Hebrews 9:11
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The author addresses readers familiar with Old Covenant worship regulations, positioning Christ’s arrival as the fulfillment that replaces those temporary external ordinances.
The words — παραγενόμενος (paragenomenos) translates literally to “having appeared as,” and ἀρχιερεὺς (archiereus) means “high priest.”
The thread — The theme of transcending earthly structures appears in Acts 17:24, which notes God does not dwell in human-made temples, and 2 Corinthians 5:1, which contrasts the dismantled earthly tent with an eternal heavenly dwelling.
Why it lands — The verse demands that readers abandon reliance on physical rituals and recognize Christ’s superior, permanent priesthood as the sole basis for approaching God.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Cross-references
- Hebrews 9:23 So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
- Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
- Hebrews 8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
- Hebrews 10:1 For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
- Mark 14:58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’”
- Acts 7:48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
- Hebrews 2:17 For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.
- 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- Psalms 40:7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll: