Hebrews 1 (NET)

Hebrews

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1 After God spoke long ago1 in various portions2 and in various ways3 to our ancestors4 through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son,5 whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.6 3 The Son is7 the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word,8 and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.9 4 Thus he became10 so far better than the angels as11 he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

The Son Is Superior to Angels

5 For to which of the angels did God12 ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”?13 And in another place14 he says,15 “I will be his father and he will be my son.”16 6 But when he again brings17 his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!”18 7 And he says19 of the angels, “He makes20 his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,”21 8 but of22 the Son he says,23

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,24

and a righteous scepter25 is the scepter of your kingdom.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions26 with the oil of rejoicing.”27

10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord,28

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

11 They will perish, but you continue.

And they will all grow old like a garment,

12 and like a robe you will fold them up

and like a garment29 they will be changed,

but you are the same and your years will never run out.”30

13 But to which of the angels31 has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?32 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those33 who will inherit salvation?

11:1tn Or “spoke formerly.” 21:1tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV). 31:1tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration. 41:1tn Grk “to the fathers.” 51:2tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).sn The phrase in a son is the fulcrum of Heb 1:1-4. It concludes the contrast of God’s old and new revelation and introduces a series of seven descriptions of the Son. These descriptions show why he is the ultimate revelation of God. 61:2tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage. 71:3tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity. 81:3tn Grk “by the word of his power.” 91:3sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews. 101:4tn Grk “having become.” This is part of the same sentence that extends from v. 1 through v. 4 in the Greek text. 111:4tn Most modern English translations attempt to make the comparison somewhat smoother by treating “name” as if it were the subject of the second element: “as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, CEV). However, the Son is the subject of both the first and second elements: “he became so far better”; “he has inherited a name.” The present translation maintains this parallelism even though it results in a somewhat more awkward rendering.sn This comparison is somewhat awkward to express in English, but it reflects an important element in the argument of Hebrews: the superiority of Jesus Christ. 121:5tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 131:5tn Grk “I have begotten you.”sn A quotation from Ps 2:7. 141:5tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage. 151:5tn The words “he says” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to make a complete English sentence. In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but English does not normally employ such long and complex sentences. 161:5tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”sn A quotation from 2 Sam 7:14 (cf. 1 Chr 17:13). 171:6tn Or “And again when he brings.” The translation adopted in the text looks forward to Christ’s second coming to earth. Some take “again” to introduce the quotation (as in 1:5) and understand this as Christ’s first coming, but this view does not fit well with Heb 2:7. Others understand it as his exaltation/ascension to heaven, but this takes the phrase “into the world” in an unlikely way. 181:6sn A quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7. 191:7sn The Greek correlative conjunctions μέν and δέ (men and de) emphasize the contrastive parallelism of vs. 7 (what God says about the angels) over against vv. 8-9 and vv. 10-12 (what God says about the son). 201:7tn Grk “He who makes.” 211:7sn A quotation from Ps 104:4. 221:8tn Or “to.” 231:8tn The verb “he says” (λέγει, legei) is implied from the λέγει of v. 7. 241:8tn Or possibly, “Your throne is God forever and ever.” This translation is quite doubtful, however, since (1) in the context the Son is being contrasted to the angels and is presented as far better than they. The imagery of God being the Son’s throne would seem to be of God being his authority. If so, in what sense could this not be said of the angels? In what sense is the Son thus contrasted with the angels? (2) The μέν…δέ (men…de) construction that connects v. 7 with v. 8 clearly lays out this contrast: “On the one hand, he says of the angels…on the other hand, he says of the Son.” Thus, although it is grammatically possible that θεός (qeos) in v. 8 should be taken as a predicate nominative, the context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it. Hebrews 1:8 is thus a strong affirmation of the deity of Christ. 251:8tn Grk “the righteous scepter,” but used generically. 261:9sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows. 271:9sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7. 281:10sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son. 291:12tc The words “like a garment” (ὡς ἱμάτιον, Jw" Jimation) are found in excellent and early mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A B D* 1739) though absent in a majority of witnesses (D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1881 Ï lat sy bo). Although it is possible that longer reading was produced by overzealous scribes who wanted to underscore the frailty of creation, it is much more likely that the shorter reading was produced by scribes who wanted to conform the wording to that of Ps 102:26 (101:27 LXX), which here lacks the second “like a garment.” Both external and internal considerations decidedly favor the longer reading, and point to the author of Hebrews as the one underscoring the difference between the Son and creation.sn The phrase like a garment here is not part of the original OT text (see tc note above); for this reason it has been printed in normal type. 301:12sn A quotation from Ps 102:25-27. 311:13sn The parallel phrases to which of the angels in vv. 5 and 13 show the unity of this series of quotations (vv. 5-14) in revealing the superiority of the Son over angels (v. 4). 321:13sn A quotation from Ps 110:1. 331:14tn Grk “sent for service for the sake of those.”