John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. Then verily the first covenant had ordinances of divine service , etc..] The design of the apostle in this chapter, as it stands in connection with what goes before, is to show the pre-eminence of Christ, from the tabernacle, and the things in it; as well as from the priesthood and covenant; and as also the abrogation of the Levitical ceremonies in particular, as well as the first covenant in general; and that they were all types and figures of Christ, and had their fulfilment in him: the word first, here used, designs not the tabernacle, but the covenant; therefore it is rightly thus supplied in our version, as it is in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions: which is said to have ordinances of divine service; belonging to the service of God, which was performed both by the priests, and by the people; and these ordinances were no other than the carnal ordinances, or rites of the ceremonial law: the word used signifies righteousnesses; and they are so called, because they were appointed by a righteous God; and were imposed on the people of the Jews in a righteous way; and by them men became externally and typically righteous; for they were figures and types of justification by the righteousness of Christ, though no complete, perfect, real righteousness, came by them. And a worldly sanctuary . Philo the Jew says f131 , it was a type of the world, and of the various things in it; though it was rather either a type of the church, or of heaven, or of Christ's human nature: the better reason of its being so called is, because it consisted of earthly matter, and worldly things; it was in the world, and only had its use in the world, and so is opposed to the heavenly sanctuary; for the Jews often speak of hl[ml dqm , a sanctuary above, and hjml dqm , a sanctuary below f132 , and of aly[ld ankm , a tabernacle above, and attld ankm , a tabernacle below f133 ; which answered to one another: the words may be rendered a beautiful sanctuary, a well adorned one; and such especially was the temple, or sanctuary built by Solomon, rebuilt by Zerubbabel, and repaired and adorned by Herod, ( Luke 21:5). And the Jews say, that he that never saw Herod's building, meaning the temple, never saw a beautiful building; (see Luke 21:5).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - The apostle shows to the Hebrews the typical reference of their ceremonies to Christ. The tabernacle was a movable temple, shadowin forth the unsettled state of the church upon earth, and the huma nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the fulness of the Godhea dwelt bodily. The typical meaning of these things has been shown in former remarks, and the ordinances and articles of the Mosaic covenan point out Christ as our Light, and as the Bread of life to our souls and remind us of his Divine Person, his holy priesthood, perfec righteousness, and all-prevailing intercession. Thus was the Lord Jesu Christ, all and in all, from the beginning. And as interpreted by the gospel, these things are a glorious representation of the wisdom of God, and confirm faith in Him who was prefigured by them.
Greek Textus Receptus
ειχεν 2192 5707 V-IAI-3S μεν 3303 PRT ουν 3767 CONJ και 2532 CONJ η 3588 T-NSF πρωτη 4413 A-NSF {VAR1: σκηνη 4633 N-NSF } δικαιωματα 1345 N-APN λατρειας 2999 N-GSF το 3588 T-NSN τε 5037 PRT αγιον 39 A-NSN κοσμικον 2886 A-ASN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Ordinances of divine service (dikaiwmata latreiav). For dikaiwma ordinance, see on Rom. v. 16. For latreia service, see on Luke i. 74; Apoc. xxii. 3; Philip. iii. 3; 2 Tim. i. 3. The meaning is ordinances directed to or adapted for divine service.A worldly sanctuary (to agion kosmikon). The A.V. misses the force of the article. Rend. and its sanctuary a sanctuary of this world. To agion in the sense of sanctuary only here. Elsewhere the plural ta agia. of this world in contrast with the heavenly sanctuary to be mentioned later. 207
