Revised Standard Version‘s “Now” (New English Bible “indeed”), omitted by Good News Translation, shows that the writer is taking up the argument again at the point at which he left it before the quotation from Jeremiah. The phrase which Revised Standard Version translates “Now” may also begin a comparison or contrast which is later completed by the word translated But in verse 11.
The first covenant: covenant is implied. “The first tent” is grammatically possible but is not the meaning chosen by any of the translations consulted. Most manuscripts include a word meaning “even” or “also,” which is included in Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Luther 1984, and some other translations. The UBS Greek text prints it in square brackets. If this is part of the original text, it is a way of stating what the two covenants had in common, before going on to contrast them (compare 3.2 and 8.3, Revised Standard Version). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch misleadingly translates the word for “even” as “but.” In fact, the contrast begins with man-made (see below).
In English it seems perfectly natural to speak of “a covenant having rules,” but this involves a particularly complex relationship, and in many languages a covenant cannot possess anything, much less rules. The meaning of The first covenant had rules for worship may be expressed by translating “In order to act in accordance with the first covenant, there were certain rules for ways in which people should worship God,” “In order to keep the first covenant, people had to worship God according to certain rules,” or “… according to certain ways that were necessary.” Or perhaps “The first covenant was given with rules.”
Worship, as the context shows, means not “the spiritual content of worship” (that is, “adoration”), but “liturgical forms.”
Man-made, like on earth in 8.4, means “belonging to this world,” not to heaven (8.5). Good News Translation is followed by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “on earth”; like Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant has “earthly.” This correctly suggests not only the location but the nature of the place for worship, like Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “of this world” and New English Bible “material.” Man-made or “earthly” is emphasized in the text in order to show that the writer is moving away from what the two covenants have in common to what makes them different. This is brought out by Barclay “it had a sanctuary, although a this-worldly one.” The place rather than the “maker” of the sanctuary is what matters here. There is a good note in the Good News Bible Word List on “Tent of the LORD’s presence.”
And … as well indicates that the rules for worship were closely related to the place for worship. The Greek is literally “the,” not “a” place for worship. This is because the writer could assume that his readers knew about it. However, modern readers may not, so a is correct.
Place for worship or “sanctuary,” literally “holy place,” is the entire place of worship. It is also called a tent in 8.2. It is not the same expression in the Greek as the one designating the Holy Place in verse 2 (literally “holy places”), which is the outer part of the sanctuary. The position is, however, complicated by the fact that the same word for tent is used to describe the whole building (8.2), the Holy Place (9.2), and the Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place (9.3). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch solves the problem by beginning verse 2 “Two tents had been put up.” Jerusalem Bible is more precise “There was a tent which comprised two compartments.” The writer was not interested in the details of any particular sanctuary, but the details which he does give may be fitted together within a general picture of a large room divided into two parts by a curtain.
In some languages it may be strange to speak of a man-made place, since a term for place may only suggest a location rather than a construction. Because the reference in this context is to the sanctuary, it may be necessary to translate a man-made place as “a tent which was made by people.”
Instead of adding as well to the end of verse 1, it may be necessary to relate more closely the phrases a man-made place for worship and rules for worship. The resulting translation may be “rules for how to worship God and also a tent for worship which had been made by people.”
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 .