Hebrews Chapter 8 in Simple English

Updated on October 1, 2026

Read Hebrews Chapter 8

1This is the main point of what we have been saying: we have such a high priest. He is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.

2He serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, and not man.

3Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. So this one also must have something to offer.

4If he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are already priests who offer gifts as the law says.

5They serve at a copy and shadow of the things in heaven. That is why God warned Moses when he was about to make the tabernacle: "See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain."

6But the work Jesus has been given is far greater. He is the go-between of a better covenant, and that covenant is founded on better promises.

7If there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, there would have been no need to look for a second one.

8But God found fault with them, and said, "Look, 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."

9"It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They did not keep on in my covenant, and I paid no attention to them, says the Lord."

10"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

11"No one will need to teach his neighbour, or his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.' For they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest."

12"I will show mercy for the wrong they have done, and I will remember their sins and their evil deeds no more."

13By saying "a new covenant," he has made the first one old. And what is growing old and worn out is ready to disappear.

You are readingSimple English

Explanation

Hebrews 8

In short

The author argues that Jesus is a high priest far superior to those who served in the old Jewish system. He works in the true sanctuary in heaven and represents a new agreement between God and his people, one based on God's grace rather than human effort to keep the law.

Context

The writer of Hebrews has been building a case that Jesus surpasses everything in the Jewish religious tradition. This chapter sums up what he has said about Jesus and then develops his main point: Jesus mediates a new covenant. He quotes the prophet Jeremiah to show that God himself promised a different kind of agreement with his people, one written on hearts rather than on stone.

What the text says

In verses 1-2, Jesus is described as "such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," serving in "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Verses 3-5 explain that priests must offer sacrifices, and earthly priests serve "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things," as Moses was shown the pattern. But verses 6-7 declare Jesus "hath obtained a more excellent ministry" through "a better covenant," and if the first covenant were perfect, there would be no need for a second. Verses 8-12 quote God promising a new covenant where he will "put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts" instead of external commands, where "all shall know me," and where sins are forgiven and "remembered no more." Verse 13 concludes: saying "a new covenant" makes the first covenant old and ready to vanish.

Takeaways

God's new arrangement through Jesus involves transformation of the heart rather than obedience to external rules alone.
The old system served its purpose as a shadow or copy pointing to something better.
The direct knowledge of God and complete forgiveness promised here is what the new covenant delivers.

Hebrews 8 - Simple English