7:11 if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood. That is, if the Levitical priests had been able to give the people permanent, free access to God. As in 4:8 and 8:7, the author argues that certain promises in the Old Testament itself indicate that the law was imperfect and would be replaced in the “last days” (1:2). The rhetorical question announces that the effectiveness of the Levitical system will be compared with that of “another priest.”

under it the people received the law. Because of sin and the need for a ministry of reconciliation, the Levitical priesthood was instituted, together with the Mosaic law that provided for it. The law and the priesthood are being considered together, as one system of religious life. If defective, they will both be changed (v. 12).