Hebrews 10:1 Meaning and Explanation
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The law's sacrifices were only a shadow of the good things to come, and could never make worshippers perfect.
What Does Hebrews 10:1 Mean?
The writer continues his argument about the old covenant's sacrificial system. Having shown that Christ is a greater high priest, he now turns to the repeated offerings of the Day of Atonement, made year after year, and weighs what they could and could not accomplish.
A shadow falls before the thing that casts it; it proves the substance is near, but it is not the substance itself. The yearly sacrifices pointed forward to something they could not deliver. They could not finally cleanse the conscience or bring the worshipper to completion. That perfecting work waited for the One they foreshadowed, in whom the shadow gives way to the reality.
Hebrews 10:1 in the Original Language
skia (σκιά), 'shadow' -- an outline cast ahead by the coming reality, not the reality itself.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 10:1
What does Hebrews 10:1 mean?
The law's sacrifices were only a shadow of the good things to come, and could never make worshippers perfect.