The New and Old Covenants
(Parallel teachings: Hebrews 8:1 – 10:18)
(Thematic parallels: Matthew 17:1-8 and parallels; Matthew 27:51 and parallels)
- 1 Do we begin to commend ourselves again? Or do we need letters of commendation for you, or from you, as some do?
- 2 You are our letter, *written in our hearts, being known and being read by all men,
- 3 making it obvious that you’re a letter of the Anointed, served by us, *written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on stone tablets, but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.fnquotation/allusion to Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26-27, and Jeremiah 31:33, and also to the writing of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 31:18 and Exodus 32:15-16.
- 4 And we have such confidence toward God through the Anointed.
- 5 Not that we’re fit in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our fitness is from God,
- 6 who also made us fit servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.fnquotation/allusion to Jeremiah 31:31-34 (also quoted/alluded to by Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25) For the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.
- 7 But if the ministry of death (in letters *engraved on stonesfnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:1-4 and Exodus 34:28-29) happened in such glory that the sons of Israel weren’t able to gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory on his face,fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:29-35 (the glory being nullified)
- 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be in more glory?
- 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows much more in glory.
- 10 For even what was *glorified, now isn’t *glorified in this respect because of the glory surpassing it.
- 11 For if the thing being nullified was marked with glory, the thing remaining is much more marked by glory.
- 12 And having such a hope, we therefore employ much boldness in speaking.
- 13 And not like Moses, who was putting a veil on his face so the sons of Israel wouldn’t gaze into the end of the thing being nullified.fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:29-35
- 14 But their minds were hardened,fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 6:9-10 and Deuteronomy 29:4 (also quoted/alluded to by Rom 11:8). Also, “were hardened” could be translated “were made calloused”. The Greek word refers to making something harder which carries the connotation of being insensate, like a callous. for the same veil remains until this present day at the reading of the old covenant, not being unveiled because it’s nullified in the Anointed.
- 15 But until today, a veil lies over their heartsfn“hearts” is literally “heart”. whenever Moses is read.
- 16 And whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:34
- 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- 18 But we all with an *unveiled face — reflectingfn“reflecting” could also be translated “beholding” the glory of the Lord like a mirror — are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as it’s from the Lord, who is the Spirit.