Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Phillips start a new paragraph here. The writer has now finished his description of the forms of Old Testament worship and moves on to a Christian interpretation of its inner meaning.
On The Holy Spirit, see comment on 2.4.
The verb which Good News Translation translates clearly teaches (Barclay “makes it clear”) has a general meaning here: “shows” Bible en français courant; “indicates” Revised Standard Version; “signifies” New English Bible; “means” Moffatt; “meant us to see” Knox.
From all these arrangements is simply “this” in the Greek text. The text seems rather to refer to the restrictions on entry into the Most Holy Place, that is, to verse 7 rather than to the whole of verses 1-7. If so, “by this rule” would be a clearer translation.
The meaning of the second half of the verse, that the way into the Most Holy Place…, is not at all clear. It must be understood in the light of verses 11-12. A rather literal translation of this verse would be “By this the Holy Spirit shows that the way of [that is, to or into] the holy (places) has not yet been revealed, as long as the first tent still has (its) standing (or, existence).” The difficulties may be summed up as follows, using the wording of the literal translation:
I. Does “the holy (places)” mean
(a) the earthly sanctuary, as in 8.2; 9.2, or
(b) the heavenly sanctuary, as in 9.12?
Knox‘s translation “the true sanctuary” chooses (b); other translations leave the question open.
II. Does “the holy (places)” mean
(a) the whole sanctuary, as in 8.2,
(b) only the outer part, as in 9.2, or
(c) only the inner part?
Most translations either choose (c), like Good News Translation, or leave the question open; Knox appears to prefer (a).
III. Does “the first tent” mean
(a) the outer part of the earthly sanctuary, as in 9.2, 6, or
(b) the earthly sanctuary as a whole, contrasted with the greater and more perfect tent of verse 11?
(a) is chosen by Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, and Translator’s New Testament; (b) is chosen by New English Bible “earlier tent,” Knox, and probably Phillips. If (a) is chosen, “first” will mean “first in place”; if (b) is chosen, “first” will mean “first in time.”
IV. Does “has (its) standing” mean
(a) continue to exist, or remain in use, or
(b) maintain its status?
Among translations consulted, only Knox chooses (b).
This list shows the need for translations to show clearly which of the various possibilities they have chosen. In case of doubt, an equally clear alternative may be given in a note. In making their choice, translators cannot rely only on the way in which the writer varies from verse to verse. In any case, the expression “has (its) standing” is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. The translator must also take into account the wider context.
The most probable translation of verse 8 would be “The Holy Spirit shows us by this means that the way into the real tent had not yet been opened as long as the old tent still remained in use.”
The Most Holy Place: since “the real tent” (the suggested probable translation of this phrase) is a reference to the Holy Place in heaven, it may be good to make this explicit. Accordingly, one may translate “The Holy Spirit shows us in this way that the entrance into the Holy Room of the heavenly sanctuary had not been opened as long as the tent of the old sanctuary was still in use” or “… was still being used.” It would also be possible to speak of “the sanctuary of the old covenant.” Though these expressions do not reflect precisely the wording of the Greek text, the reference is clear.
In languages in which the passive of has not yet been opened would be unnatural, it may be necessary to use an expression of state, namely, “was not yet open.”
Verses 9-10 involve a slight change in point of view. In this chapter the main contrast is generally between the old covenant and the new. The “new covenant” has been set up by Christ, as the writer will state in verses 11-15. It is effective now (verses 24, 26; compare verse 11). Yet the results of what he has done remain at least partly in the future; they are something to hope for (7.19 and 10.23). In verse 8 the old Temple and all that it stands for are in the past. Yet in verses 9-10 the present time, in which the old sacrifices still have some value as a symbol or illustration, is contrasted with the time when God will establish the new order (verse 10). God and the new order are implied, as Revised Standard Version shows.
The problem for translators is to decide whether or not the writer thinks of the new order as already established. In order to decide this, it is first necessary to discover in what sense the writer thinks of Old Testament forms of worship as still having any value. The key to the problem is given in the middle part of verses 9-10 and is reflected in Knox‘s translation, “that allegory still holds good at the present day.” The “symbolic” value of the Old Testament sacrifices is negative, not positive. What the Old Testament says about worship under the “old covenant” is proof that something more effective was needed. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch understands the new order or “time of reformation” as future for those who shared in Old Testament worship, but present for the writer and his readers: “These rules only had meaning until God set up the new order.” Similarly Phillips, “only intended to be valid until the time when Christ should establish the truth.”
Translators solve this problem in one of two ways, corresponding broadly to the translations will establish and “established,” verse 10. The second translation makes a smoother transition in the immediate context and is rather more likely. See also comments on verse 11. Another possibility is for the new order to be understood as future for those who shared in Old Testament worship, but present for the writer and his readers. So Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “these rules only had meaning until God set up the new order” (similarly Phillips and Jerusalem Bible).
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 .