Hebrews 8:6–13
Bible Verses. Also called Hebrews 8:6-13, Heb. 8:6–13, Hebrews 8:6–13 (new covenant).
6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
Hebrews 8:6–13 is a passage in which the author of Hebrews quotes the "new covenant" prophecy of Jeremiah 31 to present Jesus Christ as the mediator of a better covenant than the first. It is frequently cited and discussed in treatments of the relationship between law and gospel and between the church and Israel.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. Notes on Korean Protestant practice. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Perspective
Includes notes on Korean Protestant practice; other traditions are noted where they differ.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Context
Hebrews is an epistle of unknown authorship. Many hold that it was written to believers who, under persecution, were tempted to return to their former faith. Chapters 7–10 present Jesus as a high priest superior to the priests of the Levitical line. At the center of that argument, this passage introduces Christ as "the mediator of a better covenant." Verses 8–12 reproduce Jeremiah 31:31–34 in full and are known as the longest Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. Verse 13 is the author's commentary on the prophecy.
Interpretation
- Covenantal reading: The Presbyterian and Reformed traditions, grounded in covenant theology, regard the old and new covenants as different administrations of a single covenant of grace. Accordingly, they read what has been "made old" as the sacrifices and the ceremonial law, while the moral law continues, written on the heart.
- Dispensational reading: Dispensationalism places weight on the phrase "the house of Israel and … the house of Judah." Its interpreters often hold that the new covenant will be fully realized for national Israel in the future, while the church now shares in its spiritual blessings.
- Wesleyan reading: Wesleyan theology emphasizes "write them in their hearts" as a promise of inward transformation by the Holy Spirit and of sanctification.
Debates and Controversies
- The scope of the new covenant people: On the basis of verse 11, "all shall know me, from the least to the greatest," Baptists hold that the new covenant community consists of those who have professed faith, and they therefore advocate believer's baptism. Presbyterians, appealing to continuity with the Abrahamic covenant, hold that the children of believers are also included in the covenant. This disagreement is one of the principal issues in the infant baptism debate.
- The meaning of "decayeth and waxeth old": Verse 13 has been read as meaning that Judaism and Israel have been superseded. In response, many scholars today point out that the verse speaks not of the rejection of a people but of a change in the way the covenant is administered.
- Translation and manuscripts: The phrase in verse 9, "I regarded them not," follows the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament). The Hebrew text of Jeremiah 31:32 reads closer to "although I was an husband unto them." In verse 8, "finding fault with them," the case of the pronoun varies among manuscripts, so interpreters are divided over whether the object of the fault-finding is the people or the first covenant.
Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.
In Korean churches, the passage is often used, together with Jeremiah 31, as a text for sermons on the theme of the "new covenant." It is also sometimes expounded in connection with the words read at the Lord's Supper, "the new testament in my blood."
Related Passages
See also 8
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