Hebrews 9:3

9:1-5 The apostle shows to the Hebrews the typical reference of their ceremonies to Christ. The tabernacle was a movable temple, shadowing forth the unsettled state of the church upon earth, and the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily. The typical meaning of these things has been shown in former remarks, and the ordinances and articles of the Mosaic covenant 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, perfect righteousness, and all-prevailing intercession. Thus was the Lord Jesus 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.

And after the second vail,.... Were there more vails than one? the Scripture speaks but of one, Exodus 26:31 there was indeed an hanging for the door of the tent, but that is not called a vail; nor was there more than one vail in the tabernacle, nor in the temple of Solomon; but in the second temple, under which the apostle lived, there were two vails, which divided between the holy place, and the holy of holies; and the innermost of these the apostle means: and so the Jewish writers (r) constantly affirm, that there were two vails between the said places, and that two new ones were made every year (s).

After the second veil (μετὰ τὸ δεύτερον καταπέτασμα) According to Exodus 26:31-37 there were two veils, the one before the door of the tent and the other before the sanctuary. After passing the first veil and entering the tent, the worshipper would see before him the second veil behind which was the holy of holies. The writer calls this also a tabernacle, Hebrews 9:2.

Hebrews 9:3 . And after the second veil — That is, with respect to them who entered into the tabernacle; for they were to pass through the whole length of the first part before they came to this: nor was there any other way of entering into it. This veil divided the holy place from the most holy, as the first veil did the holy place from the courts; and they are both here called veils, because by the first, the people were hindered from entering or even looking into the first part of the tabernacle, into which the priests entered daily; and by the second, the priests who performed services in the holy place were prohibited from entering, or even looking into the most holy. The tabernacle which is called the holiest of all — “This represented heaven, not only because in it the glory of the Lord, or visible symbol of his presence, rested between the cherubim, whereby the angelical hosts, surrounding the throne of God in heaven, were typified, but because this tabernacle was hidden from the eyes of all who frequented the outward tabernacle; even as heaven, the habitation of God, is hidden by the veil of their flesh from the eyes of all who live on the earth.”

Hebrews 9:3 . μετὰ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον καταπέτασμα .“And after the second veil the tent which is called ‘Holy of Holies,’ ” not, as Westcott, “a tent [was prepared] which is called,” for “when attributives are placed after with the article, the article before the substantive is dropped” (Buttmann, p. 92). The participle with the article as usual takes the place of a relative clause. μετὰ in a local sense [non-classical, Blass, p. 133], which is here closely akin to the temporal = after the entrant has passed the second veil. The second veil separated the Holy place from the Holy of Holies, and as being the significant veil was sometimes spoken of without δεύτερον , simply as τὸ καταπέτασμα , see chap. Hebrews 6:19 ; Matthew 27:51 , etc. Instructions for making and hanging it are given in Exodus 26:31-35 ; and in Exodus 26:36 the outer veil is described. The outer veil is sometimes called καταπέτασμα but more commonly ἐπίσπαστρον , Exodus 26:36 ; Exodus 35:15 etc. The inner tent was called the ἅγια ἁγίων , translating קֹדֶשׁ קֳדָשִׁים which in Hebrew idiom is equivalent to a superlative.

3 . after the second vail ] Rather, “behind the second veil.” There were two veils in the Tabernacle—one called Mâsâk ( Exodus 26:36-37 , LXX. kalumma or epispastron ) which hung before the entrance; and “the second,” called Parocheth (LXX. katapetasma ) which hung between the Holy Place and the Holiest ( Exodus 26:31-35 ). The Rabbis invent two curtains between the Holy Place and the Holiest with a space of a cubit between them, to which they give the name Tarkesin , which is of uncertain origin. They had many fables about the size and weight of this curtain—that it was a hand-breadth thick, and took 300 priests to draw it, &c. &c. the holiest of all ] Lit. “the Holy of Holies,” a name which, like the Latin Sancta Sanctorum is the exact translation of the Hebrew Kodesh Hakkodashim . In Solomon’s Temple it was called “the Oracle.”

(3) The tabernacle. —Rather, a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies. This literal translation of a Hebrew expression for “most holy” does not occur in the Bible, but has become familiar through the Latin sanctum sanctorum. The inner chamber of the Tabernacle is in a few passages only mentioned separately in the Pentateuch as the “Most Holy Place” (Exodus 26:33-34), or “the Holy Place” (Leviticus 16:2, et al.). In the description of the Temple a different word is employed, always rendered “oracle” (1Kings 6:16, et al.). The veil separating the two divisions (described in Exodus 26:31; Exodus 36:35) is here called the second veil, by way of distinction from the “hanging for the door” of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:36; Exodus 36:37).

And after the second veil: this distinguisheth the second tabernacle from the first; for, passing through it to the end of it, there hung up a curious veil made of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with figures of cherubims, Exodus 26:31,32 36:35,36 40:21 . The mystery of which is interpreted after, Hebrews 9:8 : see Hebrews 6:19 . A veil noteth distance and obscurity; or, covering, opposite to that which is open and free. The tabernacle which is called the holiest of all: behind this veil was the second tabernacle, called the holy of holiest, Exodus 26:33 , by God himself, which did really, though typically, hold out the place of God’s special appearance for propitiation and gracious answers of peace to the desires of his people in the Lord Jesus; applied afterwards to heaven itself, the holiest of all, where the High Priest is entered for us, and sits at the right hand of his Father, making intercession for us, Hebrews 6:19,20 7:25 9:24 10:19 .

Hebrews 9:3 . Μετά ] after or behind . Of local succession (Thucyd. vii. 58, al .), in the N. T. only here. τὸ δεύτερον καταπέτασμα ] the second veil ( פָּרֹכֶת ). For before the Holy Place, too, there was a veil ( מָסָךְ ). On the former, comp. Exodus 26:31 ff. σκηνή ] sc. κατεσκευάσθη . ἅγια ἁγίων ] Most Holy Place. Periphrasis of the superlative (see Winer, Gramm., 7 Aufl. p. 231), and translation of קֹדֶשׁ קֳדָשִׁים .