“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.”
My Notes
What Does Hebrews 8:9 Mean?
The author quotes Jeremiah 31:32 about the new covenant: it will NOT be like the old one — the covenant God made when He took Israel by the hand and led them out of Egypt. That covenant failed. Not because God failed. Because they "continued not" in it. And God "regarded them not."
The phrase "took them by the hand" is heartbreakingly intimate. God didn't send instructions from a distance. He held their hand. He led them like a parent leads a child. The covenant was personal, tender, physical. And they broke it anyway.
"I regarded them not" (ēmelēsa autōn — I neglected them, I stopped caring for them) describes God's response to their covenant-breaking. The God who held their hand eventually released it. Not because He stopped loving. Because they stopped continuing. The disregard followed the discontinuation.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the intimacy of 'took them by the hand' make the covenant-breaking feel more personal?
- 2.How does the shift from external obligation (old covenant) to internal inscription (new covenant) change your confidence?
- 3.Where are you still trying to 'continue' in the old covenant rather than resting in what God has written on your heart?
- 4.Does 'I regarded them not' feel harsh or proportional — and what does your answer reveal?
Devotional
God held their hand. Led them out of Egypt. Made a covenant. And they broke it. So He stopped regarding them.
The tenderness makes the failure worse. God didn't impose the old covenant from a mountain (though He did that too). He took them by the hand. Like a father with a child. Led them. Personally. Physically. The relationship was as intimate as it was covenantal.
And they "continued not." They didn't keep going. They didn't hold up their end. The hand God held went slack. The commitment God made was met with abandonment. And the response? "I regarded them not." The God who held their hand released it. The one who led them stopped leading.
This is the background against which the new covenant shines. The old covenant failed because it depended on human continuation. They had to keep going. They couldn't. The new covenant (verse 10) works differently: God puts His laws in their minds and writes them on their hearts. The continuation isn't human effort. It's divine inscription. What they couldn't maintain externally, God installs internally.
The new covenant doesn't fail because the new covenant doesn't depend on you continuing. It depends on God writing. The hand that was released in the old covenant is now held by a grip that doesn't let go — because the covenant is inside you, not on tablets outside you.
The old covenant: they let go of God's hand. The new covenant: God writes on your heart so you never can.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers,.... The ancestors of the Jews at Mount Sinai:
in the day…
Not according to the covenant ... - An arrangement or dispensation relating mainly to outward observances, and to…
Not according to the covenant - The new covenant is of a widely different nature to that of the old; it was only…
In this part of the chapter, the apostle illustrates and confirms the superior excellency of the priesthood of Christ…
I took them by the hand See note on Heb 2:16.
because they continued not in my covenant The disobedience of the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture