Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 8:2

"a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man." — Hebrews 8:2 (ASV)

Christ is one “who serves” (GK 3313) in “the sanctuary” (lit., “the holy things”; GK 41). The former word is actually a noun, used of one who performed a variety of forms of public service. In the Bible, it is confined to the service of God, whether by angels (1:7) or by people (Romans 15:16). It can even include what is done by pagan officials (Romans 13:6). It speaks of Christ in his capacity as servant, which is striking, as it immediately follows the reference to his high place in heaven.

The “tabernacle” (GK 5008) takes us back to the wilderness days. The word means no more than “tent” and could be used of tents that people lived in. But it was also used of the tent used for worship during the wilderness wanderings (e.g., Exodus 27:21). That earthly tent corresponds to a heavenly reality, and it is in this heavenly reality that Christ’s ministry is exercised. “True” (GK 240) means authentic, insofar as the reality is possessed only by the archetype and not by its copies. This is further brought out with the statement that “the Lord” pitched the tabernacle, “not man.” Sin is dealt with in the way and place determined by God.