For finding fault with them, he said, Behold, the days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
he saith.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: …
the days.
Hebrews 10:16,17 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; …
Jeremiah 23:5,7 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth…
Jeremiah 30:3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
a new.
Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
covenant.
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Jeremiah 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Jeremiah 33:24-26 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them…
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
This phrase introduces a prophetic announcement, indicating a future event. It is a common prophetic formula used in the Old Testament to signal God's intervention in history. The phrase suggests an eschatological hope, pointing to a time when God will act decisively to fulfill His promises. This is a direct quotation from Jeremiah 31:31, highlighting the continuity of God's plan from the Old to the New Testament.
when I will make a new covenant
The concept of a "new covenant" is central to the New Testament and the Christian faith. It signifies a departure from the Old Covenant, which was based on the Law, to a new relationship based on grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This new covenant is characterized by internal transformation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the external adherence to the Law. It fulfills the promises made to Abraham and is inaugurated through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
This phrase emphasizes the inclusivity of the new covenant, extending to both the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Historically, the division of the kingdom occurred after Solomon's reign, leading to separate identities. The promise of a new covenant signifies the reunification and restoration of God's people. In the New Testament, this is expanded to include Gentiles, as seen in passages like Romans 11, where Paul speaks of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the promises made to Israel.
God Himself recognized that the first covenant was not the problem; the people were. Their persistent disobedience (see Exodus 24:7; 2 Kings 17:13–17; Romans 3:23) revealed hearts unwilling to keep the law’s demands. Jeremiah 31:32 echoes this verdict: “They broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them.” In Hebrews, this statement sets the stage for something better—showing that human failure exposes our need for divine intervention.
Key takeaways:
• The law perfectly reflects God’s holiness, yet it also exposes sin (Romans 7:12–13).
• Israel’s track record under the Mosaic covenant stands as a mirror for every person: we all fall short (James 2:10).
• God’s “fault finding” is not petty criticism but righteous diagnosis—leading to promised cure.
When God speaks, things happen (Genesis 1:3; Isaiah 55:11). Hebrews reminds us that “in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2). The phrase underscores divine initiative: humanity failed, so God Himself announces the remedy. His word carries authority, certainty, and life (John 6:63; 2 Timothy 3:16).
Think of it this way:
• The Old Covenant began with God’s spoken commands at Sinai (Exodus 19–20).
• The New Covenant begins with God’s spoken promise, fulfilled in Christ (Luke 24:44–47).
“Behold” invites attention; “the days are coming” signals a future already fixed in God’s plan. Jeremiah 31:31 first voiced this prophecy 600 years before Christ, and Hebrews points to its fulfillment. Other prophets echoed the same anticipation—Isaiah 42:9; 43:19 promise “new things,” while Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:16–17 present their arrival in the Spirit-filled age inaugurated at Pentecost.
Implications:
• God’s timeline is sure (Galatians 4:4, “when the fullness of time had come”).
• Hope anchors the faithful amid current shortcomings; God has something better ahead (Hebrews 6:19).
The centerpiece is God’s unilateral pledge: “I will make.” Unlike Sinai, where the people vowed, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8), here God shoulders the entire obligation. The covenant targets Israel and Judah—yet through Christ it spills over to all nations (Luke 22:20; Ephesians 2:11-13).
What makes this covenant new?
• New Heart: “I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-27).
• New Mediator: Jesus, “the mediator of a better covenant” (Hebrews 8:6; 9:15).
• New Access: Direct, intimate knowledge of God—“they shall all know Me” (Hebrews 8:11; John 17:3).
• New Forgiveness: Sins remembered no more (Hebrews 8:12; Psalm 103:12).
The promise to Israel and Judah stands; Romans 11:25-27 envisions national restoration. Meanwhile Gentile believers are grafted in (Romans 11:17; Galatians 3:29), sharing the blessings foretold.
Hebrews 8:8 points out the real issue—human unfaithfulness—and then unveils God’s gracious solution: a divinely initiated, heart-transforming New Covenant. Spoken centuries earlier through Jeremiah and fulfilled in Jesus, it guarantees forgiveness, internal renewal, and unbreakable relationship with God for Israel, Judah, and all who trust Christ.
(8) Finding fault with them.--Not, "with it," but with those through whom the covenant had failed. The following quotation (Hebrews 8:8-12) is taken from Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is the crowning point of that collection of prophecies which is brought together in Heb 30-33, descriptive of the hope and salvation of Israel. The characteristics of the prophecy and its significance in this place will be noticed below (Hebrews 8:12). The quotation agrees in the main with the LXX. (and, except in Hebrews 8:11. with the text contained in the Alexandrian MS.), and in one clause only fails to represent the meaning of the Hebrew original. The only point requiring notice in this verse is the substitution of "I will accomplish" for "I will make." The new word closely answers to that which was used in Hebrews 8:6, "ordained." (See the Note.)Verses 8-12. - For finding fault with them (i.e. the people), he saith (or, as some take it, finding fault, he saith to them), Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will accomplish upon the house of Israel and the house of Judah a new covenant: 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. 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: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. The passage is quoted from the LXX., with a few verbal differences which do not affect the meaning. In ver. 9 our A.V. renders the original in Jeremiah "although I was an Husband unto them," instead of "and I regarded them not (κἀγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν)." The LXX., followed in the text, gives the more probable meaning. On the whole passage be it observed:1. "Behold, the days come," like "in that day," is a usual prophetic phrase for denoting the age of the Messiah.
2. The failure of the old covenant is attributed in the first place to the people's not continuing in it, and then, as a consequence, to the LORD'S withdrawal of his protection. The evidence of such withdrawal immediately before the prophet's view may be supposed to have been the Babylonian captivity.
3. The distinguishing characteristics of the new covenant are . . .
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