Limitless Word
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Hebrews 9:3 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,
  • BSB Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
  • NKJV and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,
  • NASB Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place,
  • NLT Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Behind the second curtain lay the inner room, the Holy of Holies. It was the most sacred space, where God's presence was specially manifested.

Overview

The author notes the second veil separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. This innermost room held the ark and symbolized God's dwelling among his people. Its restricted access foreshadows the great theme that Christ has opened the way into God's presence, tearing down the barrier the veil represented.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Exod 26:31–33And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
  • Exod 40:21And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
  • Matt 27:51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
  • Exod 40:3And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
  • 1 Kgs 8:6And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
  • Heb 9:8The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
  • 2 Chr 3:14And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
  • Heb 10:19–20Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
  • Isa 25:7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
  • Heb 6:19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
  • Exod 36:35–38And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hebrews videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hebrews 9:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HebrewsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.

How Hebrews 9:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.