Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 8:5

"who serve [that which is] a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses is warned [of God] when he is about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount." — Hebrews 8:5 (ASV)

The earthly priests serve in a sanctuary they value highly, though it is no more than “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” There has been much discussion as to how “Platonic” this idea is. Some remind us that Plato thought of heavenly “ideas” as the archetypes of all things earthly; they argue that the author has used the idea of an earthly sanctuary as the imperfect actualization of a Platonic heavenly sanctuary. Much can be said for the idea that his language is that of the Alexandrian modification of Platonism. But this means only that he is using popular terminology. His main thought accords with the OT, though he has added to his thinking the idea that the earthly is imperfect and the heavenly is real. Inevitably the ministry of the Levitical priests was defective; they could serve only the “copy and shadow.” So we are reminded of the Lord’s words to Moses that he must make everything “according to the pattern shown [him] on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).