Then verily the first covenant had ordinances of
divine
service
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 F12, 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 (hlemlv vdqm) , "a sanctuary above", and (hjmlv vdqm) , "a sanctuary below"
F13, and of (alyeld ankvm) , "a tabernacle above", and
(attld ankvm) , "a
tabernacle below" F14; 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 ) .