Hebrews 9:23 teaches that the earthly tabernacle and its rituals were copies of heavenly realities, so those copies needed cleansing with animal blood, while the heavenly originals themselves required a far better sacrifice. The author of Hebrews, traditionally identified as Paul though the letter itself does not name him, wrote to Jewish Christians who knew the temple system well and were tempted to return to it. He was showing them that Jesus’s sacrifice surpasses everything the old covenant could offer.
It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 9:23 (WEB)
What Hebrews 9:23 Means
The verse begins with “It was necessary therefore,” which links it to the argument before it. Verses 20 through 22 describe how the old covenant was dedicated and how nearly everything under the law was purified with blood. The writer now draws a conclusion: if the earthly sanctuary, which was only a picture, needed blood to be made clean, then the realities it pictured must be cleansed by something better.
The phrase “the copies of the things in the heavens” refers to the tabernacle and its furniture, which the writer elsewhere calls a shadow of the heavenly pattern. The copies were cleansed with the animal sacrifices the law required. The “heavenly things themselves” are cleansed by “better sacrifices,” and the word “better” runs through the whole letter, which presents Christ as superior to angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood.
The verse does not describe the heavenly things as dirty in a moral sense. It speaks of a need for purification that reflects the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin. It also does not give a detailed list of what happens in heaven. It makes a comparison between two orders of sacrifice and states that the greater reality calls for the greater offering.
The Context of Hebrews 9:23
Hebrews was written to a community of Jewish believers who may have been facing pressure, persecution, or doubt about whether Jesus truly fulfilled their Scriptures. The author builds a case by comparing Christ’s priesthood to the Levitical priesthood, which was centered on the tabernacle and then the temple. In chapter 9 he explains the layout of the sanctuary and the annual entry of the high priest into the Most Holy Place with blood.
Verse 23 sits in the middle of that comparison. Just before it, verses 20 to 22 describe the blood that sealed the old covenant and the sprinkling of the tabernacle. Just after it, verses 24 to 26 explain that Christ entered heaven itself, not a man-made copy, and offered himself once for all. Reading the verse in this setting shows that its point is not that heaven is impure, but that the one sacrifice of Christ accomplishes what the repeated sacrifices of the old system could only foreshadow.
Key Phrases in Hebrews 9:23
Hebrews 9:26
Or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
(WEB)
This verse finishes the thought begun in verse 23 by stating that Christ appeared once at the end of the ages to put away sin through his own sacrifice. It shows that the better sacrifice was a single, decisive act rather than a repeated one.
Hebrews 10:10
By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
(WEB)
This verse builds on the same contrast by connecting the offering of Christ’s body to the sanctifying will of God. It helps readers see that the better sacrifice is not only effective but permanent and personal.
A Short Prayer From Hebrews 9:23
Father, thank you that the old ways of coming to you pointed toward something far greater than themselves. I confess that I still reach for my own efforts when I feel unworthy or afraid. Help me rest in the better sacrifice of Jesus, and let that truth quiet the anxious voice that tells me I must earn my place with you. Cleanse my heart as only your Son can, and let my life show gratitude for a cleansing I could never produce. Amen.
