Hebrews 9:20 describes Moses speaking a formal declaration as he sprinkled blood on the people, marking the covenant God had just given Israel at Sinai as sealed and binding. The verse is a quotation within the writer’s argument, so its meaning depends on the sentences around it. In the book of Hebrews, the words are spoken by Moses, as the author recalls the scene from Exodus 24, and they are addressed to the Israelites gathered at the base of the mountain.
Saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”
Hebrews 9:20 (WEB)
What Hebrews 9:20 Means
The verse begins with the word “saying,” which tells you the blood was not merely poured out. Moses spoke words alongside the act, identifying what the blood meant. He was saying, in effect, that this blood represented the agreement between God and the people. The covenant was a binding relationship with obligations on both sides, and the blood was the visible sign that it had been ratified.
The phrase “the blood of the covenant” points to a truth the writer returns to often: a covenant with God was not casual. It required a seal, and in the Old Testament that seal involved blood, which signified life given and a serious commitment made. The phrase “which God has commanded you” reminds the hearers that the covenant originated with God, not with human negotiation. The verse does not promise that the people would keep their side, and the story that follows in Exodus shows how often they failed. It does establish that God initiated the arrangement and that the terms were his to set.
The Context of Hebrews 9:20
The letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to think the old system of priests, sacrifices and the tabernacle still held the final word on how to approach God. The author argues that Jesus is a better mediator, offering a better covenant. Hebrews 9 contrasts the earthly tabernacle with the heavenly reality, and verse 20 belongs to a passage explaining why the first covenant also depended on blood to be put into effect.
Verses 17 and 18 use the picture of a will, which takes effect only after a death, to show why blood was needed to inaugurate the first covenant. Verses 21 through 23 then extend the same sprinkling to the tabernacle and its vessels, and they state that the copies of heavenly things had to be cleansed in this way, while the heavenly things themselves required better sacrifices. Read in that setting, Moses’ words in verse 20 serve as an example of the old pattern, which the writer then shows was pointing toward something greater.
Key Phrases in Hebrews 9:20
Exodus 24:8
Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.”
(WEB)
This is Moses’ own account of the sprinkling at Sinai, the event the writer of Hebrews is recalling. Reading it alongside Hebrews 9:20 shows the original scene and the words that accompanied the blood.
Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.
(WEB)
This verse, from the same passage, explains that nearly everything under the law was cleansed with blood and that forgiveness depended on the shedding of blood. It widens the picture that verse 20 begins.
A Short Prayer From Hebrews 9:20
Lord, you are the one who makes covenants and keeps them. Thank you that the agreement you made with your people was not left vague, but was marked with a seal that spoke of life given and promises made in earnest. Help me to take my own commitments to you seriously, and when I fail to keep them, to remember that the covenant rests on your faithfulness and your command. Keep my heart steady in trust, and draw me closer to the better promises you have given through your Son. Amen.
