Hebrews 2:1
Διὰ τοῦτο, δεῖ περισσοτέρως προσέχειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μή ποτε παραρυῶμεν
On account of this, it is necessary that we pay attention to the things heard, lest we drift away.
Paraphrase: If these things are true, my dear brothers and sisters, then it behooves us to pay close attention to what you’ve been taught and the weighty implications of these truths for our faith and life. You have believed in the resurrection of Christ and confessed that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), but now you need to be on guard lest your anchor (Hebrews 6:17–20) fails and you float out into the sea of false religion.
Comments:
See principle 23.
Hebrews 2:2
εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι’ ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, καὶ πᾶσα παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν,
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Hebrews 2:3
πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας, ἥτις ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα, λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων, εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη,
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Comment”
Hebrews 2:4
συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ Θεοῦ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασιν, καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσιν, καὶ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου μερισμοῖς, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν.
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Hebrews 2:5
Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν.
For not to angels He subjected the coming world, concerning which we are speaking.
Paraphrase: But to return. We had noted previously that God had made Jesus the “appointed heir of all things.” (Hebrews 1:2) This means that God had given the entire earth over to His Son; everything was made subject to Him. This is why God told Jesus to sit at His right hand (Psalm 110:1) which, as we know, is a place of authority. From this throne (Revelation 3:21), Jesus rules and has complete authority over heaven and earth. (Matthew 28:18) From this throne (Luke 1:32), He came to earth to inaugurate His kingdom and to establish God’s new covenant with His people. This kingdom is the world to come (Hebrews 1:6) for which Israel has been eagerly waiting. Now, it bears repeating that God gave the place of authority to Jesus, not to any of the angels. Even the most powerful and highest angels do not rule the kingdom of God.
Comments:
The expression the coming world is the kingdom of God as begun in the first coming of Jesus and consummated at His second coming. Calvin writes (p58):
To this, the reference is made when the Apostle mentions the world to come, or the future world, for he understands by it the renovated world. To make the thing clearer, let us suppose two worlds, the first the old, corrupted by Adam’s sin; the other, later in time, as renewed by Christ. The state of the first creation has become wholly decayed, and with man has fallen as far as man himself is concerned. Until, then, a new restitution be made by Christ, this Psalm will not be fulfilled. It hence now appears that here the world to come is not that which we hope for after the resurrection, but that which began at the beginning of Christ’s kingdom; but it will no doubt have its full accomplishment in our final redemption.
Edwards writes (p1138) that the “world” here is:
the renewed state of things brought to pass by Christ, called “the new heavens and new earth,” is here called “the world to come,” although already come in its beginnings. Even as the blessings of Christ’s kingdom and of this new creation are called “good things to come,” ἀγαθά μέλλοντα (Hebrews 9:11 and Hebrews 10:1), though they were already come in their beginnings. Note that the time when Christ came, and offered up himself, and ascended into heaven is called “the end of the world” (Hebrews 9:26), συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων, “the end of ages,” the finishing as it were of the old world. So the kingdom of heaven, the new state of things that followed, is called “the world to come,” the new world, the future or succeeding ages, μέλλοντος αἰῶνος (Hebrews 6:5), and here, οἰκουμένην μέλλουσαν.
Hebrews 2:6
διεμαρτύρατο δέ πού τις, λέγων, Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;
but where someone testified saying, “What is man that you might remember him or the son of man that you might care for him?
Paraphrase: That the angels are not in charge of the kingdom of God is taught us in Psalm 8. Recall what the psalmist says in verses 4-6. Here David shows how small and insignificant humans are and yet how great is the dignity that God has bestowed on them. David asks God, “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:4-6) Yes, the Psalmist is in awe that God has any concern for human persons. They are just mere mortals, and there doesn’t appear to be anything in them worth God’s attention.
Comments:
Angus notes (p29) regarding the opening expression:
Someone somewhere testifies. This is not the language of uncertainty nor even of indefiniteness. It is a common formula found in Philo and, as Schœtgenius shows, in Jewish writers, when they quote from what is supposed to be well known to their readers.
Hebrews 2:7
ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ’ ἀγγέλους· δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν,
For a short time, you designated him to be something lower than the angels. With glory and honor, you crowned him.
Paraphrase: Yet in spite of their insignificance, you still assigned human persons a place that is only a little less than that of the angels themselves. You gave Adam and Eve the marvelous privilege of being in Your very image. For all the time before their fall, they had Your image as a beautiful crown which entitled them to great honor and glory.
Comments:
Hengstenberg (p127): “The Psalm [Psalm 8] stands in the closest connection with the first chapter of Genesis.”
Hebrews 2:8
πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἐν τῷ γὰρ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, οὐδὲν ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ ἀνυπότακτον. νῦν δὲ, οὔπω ὁρῶμεν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ὑποτεταγμένα.
You subjected all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4-6) For when You subjected all things under him, nothing was left to him unsubjugated. But now, we do not yet see all things being subject to him.
Paraphrase: As a result of this glory and honor and being in Your image, You gave man charge over Your entire creation.” So far the quote from Psalm 8.
Now how does this Scripture prove that angels will not be the rulers of God’s kingdom? First, note where the text says that God has placed “all things” under his authority. This means that there are no exceptions. As we think about this, however, two questions arise in our minds. First, how does this teaching prove that Jesus is superior to angels which is what we are attempting to prove? (Hebrews 1:4) This text seems to teach that it is humans who will rule over the kingdom of God, not Jesus. Second, is this really what we see happening in our world? Do we not see that sin has made its entrance into the world? Do we not see the movements of the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) as he tries to thwart the purposes of God in every way possible? It does not appear that all things are working out as God would want.
Let me carefully explain my answer to both of these questions, and my answer to the second question is also my answer to the first. I agree that with our physical eyes, we do not see our world living in accord with God’s perfect will. Sin has made an entrance and has a great deal of power over the world as we see it now. Now, however, I ask you to see our world with the eyes of faith. What do we see now? or I should say Who do we see?
Comments:
I agree with those who see a case of intentional ambiguity here (Allen’s commentary and deSilva). The pronouns in “under his feet, ” “under him,” and “left to him” are all referring initially to man. The ambiguity comes in, however, because our author will soon transition from understanding the antecedent to be not man, but The Man.
Hebrews 2:9
τὸν δὲ βραχύ τι παρ’ ἀγγέλους, ἠλαττωμένον, βλέπομεν, Ἰησοῦν, διὰ τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου, δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφανωμένον, ὅπως χάριτι Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ παντὸς γεύσηται θανάτου.
but the One we see, being made lower than the angels for a limited time, on account of suffering of death, being crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God, on behalf of all, He might taste death.
Paraphrase: We see Jesus, and Jesus is the quintessential man. Yes, the Psalmist wrote about the dignity of human persons but what he said there also points us to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One to whom God has given all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18) Yet in spite of this authority, He was temporarily brought into a state lower than that of the angels. (Psalm 8:5) He was born of a virgin, laid in a manger, and endured all the hardships and weaknesses of the human experience. (Matthew 8:20) But the Psalm goes on to say that He was also the One whom God crowned with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5) For what reason? Because He entered into all the sufferings and pains of His people; even into the pain of death itself; and by this suffering, He atoned for their sin and conquered it. He won the victory over sin, death, and hell and now leads His people triumphantly into glory. This is what we can learn from Psalm 8 with regards to the truth that Jesus is far superior to any of the angels.
Comments:
βραχύ can have a locative meaning; i.e a little place or a temporal meaning; i.e. a short time. The meaning here seems to be temporal, so I used the same meaning in v7. It is not entirely clear.
Witherington distinguishes between exegesis and a homiletical use of the Old Testament by the New Testament authors. Exegesis is the pursuit of the author’s meaning and intent, but the New Testament authors used the Old Testament in a variety of ways.
…a text can have a larger significance or different significance or application for an audience other than and later than the original one, but this does not change the meaning of the text, nor does it give us permission to suggest all biblical texts have a multiplicity of means—rather like ink blots into which we can read our own meanings. Equally troubling is the failure to see that even if we follow the example of how NT writers use the OT christologically and otherwise, we can never afford to lose sight of the fact that much of this usage is pastoral and homiletical in character, by which I mean that they are not trying to tell us what the text meant or means so much as show us how it can be used for Christian purposes. They presuppose an already extant, relatively fixed sacred text accessible to their audience such that if they choose to do something creative with the text, this is not seen as supplanting but rather only supplementing the historical and contextual meaning of the text. This has nothing to do with their belief in some sort of sensus plenior, a later concept in any case. The Living Word of God p185
Hebrews 2:10
Ἔπρεπεν γὰρ αὐτῷ, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα, πολλοὺς υἱοὺς εἰς δόξαν ἀγαγόντα, τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν, διὰ παθημάτων τελειῶσαι.
For it was fitting for Him, on account of whom all things are and through whom all things are, leading many sons to glory, to perfect through sufferings the Leader of their salvation.
Paraphrase: Furthermore, this was God’s plan all along. Isn’t He the great Creator who brought everything into existence for His Own glory? Well He is also the One who resolved in eternity past to deliver a people out of Satan’s kingdom and to lead them into His glorious city. (Titus 1:2) From beginning to end, the Father leads His chosen ones to glory. How, you might ask, does He do all this? Well He does this by commissioning His Son to go on His behalf and to deliver them from Satan’s grasp. Now this mission of salvation can only succeed if the one who goes is also willing to share in their nature and to suffer. He must be willing to “taste death” or to come under God’s wrath in place of the people He intends to save. If He is not willing to do this, then no salvation can happen. Now, Jesus is the One who agreed (Hebrews 10:5-7) to be the propitiatory sacrifice (Leviticus 4; Romans 3:25) for the sin of His guilty people (Hebrews 2:17); and by these sufferings, He earned the right to be their great Leader and Champion. There is a day coming in which He will lead God’s chosen ones in triumphant procession into the new Jerusalem. (2 Corinthians 2:14) Then the end will come, and Jesus will announce “Mission Accomplished!” and He will return the keys of the kingdom to His Father. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)
Comments:
ἀγαγόντα and ἀρχηγὸν are both accusative, singular and thus could modify οὗ. The antecedent is God the Father. All the translations make πολλοὺς υἱοὺς the object of τελειῶσαι; and thus, the ἀρχηγὸν is Jesus.
Owen gives (p379) ten ways that the Father leads His sons into glory.
Hebrews 2:11
ὅ τε γὰρ ἁγιάζων, καὶ οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι, ἐξ ἑνὸς πάντες· δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν, οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς καλεῖν,
For the One sanctifying and the the ones being sanctified, all are from one, for which cause, He is not ashamed to call them brothers.
Paraphrase: Now both the One, who is doing the saving, and those, who are being saved, share the same human nature. Jesus is the one who takes these children out of Satan’s kingdom, sets them apart for God, purifies them, and makes them meet for the Master’s use. He did this by becoming a human person (Philippians 2:7) and thus was made a little lower than the angels. Now the many sons, who God is leading to glory, are also human persons. Thus, both Savior and saved share the same nature; and as a result of this, Jesus is not ashamed to identify Himself with human persons. (Mark 3:34; Luke 8:21; John 20:17) By this, He is perfectly positioned to be their Savior and to rescue them from Satan’s dominion. (Hebrews 2:14)
Comments:
ἀδελφοὺς = object complement
Note the ambiguity here; all are from one…what? The majority follow the NASB and NLT here in understanding the text to be saying that all are from one Father. The number ἑνὸς here can be either masculine or neuter; see here.
- If masculine, then it makes sense to read this as one Father.
- If neuter, then it points to something else, perhaps that both share the same human nature.
Sampson says (p97) that the author meant to speak in general terms and includes oneness in race, sufferings, temptations, and sympathies.
Stuart points out (p308) that if Jesus were merely human, then why the need for the comment about being ashamed to call them ἀδελφοὺς?
Hebrews 2:12
λέγων· Ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου· ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε.
saying, I will proclaim Your Name to My brothers; in the midst of the church I will sing you.
Paraphrase: This is clear from what we read in Psalm 22. Notice what Jesus here calls those who are worshipping with Him. He says, “I will proclaim Your glorious attributes to all My brothers; in the middle of our public worship services, I will join in singing the songs which praise and exult You.” Now if Jesus calls those worshipping with him “brothers,” then it shows how willing He is to be identified with them.
Comments:
Hebrews 2:13
Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ’ αὐτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός.
and again, I will be
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Hebrews 2:14
Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός καὶ, αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θανάτου, καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν,
τὸν διάβολον,
Hebrews 2:15
καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν, ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας.
of the dying pang, or pain. (2.) Of the darkness and gloom of mind that attends it. (3.) Of the unknown world beyond—the “evil that we know not of.” (4.) Of the chilliness, and loneliness, and darkness of the grave. (5.) Of the solemn trial at the bar of God. (6.) Of the condemnation which awaits the guilty—the apprehension of future wo. There is no other evil that we fear so much as we do DEATH—and there is nothing more clear than that God intended that we should have a dread of dying. The REASONS why he designed this are equally clear. (1.) One may have been to lead men to prepare for it—which otherwise they would neglect. (2.) Another, to deter them from committing self-murder—where nothing else would deter them. Facts have shown that it was necessary that there should be some strong principle in the human bosom to prevent this crime—and even the dread of death does not always do it. So sick do men become of the life that God gave them; so weary of the world; so overwhelmed with calamity; so oppressed with disappointment and cares, that they lay violent hands on themselves, and rush unbidden into the awful presence of their Creator. This would occur more frequently by far than it now does, if it were not for the salutary fear of death which God has implanted in every bosom. The feelings of the human heart on this subject were never more accurately or graphically drawn than in the celebrated Soliloquy of Hamlet—
Hebrews 2:16
Οὐ γὰρ δή‿ που ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται.
Hebrews 2:17
ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι, ἵνα ἐλεήμων γένηται, καὶ πιστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ.
Hebrews 2:18
ἐν ᾧ γὰρ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς, πειρασθείς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι.