V. 1.— Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. The Apostle having proved that the establishment of the new and better covenant, of which Christ is the mediator, had been clearly predicted, proceeds to contrast the ordinances of the old with those of the new covenant.Then verily...— The word covenant is properly supplied by our translators, as in verses 7 and 13 in the preceding chapter. Some would supply tabernacle, but this would occasion an awkward repetition in the end of the verse, and also in verse 2. The ordinances to which the Apostle refers were enjoined by the first covenant. There were ordinances of Divine service, or, rather, of worship, and a worldly sanctuary, or holy place, not only made of worldly materials, but erected in this world, and, as it had been stated, chap. 8:5, a shadow of heavenly things.