Hebrews 8:8-13 features the longest quotation of the Hebrew scriptures in the New Testament wherein the author of Hebrews quotes the new covenant prophecy from Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is often understood that this quotation is merely a preface for the author’s larger argument about the inefficacy of Israel’s sacrificial system, which spans Hebrews 9:1-10:18. The author cites the new covenant oracle as evidence that there is a second covenant to be anticipated before moving on to a broader theology of Christ’s priesthood. He will only return to Jeremiah 31.00 in 10:15 to emphasize that Christ’s high priesthood guarantees the “non-remembrance of sins.” Some scholars, on the other hand, have observed that this makes for an underwhelming usage of such an extended quote. For example, Ellingworth observes in his comment on Hebrews 8:13 that the existence of a new covenant and the dissolution of the old “is certainly part of the meaning; yet if it were all, (a) would be a virtual tautology, (b) would be trite, and the whole verse would be inadequate as a comment on so extensive a quotation” (Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, 417-18). Ellingworth is correct in his observation that Jeremiah 31:31-34 must play a much larger role in the Writer’s argumentation than mere prooftext. The question is raised, then: what is the function of Jeremiah 31:31-34 in the argumentation of Hebrews 9:1-10:18?
This paper will argue that Hebrews 9:1-10:18 is exegesis of Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy, and application of that promise to the ongoing priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. This interpretation accounts for the ways in which Jeremiah 31:31-34 actively shapes the theological claims of Hebrews 9:1-10:18. The first section will overview scholarship on Hebrews 8:8-10:18 with special focus on how various commentators understand the author’s employment of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The following section will demonstrate that Hebrews 9:1-10:18 is structured around Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy, informing the author’s theological conclusions about Christ’s priesthood. This will be accomplished via presentation of a reading of Hebrews 9:1-10:18 with the use of Hebrews 8:8-13 (Jeremiah 31:31-34) as intertext. In doing so, I will argue the claim of Hebrews 9:1-10:18 is that, under the high priesthood of Jesus, the people of God will “know the Lord”, and the Lord will “no longer remember” their sin – a clear reversal of the old covenant faults identified by Jeremiah’s prophecy.