Holy of Holies

The Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and Temple

God's instructions for the Tabernacle specified a veil separating two chambers: the outer Holy Place, and behind a second, thicker veil, 'the most holy place' — housing the ark of the covenant with its golden mercy seat (Exodus 26:33-34). Solomon's Temple preserved the same basic arrangement on a grander scale, building an inner sanctuary, 'the most holy place,' behind cedar walls twenty cubits deep (1 Kings 6:16). Access was severely restricted: only the high priest could enter, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, bringing sacrificial blood to make atonement for the nation's sin (Leviticus 16:2, 34) — a vivid, repeated picture of just how serious a barrier sin created between a holy God and his people.

The Torn Veil

At the moment Jesus died on the cross, all three Synoptic Gospels record that 'the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom' (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45) — torn top to bottom, not bottom to top, a detail long read as signaling that this was God's own act, opening the way from his side rather than any human effort tearing through from the outside. The barrier that had stood, in one form or another, since the Tabernacle's construction centuries earlier, was removed at the exact moment of Christ's sacrifice.

Hebrews' Interpretation

Hebrews devotes sustained attention to the Holy of Holies as a physical picture of a greater spiritual reality. It describes the earthly tabernacle's two chambers directly, naming the inner one 'the Holy of Holies' (Hebrews 9:2-3), and argues that the Holy Spirit was 'indicating... that the way into the Holy Place wasn't yet revealed while the first tabernacle was still standing' (Hebrews 9:8) — the restricted, repeated, blood-dependent access under the old system was itself a signpost pointing forward, not the final arrangement. Christ, by contrast, 'entered in once for all into the Holy Place... through his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption' (Hebrews 9:12), entering not an earthly copy but 'heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us' (Hebrews 9:24). Because of this, believers are told they now have 'boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,' through 'a new and living way' Christ opened 'through the veil, that is to say, his flesh' (Hebrews 10:19-20) — the torn temple veil and Christ's own crucified body drawn together as the same opened door into God's presence.

Scripture references

• Exodus 26:33-34 — The veil separates the Holy Place from the most holy place
• Leviticus 16:2, 34 — Only the high priest enters, only once a year, with blood
• 1 Kings 6:16 — Solomon's Temple's inner sanctuary
• Matthew 27:51 — The temple veil torn in two at Jesus's death
• Hebrews 9:1-12 — The Holy of Holies described; Christ's greater, once-for-all entry
• Hebrews 10:19-20 — Believers' new access 'through the veil, that is to say, his flesh'

Further reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Holy of Holies
• Got Questions: What was the Holy of Holies?