John Gill Commentary Hebrews 9:1

"Now even a first [covenant] had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, [a sanctuary] of this world." — Hebrews 9:1 (ASV)

Then verily the first covenant had ordinances of divine
service
The apostle's design 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 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) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F12: De Vita Mosis, p. 667.
• F13: Jarchi in Gen. xxviii. 17.
• F14: Zohar in Exod. fol. 65. 4. & 94. 4. & 96. 2. & in Lev. fol. 1. 3.