The apostle observing that the priesthood of Christ is the sum of what he had treated of in the preceding chapter, proceeds to show the superior excellency of it in other instances, particularly in the place where Christ now officiates, which is in heaven; he being set down at the right hand of God…

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum The scope and drift, the compendium and substance; or the principal of what has been said in or from and has been discoursed of in the three preceding chapters, is the priesthood of Christ: we have such an high priest; as is described in the…

A minister of the sanctuary The heavenly one, so called, in allusion to the holy of holies, the type of it; and because it is truly an holy place; and which Christ sanctifies and prepares for his people by his presence and intercession: or “of the Holy Ones”, or “saints”; who are sanctified or set…

For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices (See Gill on Heb. 5:1) wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer; or this person; for the word “man” is not in the text, and seems not so proper a word to be supplied, since it was his human nature that it…

For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest The Socinians from hence attempt to prove that Christ was not a priest, and did not offer sacrifice on earth; whereas his coming into the world, and his appearance in human nature, was in the character of a priest, and to qualify himself for one;…

Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, &c.] Things respecting the person, office, and grace of Christ; the priests themselves were types of him; the places they ministered in were an exemplar of the heavenly places, as the word may be rendered, where Christ is; and the things…

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry Christ has a ministry, he is the minister of the sanctuary, he has “obtained” this ministry of his Father; he was called unto it and engaged in it by him; and he has “now” obtained it; for though he was called to it from eternity, it was in time he…

For if that first covenant had been faultless Not the covenant of works; that was made in paradise, this on Mount Sinai; that was made with Adam and his posterity, this with the Jews only; that had no mediator, this had one, Moses; that was not dedicated with blood, this was; that had no…

For finding fault with them Both with the covenant, which had its faults, and with the people who continued not in it, and were therefore disregarded by the Lord, 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;…

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers The ancestors of the Jews at Mount Sinai: in the day when I took then, by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; which is mentioned, not only to observe the time when the former covenant was made with the Israelites, which was…

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel That is, this is the sum and substance of the covenant, which God promised to make with, or to make manifest and known to his chosen people, the true Israelites, under the Gospel dispensation; or the following are the several…

And they shall not teach every man his neighbour The Alexandrian copy reads, “citizen”; that is, fellow citizen; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions: “and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord”: this is not to be understood, so as to set aside the external and public ministry of the word,…

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness That is, sin; for all unrighteousness is sin, being contrary to the justice of God, and his righteous law: and the phrase is expressive of God’s forgiveness of it, which is a very considerable article of the covenant of grace; mercy is the spring and…

In that he saith a new covenant In the above prophecy, he hath made the first old; this naturally follows from hence; if the second is new, the first must be old; which is called so, not on account of its date and duration; for the covenant of grace itself is older than this mode of administration…