Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 6:19

"which we have as an anchor of the soul, [a hope] both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil;" — Hebrews 6:19 (ASV)

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Hope accomplishes for the soul the same thing that an anchor does for a ship. It makes it firm and secure. An anchor preserves a ship when the waves beat and the wind blows; and as long as the anchor holds, the ship is safe, and the mariner fears no danger.

So it is with the soul of the Christian. In the tempests and trials of life, his mind is calm as long as his hope of heaven is firm. If that hope gives way, he feels that all is lost. Among classical writers, hope is often compared with an anchor. Thus, Socrates said, "To ground hope on a false supposition is like trusting to a weak anchor." Again, "A ship should not trust to one anchor, nor life to one hope."

Both sure and stedfast. It is firm and secure. This refers to the anchor. When the anchor is fixed in the sand, the vessel is secure.

And which entereth into that within the veil. Here the allusion to the anchor is dropped, and the apostle speaks simply of hope. The veil mentioned here refers to the curtain in the temple that divided the holy place from the Most Holy Place. (See Barnes on Matthew 21:12).

The place "within the veil"—the Most Holy Place—was regarded as God’s special dwelling, where He resided by the visible symbol of His presence. That holy place was emblematic of heaven, and the idea here is that the Christian's hope enters heaven itself. It takes hold of the throne of God and is made firm by being fastened there.

This is not the hope of future riches, honors, or pleasures in this life—for such a hope would not keep the soul steady. It is the hope of immortal blessedness and purity in the world to come.