Hebrews 8:8 kjv

For 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:

Hebrews 8:8 nkjv

Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah?

Hebrews 8:8 niv

But 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.

Hebrews 8:8 esv

For 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,

Hebrews 8:8 nlt

But 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.

Hebrews 8 verses

Hebrews 8 8 Meaning

This verse begins God's prophetic declaration, quoted from Jeremiah 31:31-34, revealing the necessity and nature of a new covenant. God "finds fault" not with His Law, which is holy and good, but with the people under the first covenant, who failed to abide by its terms due to their hardened hearts and inability to consistently obey. Recognizing this inherent human weakness, God sovereignly declares that "the days are coming" when He will initiate and "establish a new covenant." This new agreement is not a modification of the old, but "new" in its essence and quality, offering a superior relationship. This covenant is specifically established with "the house of Israel and with the house of Judah," signifying God's continued faithfulness to His chosen people, ultimately fulfilled in a way that includes all who are in Christ, the true spiritual Israel.

Hebrews 8 8 Context

Hebrews chapter 8 details the superiority of Jesus Christ's high priestly ministry and the new covenant over the Levitical priesthood and the Mosaic covenant. The author's central argument is that the earthly sanctuary and its services were merely shadows pointing to heavenly realities, where Christ now ministers as a superior High Priest. Verse 8 marks the beginning of an extended quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34, which serves as foundational biblical proof for the concept of a new, better covenant. The author posits that if the first covenant were flawless, there would be no need for a second (Heb 8:7). The quoted prophecy then unequivocally shows that God Himself foresaw and declared the necessity for a complete change in covenant relationship, thereby reinforcing the idea that the old covenant was not merely incomplete but obsolete due to humanity's inability to maintain it. This historical and theological context highlights God's initiative in bringing about a new, grace-based covenant through Christ, fulfilling the long-promised hope.

Hebrews 8 8 Word analysis

• For (γάρ - gar): A conjunction that introduces a reason or explanation, directly linking to the preceding verse's declaration about the first covenant being faulty. It signals that what follows is the divine substantiation for the old covenant's obsolescence.
• He finds fault (μεμφόμενος - memphomenos): This Greek present participle means "to blame," "to complain against," or "to find fault with." The agent of finding fault is God Himself. Critically, God's "fault-finding" is directed at the people ("with them"), not the Law or the covenant structure itself. The issue was humanity's inherent inability to keep the law (Rom 8:3).
• with them (αὐτούς - autous): Refers to the people of Israel under the Mosaic covenant. Their unfaithfulness and inability to abide by the terms of the first covenant, repeatedly documented throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Ex 32, Judg 2:11-15, Neh 9:26-31, Ezek 20), are the reason for the need for a new covenant.
• He says (λέγει - legei): Confirms that the following statement is a direct divine utterance from God, emphasizing its authority and prophetic weight.
• Behold (ἰδού - idou): An exclamation that calls for attention, introducing a significant and often surprising or urgent declaration, common in prophetic pronouncements.
• the days are coming (ἡμέραι ἔρχονται - hēmerai erchontai): A classic Old Testament prophetic idiom signifying a future time when God's pre-ordained plans will unfold. It points to a definitive eschatological period, realized in the coming of the Messiah.
• declares the Lord (λέγει Κύριος - legei Kyrios): Reaffirms the divine origin and unchallengeable authority of the prophecy. "Κύριος" (Kyrios) is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew "YHWH" (Lord), identifying the speaker as the covenant God of Israel.
• when I will establish (διαθήσομαι - diathesomai): The future tense of diatithemai, meaning "to arrange," "to ordain," or "to make a covenant." It denotes God's unilateral action in setting up the covenant; it's His initiative, not a bilateral negotiation with humanity. This reflects the sovereign nature of God's covenant.
• a new (καινὴν - kainēn): This Greek adjective is critical. It implies "new in kind," "fresh," "unprecedented," and superior in quality, rather than simply "recent" (neos). The new covenant is fundamentally different and better, not just an update of the old.
• covenant (διαθήκην - diathēkēn): This term, related to diathesomai, signifies a solemn, binding agreement or disposition. In a divine context, it's a divine pledge or arrangement initiated by God, carrying His promise and expectations. It denotes the formal relationship God establishes with His people.
• with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: This specifies the original audience of the Jeremiah prophecy, addressing the entirety of God's chosen people, post-split kingdoms. Spiritually, in the New Testament, this ultimately extends to the true Israel—all those who are called by God's grace through faith in Christ, encompassing both Jew and Gentile (Rom 2:29; Gal 3:29).

Hebrews 8 8 Bonus section

The concept of God "finding fault with them" must be understood as identifying the deficiency in human adherence, rather than implying a defect in God's Law itself (Rom 7:12). The Law was holy and good, intended to reveal God's righteous standard and expose sin (Rom 3:20). Its weakness lay in its inability to transform the human heart and empower obedience, making a better mediator and a better sacrifice essential. The New Covenant does not abolish God's righteous standard but fulfills it through the atoning work of Christ and empowers obedience through the indwelling Holy Spirit, writing God's laws upon the heart and mind, a central theme echoed later in Hebrews 8:10 and subsequent chapters. The fulfillment in "the house of Israel and Judah" signifies the inclusion of the whole people of God, brought together through faith in Jesus, dissolving the old divisions.

Hebrews 8 8 Commentary

Hebrews 8:8 stands as the linchpin in the author's argument for the superiority of the new covenant, proving its necessity from the Old Testament itself. God, in His divine foresight, recognized the inherent flaw of the people under the first covenant—not the Law's fault, but their inability to fully obey due to fallen human nature. This failure made the Law ineffective in bringing about inner righteousness or perfect fellowship with God. Therefore, God proactively promised a "new" covenant, radically different and better in its substance and effectiveness. This prophecy foreshadows a covenant founded not on outward performance, but on inward transformation, with a focus on grace, forgiveness, and the direct, heart-level knowledge of God, all fully inaugurated and mediated by Jesus Christ through His sacrificial blood. This highlights God's initiative, demonstrating His unwavering commitment to His people, while also showcasing the redemptive shift from the shadow to the perfect reality in Christ.Example: Just as a carpenter realizes the limitation of old tools for a complex new project and plans to acquire entirely new, better equipment, so God, seeing humanity's inability to use the old covenant perfectly, promised a completely new and superior means of relationship.