Hebrews 8:4,5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For if he were on earth,— "But, we may observe by the way, that if he were always to continue on earth, he could not, in any consistence with the Jewish institutions, have been a priest, to officiate at the temple of God in Jerusalem; as there are already a certain order of priests there, who offer the gifts of the people according to the law; and it is exactly settled, that none of any other family should have access to these services; nor would it have been agreeable to the divine purposes that Jesus should by extraordinary, dispensation have interfered with their peculiar functions, Hebrews 8:5. These he left entirely to those priests who perform divine service to an economy, which contains only the example and shadow of celestial things; as Moses was charged by Jehovah, when he was about to finish the tabernacle; for See, said he, that thou make all things according to the model shewn thee upon the mountain; lest an error which may seem to thee small, should become more material than thou art aware. Now this exactness was required, in special regard to the typical representations couched under these ordinances, the particulars of which Moses himself did not perfectly understand." The word υποδειγματι, rendered example, Hebrews 8:5 is rendered by Dr. Barrow by the very expressive word subindication. From an accurate review of this passage, the connection of the apostle's reasoning seems to be this; "We have an High-priest seated on the right hand of God in heaven, who is first a Minister of the true holy things; and, secondly, of the true holy tabernacle. With respect to the first, the holy things, it was necessary that he should be a minister of these, because (Hebrews 8:3.) every high-priest is constituted for the very purpose of offering these holy things,—gifts and sacrifices. And in the next place, with respect to his being a minister of the true tabernacle, namely, that in heaven; this also is equally necessary, because, Hebrews 8:4 if he were on earth, he could not be a priest officiating in the earthly sanctuary, as not being of the order and family of Aaron."