Hebrews 13:10 Meaning: Our Altar and the Tabernacle
We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat.
We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat that serve the tabernacle.
we have an altar, of which to eat they have no authority who the tabernacle are serving,
We have an altar of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle;
Meaning in one sentence
What does 'we have an altar' mean? Hebrews 13:10 reveals the contrast between old and new covenants and our access to Christ's sacrifice.
Context
Hebrews 13 draws its final exhortations to a close. The writer has just warned against being carried away by strange teachings about foods and insisted that the heart must be established by grace, not by dietary regulations. Then comes verse 10, a sudden, forceful claim: Christians have an altar, but those who serve the old tabernacle system have no right to eat from it. This is a word picture drawn from the Day of Atonement, when the bodies of the sin offerings were burned outside the camp and no one could eat them. The altar here stands for the supreme sacrifice of Christ, and the tabernacle stands for the whole system of Levitical worship. The writer is not describing a physical object. He is telling readers that the two ways of approaching God, old covenant rituals and the finished work of Christ, are mutually exclusive. The verse sets up the next lines, which call believers to go out to Jesus outside the camp, bearing his reproach.
Key Words
Three Greek words carry the weight of this verse. Thysiastērion (altar) usually meant a place for burning sacrifices, but here it is used figuratively. It gathers up everything Christ accomplished on the cross and all the benefits that flow from it. This is not a piece of furniture; it is the once-for-all sacrifice that gives us access to God.
The word for authority is exousia. It means delegated power, the rightful freedom to do something. Those who serve the tabernacle do not possess that authority when it comes to the Christian altar. It is not that they are arbitrarily barred; the two systems are built on different grounds. One depends on repeated offerings; the other on a single, sufficient sacrifice.
Latreuontes (serving) is a word for religious worship, the kind of service performed in the temple. The writer uses it to describe those still tied to the old system. Their service is genuine, but it belongs to a covenant that has been fulfilled and set aside. The altar we have offers something their service could never provide: complete and lasting atonement.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have understood this altar in different ways, though all agree it points to the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. Many Protestant commentators, including Barnes and Wesley, see the altar as the cross itself, the place where the offering was made. Others, like Matthew Henry and Gill, identify the altar with Christ, who is priest, sacrifice, and altar all in one. The Cambridge Bible notes that even Thomas Aquinas and Estius understood the altar as the cross, while Vincent argues that the word is a general figure for the whole Christian economy of salvation. Some Catholic and Orthodox readers find here a reference to the Eucharistic table, where the one sacrifice of Christ is made present. The common thread is this: our altar is Christ and his atoning work, and it cannot be combined with the old system.
A common misunderstanding
It is easy to read 'altar' and picture a physical table or structure in a church building. The mistake is to think the writer is talking about a place of worship we can point to. In fact, the altar is a metaphor for the sacrifice of Christ and everything we receive through it. The point is not about a location but about the finished work that makes all other offerings obsolete. Those who still cling to the old ceremonies cannot benefit from this because the two systems are incompatible.
Living This Out
This week you may feel pressure to do more to earn God's favor, attend another service, follow another rule, perform one more act of devotion. Hebrews 13:10 invites you to stop and look at the altar you already have. Christ's sacrifice is complete. You do not add to it. When you feel distant from God, do not reach for a checklist. Reach for the cross. That is where your nourishment comes from. Let this truth settle your heart: you already belong to the altar that never fails.
Main takeaway: Christ's sacrifice is the one altar that gives full forgiveness, and no religious routine can improve it.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus died on the cross for us. That is the altar we have. We don't need to give any other gifts to God because Jesus gave the greatest gift.
For ages 9, 12
In the Old Testament, priests could eat some of the sacrifices, but the most important sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was burned up outside the camp and no one could eat it. This pointed to Jesus, who suffered outside Jerusalem. His sacrifice is completely for God, and we receive the benefits by trusting Him, not by performing ceremonies. So we can 'eat' of Christ by faith.
Questions People Ask
What is the altar in Hebrews 13:10?
The altar is a metaphor for the sacrifice of Christ and all the salvation benefits we receive through His death. It is not a physical object. Some see it as the cross, some as Christ Himself, and some as a figure for the whole Christian system of grace.
Why can't those who serve the tabernacle eat from it?
To 'serve the tabernacle' means to continue relying on the Old Testament system of sacrifices and ceremonies. These two approaches to God are incompatible. You cannot trust in both repeated animal offerings and the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. The old system has no claim on the new covenant altar.
How does verse 10 connect to Jesus suffering outside the gate?
The next verses mention that the bodies of sin offerings were burned outside the camp, and Jesus suffered outside Jerusalem's gate. The altar we eat from is linked to that outside-the-camp sacrifice. Believers are therefore called to leave the old system behind and go out to Jesus, bearing His reproach.
Is this verse about the Lord's Supper?
Some Christians see a connection to the Eucharist, since bread and wine represent Christ's body and blood. But the primary meaning is spiritual: we 'eat' from the altar by faith, receiving the benefits of Christ's sacrifice. The writer is not giving instructions for a ritual but contrasting two covenants.
What does 'we have an altar' mean for Christians today?
It means we have full and direct access to God through Christ's completed work. We do not need earthly priests, repeated sacrifices, or temple rituals. Christ is our altar, sacrifice, and priest. Everything we need for forgiveness and relationship with God is found in Him.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study