It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Patterns, х hupodeigmata (G5262)] - 'the suggestive representations;' the typical copies (note, Hebrews 8:5).
Things in the heavens - the heavenly tabernacle and its contents.
Purified with these - with the blood of bulls and goats.
Heavenly things themselves - the archetypes. Man's sin introduced disorder into the relations of God and His holy angels in respect to man. The purification removes this element of disorder, and changes God's wrath against man in heaven (designed to be the place of God's grace to men and angels) into reconciliation. Compare "peace in heaven," Luke 19:38. 'The uncreated heaven of God, though in itself untroubled light, yet needed a purification, in so far as the light of love was obscured by the fire of wrath against sinful man' (Delitzsch in Alford). Contrast Revelation 12:7-10. Christ's atonement had the effect also of casting Satan out of heaven (Luke 10:18; John 12:31: cf. Hebrews 2:14). Christ's body, the true tabernacle (notes, Hebrews 8:2; Hebrews 9:11), as bearing our imputed sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), was consecrated (John 17:17; John 17:19) by the shedding of His blood, to be the meeting-place of God and man.
Sacrifices. The plural is used in the general proposition, though strictly referring to the one sacrifice of Christ. Paul implies that it by its matchless excellency, is equivalent to the Levitical many sacrifices. It, though one, is manifold in its applicability to many.