenly things: (Greek: tōn epouraniōn, τῶν ἐπουρανίων) – Referring not just to things located in heaven, but to things that possess the very nature and quality of heaven, meaning spiritual, divine, perfect, eternal realities. This directly contrasts with the earthly, temporary, and physical nature of the Tabernacle system.
- as Moses was warned: (Greek: kathōs kechrēmatistai Mōusēs, καθὼς κεχρημάτισται Μωυσῆς) – The verb kechrēmatistai means to receive a divine oracle, warning, or revelation. It underscores that Moses’ instructions for building the Tabernacle came directly from God, indicating divine intentionality behind the earthly sanctuary's design. This adds authoritative weight to the comparison.
- when he was about to erect the tent: (Greek: mellōn epitelein tēn skēnēn, μέλλων ἐπιτελεῖν τὴν σκηνήν) – Refers to the moment Moses was preparing to build the wilderness Tabernacle. The precision highlights God's pre-Tabernacle instruction regarding its heavenly model.
- for, “See that you make everything: (Greek: Hora gar, phēsin, poiēseis panta, Ὅρα γάρ, φησίν, ποιήσεις πάντα) – This is a direct quote from Exodus 25:40. The imperative "See that" (literally "Look!") emphasizes the utmost importance and precision God demanded. "Everything" signifies the meticulousness required for even the minutest details.
- according to the pattern: (Greek: kata ton typon, κατὰ τὸν τύπον) – The term typos means a type, model, pattern, or original impression. It's the blueprint, the divine prototype from which the earthly Tabernacle was to be exactly replicated. This pattern was not humanly devised but divinely revealed.
- that was shown you on the mountain:(Greek: ton deichthenta soi en tō orei, τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει) – This refers to Mount Sinai. Moses was given a visual revelation of the true, heavenly archetype, emphasizing that the blueprint for the earthly Tabernacle originated in God’s heavenly abode. This concept of a heavenly pattern grounds the argument for the Tabernacle's symbolic nature.
Hebrews 8 5 Bonus section
The concept of a heavenly "pattern" given to Moses finds an echo in other parts of scripture, such as David receiving the plan for the temple from the Lord (1 Chr 28:19). This reinforces the idea that all truly sacred and divine institutions are not human inventions but originate in God's eternal purposes and wisdom. The meticulous attention to detail commanded for the earthly tabernacle construction was not arbitrary, but crucial, precisely because every element held typological significance, revealing aspects of Christ and His work. The writer of Hebrews draws upon a profound theological principle: God’s ultimate realities reside in the spiritual, heavenly realm, and their earthly manifestations are always secondary, provisional, and illustrative. This truth safeguards against any idolatry of form or ritual, always directing faith to the divine content and the Person of Christ.
Hebrews 8 5 Commentary
Hebrews 8:5 is a foundational verse for understanding the typological nature of the Old Covenant system. It clearly articulates that the Levitical priesthood and the entire sacrificial and sanctuary apparatus were not the ultimate reality, but rather a Divinely ordained praeparatio evangelica—a preparation for the gospel. They served as a visible, tangible lesson book, meticulously crafted by God, to teach profound truths about sin, atonement, priesthood, and divine access, all pointing towards Jesus Christ. The use of "copy" and "shadow" highlights the inadequacy and temporariness of the earthly system in contrast to the perfect, substantive, and eternal reality found in Christ’s heavenly ministry. Just as a pattern precedes the creation of the actual item, and a shadow anticipates the coming body, so the earthly sanctuary anticipated the coming of the Messiah and His work. This verse, therefore, undergirds the book’s central theme: the superiority of the New Covenant in Christ over the Old, because what was previously an illustrative symbol has now become fulfilled reality. This calls believers to look beyond temporary forms to the enduring truth found in Christ.