Hebrews 13:10 Commentary: The Altar We Have

The tabernacle was the movable sanctuary Israel used from Sinai until Solomon's temple. Its service was carried out by priests and Levites according to precise laws (Numbers 3:7-8; 7:5). A central feature was the altar of burnt offering, where sacrifices were presented. Offerings covered various cases: some portions went to the priests for food (Leviticus 6:25-26; 7:30-34), giving the ministers a livelihood from the altar (1 Corinthians 9:13). But for the most solemn sacrifices, the sin offerings on the Day of Atonement, the entire animal was burned outside the camp; no one ate any of it (Leviticus 16:27). That is the background behind Hebrews 13:11-12. The writer of Hebrews addresses Jewish Christians under pressure to return to the old covenant. The immediate context in verse 9 warns against being carried away by 'various and strange teachings' about foods. 'Meats' here likely refers to Jewish dietary laws that some were pushing as necessary. The author responds: Christians have a different 'altar', the sacrifice of Jesus. To 'eat' from it is to receive by faith all that Christ accomplished. It cannot be combined with the tabernacle system. The verb 'serve' (λατρεύοντες) is used of religious service, not just Levitical work; it applies to anyone who continues in the old ceremonial order. As Barnes notes, those who remain in 'the service of the tabernacle' cannot lay claim to the superior sacrifice. This verse, then, stands as a boundary marker between the covenants, calling believers to a choice.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Hebrews 13:10. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts.

Early church writers like Ignatius of Antioch used 'altar' imagery for the congregation and Christ himself (Ephesians 5, Magnesians 7), a trajectory followed by Cyril of Alexandria who called Christ 'the Altar.' Medieval theologians from Thomas Aquinas to Estius debated whether the altar meant the cross or Christ, with Aquinas offering both as alternatives. Reformation commentators, Calvin, Wesley, Gill, Matthew Henry, uniformly read the verse as a polemic against trust in ceremonies, often applying it to the Mass or Jewish rituals in their own contexts. The Cambridge commentary (1880) cites the verse to argue that the writer had no concept of a sacrificing priesthood, a stance that continues in some Protestant traditions today. Across history, Hebrews 13:10 has been a key text in discussions of Christ’s unique priesthood and the finality of the cross.

Three-point outline

1. We have an altar. The altar is Christ’s cross (or Christ himself), where the final sacrifice for sin was made. Our access to God depends on this altar alone.
2. We eat from it. To eat is to believe, to receive forgiveness, and to find spiritual nourishment in Christ’s once-for-all offering. This is a privilege, not a right earned by ritual.
3. They cannot eat. Those who persist in the old covenant system (the tabernacle service) have no share in this new covenant blessing. The two systems are incompatible, grace versus works.

Five-point outline

1. The problem: false teaching about foods and ceremonies (v.9).
2. The solution: grace establishes the heart, not dietary rules.
3. The claim: we have an altar, the sacrifice of Christ.
4. The contrast: priests of the tabernacle cannot eat of our altar, just as they could not eat of the Day of Atonement sacrifice.
5. The call: go outside the camp, bear Christ’s reproach, and offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and good works (vv.13-16).

Illustration hooks

• Two tables at a wedding: one for the bride’s family, one for the groom’s. You can’t sit at both, no double loyalty. The Christian altar belongs to a new family.
• A membership-only club: your card grants you access to the dining room. But if you still carry an expired membership card from another organization, it doesn’t get you in. Only faith in Christ opens the door.
• Leftovers from a feast: the old covenant gave the priests meat from offerings. But on the Day of Atonement there were no leftovers, the sacrifice was wholly consumed. Christ’s sacrifice is complete; you cannot take a portion and still keep the old meal plan.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Does this verse mean we should stop observing Jewish festivals or dietary laws?
• Is the 'altar' the Lord’s Table in worship, or is it just the cross?
• What about Christians who still want to follow some old covenant practices, is that a problem?

This verse comes at a point in Hebrews where the writer is urging believers to leave behind old religious habits and embrace the full sufficiency of Christ. It uses picture language from the temple: an altar, food, and a group who are shut out. Let the passage sit with you before you dive into the questions.

Discussion questions

1. Read Hebrews 13:9-16 as a group. What does the writer mean by 'various and strange teachings' in verse 9?
2. The phrase 'we have an altar' suggests something present and certain. What kind of confidence does this give the original readers, and us?
3. Who are 'those who serve the tabernacle' in the first-century setting? Who might a similar group be in your own church context today?
4. Why does the writer bring up the Day of Atonement sacrifice (bodies burned outside the camp, v.11) as background for this verse?
5. In what ways does 'eating' from the altar describe how we receive Christ’s benefits? How does faith function like eating?
6. The verse says those who serve the tabernacle have 'no right' (ἐξουσίαν) to eat. What makes the difference, their actions, their identity, or something else?
7. How does this passage help you appreciate what you have in Christ that no other system can offer?