Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
the priests.
Exodus 27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Exodus 30:7,8 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it…
Numbers 28:3 And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
the priests entered regularly into the first room
The "first room" refers to the Holy Place within the tabernacle, distinct from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies). Only priests from the tribe of Levi could enter this area, and they did so daily to maintain the lampstand, table of showbread, and altar of incense (Exodus 30:7-8). This regular entry signifies the ongoing nature of the Old Covenant worship, which required continual offerings and rituals. The Holy Place served as a type of Christ, who is the true light (John 8:12), the bread of life (John 6:35), and the intercessor for believers (Hebrews 7:25).
to perform their sacred duties
The sacred duties included burning incense, maintaining the lampstand, and replacing the showbread. These acts were not only ritualistic but also symbolic of the spiritual service and intercession required by the priests on behalf of the people. The incense represented prayers ascending to God (Psalm 141:2), while the lampstand symbolized God's guidance and presence. The showbread, or "bread of the Presence," signified God's provision and fellowship with His people. These duties foreshadowed the ultimate priestly work of Jesus Christ, who fulfills and surpasses these roles as the eternal High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Hebrews 9:6 opens by reminding us that worship under the old covenant never began haphazardly. Every lampstand, table, and curtain had to be arranged “just as the LORD had commanded” (Exodus 40:16-33). The author of Hebrews looks back to that meticulous preparation to underscore two truths:
• God sets the terms for approaching Him; holiness demands careful obedience (Leviticus 8:4-5).
• The pattern hints at Christ, who later declared, “I am the way” (John 14:6) and prepared a better access through His own body (Hebrews 10:19-20).
The tabernacle’s readiness, therefore, points beyond itself to the perfect “preparation” accomplished at the cross.
Once everything was in order, “the priests entered regularly.” Their service was daily (Exodus 29:38-42) and unending: morning and evening sacrifices, incense at dawn and dusk, lamps tended every night. Luke 1:8-9 shows Zechariah still performing this routine centuries later. The repetition underlines the temporary nature of animal sacrifices—none could finally remove sin (Hebrews 10:11). By contrast, after Jesus offered Himself “once for all,” He “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12), signaling that His priestly work is complete.
The regular traffic stopped at the Holy Place. Only the high priest could cross the veil into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year (Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:7). That veil powerfully illustrated restricted access. Exodus 26:33 ordered it hung “to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” When Jesus died, “the veil of the temple was torn in two” (Matthew 27:51), proclaiming that the barrier was removed. Hebrews 9:2 lists the furnishings within the first room—lampstand, table, and consecrated bread—each foreshadowing better realities found in Christ (John 8:12; 6:35).
Their duties were called “sacred” because they belonged entirely to the Lord:
• Trimming lamps so the light never went out (Exodus 27:20-21).
• Burning fragrant incense, symbolizing the prayers they lifted for the people (Exodus 30:7-8; Revelation 8:3-4).
• Replacing the bread of the Presence every Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-9).
All of it illustrated mediation. “Every high priest is appointed to represent men in matters relating to God” (Hebrews 5:1). Yet even with constant activity, the conscience remained uncleansed; the ceremonies dealt only with externals. They pointed ahead to the once-for-all, fully effective ministry of our Great High Priest (Hebrews 9:24-26). Believers today, made a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), now serve from a place of completed forgiveness rather than striving for it.
Hebrews 9:6 draws a snapshot of daily tabernacle life: careful preparation, continual priestly entry, limited access, and ongoing sacred tasks. Every detail shouts that sin creates distance and demands atonement, while simultaneously setting the stage for Jesus, who prepared the true sanctuary, entered it once for all, opened the way past the veil, and finished the work so we can serve God in confidence and freedom.
(6) Now when these thing were thus ordained . . .--Better, And when these things have been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle the priests enter continually, accomplishing the services. As has been already observed (Hebrews 9:2), the present tense is used throughout these verses (Hebrews 9:6-10), not because the writer refers to the services as still continuing, but because he is still tracing the ordinance of Scripture. It is of the Tabernacle alone that he speaks. The words of Hebrews 9:4 would have been entirely incorrect in regard to the temple of his day, in which the Most Holy Place was empty.The service.--Comp. Exodus 30:7-8; Leviticus 24:1-8. . . .
Verse 6. - Now these things being thus ordained (A.V.; rather, arranged or constituted; it is the same word (κατασκευάζω) as was used in ver. 2, "there was a tabernacle made;" also in Hebrews 3:3, 4, of God's "house;" on which see supra), the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services. (Observe that here, where the ministrations are described, present tenses are used; perhaps because these ministrations were still going on when the Epistle was written.) The continual services in the "first tabernacle" were(1) lighting the lamps every evening, and trimming them every morning (Exodus 27:21; Exodus 30:8; Leviticus 24:3);
(2) renewing the twelve loaves of shewbread every sabbath (Leviticus 24:5, etc.);
(3) burning incense on the golden altar twice daily, when the lamps were trimmed and lighted (Exodus 30:7, 8), at the time of the morning and evening sacrifice, the people meanwhile praying outside (Luke 1:10).
Parallel Commentaries ...