Those things probably sums up the objects mentioned in verse 19. In order to show clearly what Those things are, it may be necessary to employ an expression such as “Those things just mentioned” or “What has just been spoken about.” It is essential that Those things be explicit and specific, so that the clause which are copies of the heavenly originals may be understood as nonrestrictive. In fact, in some languages a nonrestrictive clause can only be introduced as a kind of parenthetical expression; for example, “they are copies of the heavenly originals” or “they are just like the ones in heaven which were copied.”

The term for had to is in an emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence. As usual the expression refers to a legal requirement (see also 7.12, 27; 9.16). Other links with the previous verses are (a) Revised Standard Version‘s “Thus” or “Therefore”; this is a summary of the requirements mentioned in earlier verses; and (b) Those things, pointing backward to the same items. Good News Translation‘s Those things, which are copies makes this link clearer than Revised Standard Version, though Good News Bible omits “thus.” Revised Standard Version‘s “rites” is not in the text, and Good News Bible‘s more general in that way may be better (so Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “through sacrifices”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy uses “these sacrifices”).

Had to be purified may need to be expressed as “it was necessary to purify them.” In that way may be expressed as “in the way just mentioned.”

The writer suggests in passing that the heavenly things, like the copies, needed to be purified. He is now increasingly stressing the uniqueness of Christ’s sacrifice, and therefore the contrast (better) between the old order and the new. The plural sacrifices means “a better kind of sacrifice.” The verses which follow will emphasize that under the new covenant, there is in fact only one sacrifice.

But the heavenly things themselves require much better sacrifices may be expressed as “But it is necessary for much better sacrifices to be made for the things in heaven” or “… for the sake of the things in heaven.”

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 .