(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed here is that the "better hope" doesn't just offer us a more comfortable future; it completes what the law couldn't. The law made nothing perfect, but the introduction of this new hope is that perfection, described as the ability for us to truly draw near to God.
(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The author is demonstrating that Jesus' priesthood, modeled after Melchizedek, is superior to the Levitical priesthood established by the Law. He argues that the Law couldn't bring ultimate perfection, implying it was temporary and incomplete. Therefore, a new, better hope has been introduced through Christ's priesthood, offering genuine access to God.
The Old Covenant Law was a crucial part of God's plan, but did it actually make anyone 'perfect'? This verse gives us a clear answer.
The Apostle in Hebrews points out a fundamental limitation of the Mosaic Law: it could not bring anyone to a state of true spiritual perfection. While the Law revealed God's standards and prescribed rituals, it didn't have the power to transform hearts or fully reconcile people to God. It highlighted sin and guilt but couldn't erase them. Any sense of 'perfection' experienced under the Law was a foreshadowing of Christ's work, not the final achievement itself.
If the Law couldn't perfect us, what can? This verse introduces a game-changer: a 'better hope' that radically alters our relationship with God.
The verse contrasts the Law's imperfection with the introduction of a 'better hope.' This 'better hope' is directly linked to Jesus Christ and the new covenant. It's not just a feeling of optimism, but a sure foundation for approaching God. Because of Christ's finished work, we are no longer kept at a distance. We have direct access to God's presence, not through our own merit or the Law's rituals, but through the perfect sacrifice and ongoing intercession of our Great High Priest.
Understand the original words
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teleioo · Greek Verb
The state of being complete, mature, or having attained the intended goal. In this context, it refers to the spiritual maturation and direct access to God that the Law could not provide.
elpis · Greek Noun
A confident expectation and longing for what God has promised. It is rooted in the work of Christ and provides the basis for the believer's secure relationship with God.
eggizo · Greek Verb
The privilege of entering into God's presence. Through Christ, believers have intimate access to the Father, which was previously restricted under the Law.
The author of Hebrews is addressing Jewish Christians who are likely wrestling with the continued validity of the Old Testament Law and priesthood. He argues that the Law, while divinely given, was inherently imperfect and couldn't bring people to full maturity or intimacy with God. Jesus' priesthood, established by God's oath and symbolized by Melchizedek, offers a 'better hope' that *does* perfect believers and grants them direct, intimate access to God.
c. 1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God gives the Mosaic Law to Israel, establishing the Levitical priesthood and its sacrificial system as a means of relating to Him.
c. 1000 BC
Davidic Kingdom Flourishes
King David establishes a strong kingdom, and the Psalms are written, including Psalm 110 which speaks of a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, ending the continuous practice of Levitical sacrifices and central worship.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Many Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, re-establishing the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system on a smaller scale.
c. 30 AD
Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus is crucified and then resurrected, fulfilling the prophecies and sacrifices of the Old Testament and inaugurating the new covenant.
c. 60-62 AD— this verse
Writing of the Book of Hebrews
The author of Hebrews writes to Jewish believers, likely in Rome or Palestine, explaining how Jesus' priesthood and sacrifice fulfill and surpass the Old Testament system.
This passage echoes the idea that the law was 'weak through the flesh,' highlighting its inability to achieve true righteousness and perfection, a core point in Hebrews 7:19.
Galatians 3:24Here, the law is described as a 'guardian to lead us to Christ,' which aligns with the concept in Hebrews 7:19 that the law 'made nothing perfect' but paved the way for something better.
Hebrews 10:1This verse directly states that the law, with its repeated sacrifices, 'can never take away sins,' reinforcing the perfection and finality of Christ's sacrifice that is implied by the 'better hope' in Hebrews 7:19.
John 1:17This verse contrasts the Law given through Moses with grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ, mirroring the argument in Hebrews 7:19 that a better hope, through Christ, surpasses the law's inability to perfect.
Hebrews 4:16This passage speaks of drawing near to the throne of grace with confidence, which directly relates to the outcome of the 'better hope' introduced in Hebrews 7:19 – namely, our ability to approach God intimately.
vincentHebrews 7:19: "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
For the law made nothing perfect (οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐτελείωσεν ὁ νόμος)Parenthetical. The A.V. overlooks the parenthesis, ignores the connection of bringing in with disannulling, translates δὲ but instead of and, and supplies did; thus making an opposition between the law which made nothing perfect and the bringing in of a better hope, which did make something perfect.…
barnesHebrews 7:19: "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
For the law made nothing perfect - The Levitical, ceremonial law. It did not produce a perfect state; it did not do what was desirable to be done for a sinner; see the note on Hebrews 7:11 . That Law, as such, did not reconcile man to God; it did not make an atonement: it did not put away guilt; in one word, "it did not restore things to the condition in which they wer…
What's easily missed here is that the "better hope" doesn't just offer us a more comfortable future; it completes what the law couldn't. The law made nothing perfect, but the introduction of this new hope is that perfection, described as the ability for us to truly draw near to God.
The author is demonstrating that Jesus' priesthood, modeled after Melchizedek, is superior to the Levitical priesthood established by the Law. He argues that the Law couldn't bring ultimate perfection, implying it was temporary and incomplete. Therefore, a new, better hope has been introduced through Christ's priesthood, offering genuine access to God.
The author is demonstrating that Jesus' priesthood, modeled after Melchizedek, is superior to the Levitical priesthood established by the Law. He argues that the Law couldn't bring ultimate perfection, implying it was temporary and incomplete. Therefore, a new, better hope has been introduced through Christ's priesthood, offering genuine access to God.
"(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God." — What's easily missed here is that the "better hope" doesn't just offer us a more comfortable future; it completes what the law couldn't. The law made nothing perfect, but the introduction of this n…
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Last reviewed October 2026