Hebrews 8:4

Hebrews 8:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
• New International Version (NIV)If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;

Context of Hebrews 8:4

2He serves as priest in heaven on our behalf. He is in God's very special place, near to God himself. That is like the special place in the tabernacle of long ago. But it is not a tent that people have made. The Lord himself has made this special place, and it is the true one. 3It is the duty of every special priest to offer gifts and sacrifices to God. So Jesus, as our special priest, must also have something to offer. If he was living on earth, then he would not be a priest. There are already priests on earth who offer gifts to God. They do this in the way that Moses' law tells them. 5But the way that those Levite priests work is only like a picture of the true things in heaven. It is like a shadow of what would happen in heaven. Long ago, when Moses was ready to make the tabernacle, God warned him about it. God said to Moses, ‘Be careful to make everything just like the plan which I showed you on the mountain.’ 6But now God has given Jesus a much better way to serve him as a priest. The new agreement that God makes with his people is possible because of Jesus. Because of Jesus' work on our behalf, the new agreement is better than the old one. It is much better because it started with better promises.

Hebrews 8:4 word by word

Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἦν ἱερεὺς ὄντων τῶν προσφερόντων κατὰ νόμον τὰ δῶρα,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
• he wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• notοὐδέoude · norG3761
• ·ἄνan · ifG302
• a priestἱερεύςhiereus · priestG2409
• priestsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• that offerπροσφέρωprospherō · to bring toG4374
• giftsδῶρονdōron · giftG1435
• accordingκατάkata · according toG2596
• to the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551

Cross-references for Hebrews 8:4

• Hebrews 7:11The Levite priests were a necessary part of God's Law for Israel's people. But those priests could not make the people completely right with God. If that had been possible, the Levite priests could have continued their work. But we see that God has chosen a different kind of priest to serve him. That priest is not someone from Aaron's family, as the Levites were. Instead, he is a priest in the same way that Melchizedek was God's priest.
• Numbers 16:40Then the Israelites would remember not to do what Korah and his group did. Only people from the family of Aaron could burn incense on the Lord's altar. God would punish anyone else, like he punished Korah and his men. The Lord had given this command through Moses.
• Numbers 17:12The Israelites said to Moses, ‘We will all die!
• Numbers 18:5You must take care of God's Holy Place and the altar. Then I will not be angry with the Israelites again.
• 2 Chronicles 26:18They warned King Uzziah. They said to him, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. Only the priests, Aaron's descendants, may do that. They are the people that God has chosen to offer incense to him. So you must leave this Holy Place because you have done something that is wrong. As a result, the Lord God will not give you any honour.’
• Hebrews 11:4Abel believed God. So he offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain did. And because of Abel's faith, God accepted him as right with him. God said that he was happy with Abel's gifts. Because Abel trusted God, we can still learn from his faith. Abel died long ago, but it is like he is still speaking to us.

Commentaries on Hebrews 8:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4For if he were on earth - As the Jewish temple was standing when this epistle was written, the whole temple service continued to be performed by the legal priests, descendants of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi; therefore if Christ had been then on earth, he could not have performed the office of a priest, being of the tribe of Judah, to which tribe the office of the priesthood did not appertain. There are priests that offer gifts - This is an additional…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest - He could not perform that office. The design of this is, to show a reason why he was removed to heaven. The reason was, that on earth there were those who were set apart to that office, and that he, not being of the same tribe with them, could not officiate as priest. There was an order of people here on earth consecrated already to that office, and hence, it was necessary that the Lord Jesus, in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4If Jesus were on earth, he would not be a priest under the old system (see Hebrews 7:13–14). However, Jesus is in heaven, making his priestly role unique and better than the priests of the old covenant (8:5; 9:11, 24; 10:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Implying that Christ's priestly office is exercised in heaven, not in earth; in the power of His resurrection life, not of His earthly life. For--The oldest manuscripts read, "accordingly then." if, &c.--"if He were on earth, He would not even (so the Greek) be a priest" (compare He 7:13, 14); therefore, certainly, He could not exercise the high priestly function in the earthly Holy of Holies. seeing that, &c.--"since there are" already, and exist now…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 8:4

• Covenant
• Law

In the dictionaries

• Admonish
• Uttermost
• Christ, Offices of
• Congregation
• Faithful; Faithfulness
• Gebal
• Hebrews, Epistle to the
• Jeroham
• Joelah
• Law in the New Testament

Commentaries on Hebrews 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings