The writer of Hebrews seems to draw his information about the earthly sanctuary from the Old Testament, not from personal knowledge of worship in Jerusalem in his own lifetime. He is interested in the simple mobile tent or sanctuary which the Israelites used at the time of their escape from Egypt. It is therefore good in translation to use words which suggest a temporary construction rather than a permanent building such as a temple. From this point of view, “put up” (verse 5, Good News Bible first through third editions), is better than Good News Translation fourth edition, build.

As high priest is repeated from verse 1. The Greek word for serves strongly suggests the work of a priest. He serves as high priest may be rendered as “He serves God as high priest,” or it may be better to say “He is a high priest.”

The words translated the Most Holy Place probably refer to the Old Testament sanctuary as a whole, not only to its inner room. Other common language translations therefore translate simply “sanctuary,” and this is better.

There may be some complications in rendering the Most Holy Place, especially if Holy is generally translated as “dedicated to God.” How can a place be more dedicated to God than some other place or thing? It may be possible to use “that place which is especially dedicated to God” or “that very special place which is dedicated to God.”

Revised Standard Version‘s “sanctuary” and “true tent” are the same place, as Good News Translation‘s that is shows; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates them both as “holy place.”

Real introduces a new contrast, common in Greek thought, between (a) the heavenly pattern (verse 5) of the real temple, and (b) the earthly temple, which is only a copy or shadow (verse 5) of the heavenly one. The writer may be influenced by the view of the philosopher Plato and his followers, that the visible world was a reflection of a real but invisible world. The context shows that here real is the opposite of “material.” Compare John 15.1. The real tent may be rendered as “that which is truly the tent.” “That which is the perfect tent” may be a satisfactory equivalent.

The real tent which was put up by the Lord refers to Numbers 24.5, which has the plural “tents.” The author of Hebrews adds real; the reason for this will become clear in verse 5. In some languages it may be more natural to put the negative statement first: “not by human beings but by the Lord.” In Hebrews it is not certain whether the Lord is God, as for example in 7.21, or Jesus, as in 2.3 and 7.13-14. In Numbers 24.5 it is clearly God, and neither here nor in Hebrews 9.11 does the author think of Jesus himself as the maker of the heavenly tent. In translation it may be essential to show that the Lord refers to God. It may therefore be clearer to translate the real tent which was put up by the Lord as “the real tent which the Lord God put up.”

The Greek word translated man is a quite general term for “human beings.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .