Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 19 Aug 2018
Omitting greyed-out text should bring sermon delivery down to about 40 minutes.
· “Everyone has a guardian angel but you have to find out who it is so you can call upon him or her when you need them.” (beliefnet.com)
· How do you find out your guardian angel’s name? Go into a trance and try to find the name. One girl wrote, “My Guardian angel’s name is Samoya, and, as I was meditating I could hear soft humming and feel someone put their hands on my shoulders. I knew immediately it was her… she handed me a book with her name on it. I have never felt such a safe and loving presence.” That kind of stuff is spiritually dangerous; it is what the Bible calls witchcraft and abominable to God.
· Another website that claims to have the information about which archangel is on duty each day of the year, so they ask you to type in your date of birth, and then they’ll consult with God’s heavenly staff chart and tell you the name of your angel. (AngelHaven.com) This sounds like a clever marketing ploy. Identify gullible people and get them to give you their name and birthdate and contact info… you could probably sell just about anything to prospects like that!
· When the epistle of Hebrews was written, there was a lot of falderal about angels too. So much, in fact, that Jesus was being forgotten about…
· But Maybe guardian angels are not what distracts you from Christ. Let me suggest that this exhortation from the book of Hebrews applies to any person that you are tempted to make more important than Jesus in your life.
o Your parents are very important, but you must learn to depend more upon Jesus than you do upon them.
o Your church pastor and elders are important, but you must know Jesus personally, not through your pastor.
o Your friend or spouse is a “significant other,” but they are not God, and you must not allow them to usurp the place of Jesus in your life.
· God and His Son are introduced right at the beginning of the book of Hebrews, followed by seven things that are outstanding about Jesus, the Son of God. Those seven things included the privileged status of Jesus as Creator and Owner of the universe, the personal nature of Jesus as equal to God glory and substance, and the work of Jesus as sustaining all things, cleansing sin, and officiating as the ultimate prophet, priest, and King in heaven.
· Verse 4 then transitions to a series of scripture proofs of the superiority of the Son over angels: Having become to such an extent superior to the angels, He has inherited a title to the same extent more excellent than theirs
· The main verb of v.4 is “He has obtained by inheritance[1].” What He has come into possession of is a “name.” This “name” is that of “Son,” which is not a proper name, but rather a title or rank (ATR). The verse sets out two comparatives in parallel:
o There’s the extent to which Jesus is better than/superior to the angels,
o and parallel with that is the extent to which Jesus’ name/title is superior/more excellent than that of the angels.
o In both who they are and in what their title is, Jesus far outranks any angel.
· The proof for this is brought from a perfect battery of 7 Old Testament scriptures. (The OT is therefore an appropriate place to look for proof of New Testament theology!) These seven O.T. prooftexts appear to me to support five lines of argument, each showing the wide gap between the Son and the angels.
1. Title of Son vs. messenger (v.5)
2. The object of angels’ worship (v.6)
3. God the King vs. Serving angels (vs.7-9)
4. Eternal Creator vs. Finite Creature (vs.10-12)
5. Prime Minister vs. Ambassadors (vs.13-14)
· Heb. 1:5 For, to which of the angels did He ever say, “You Yourself are my Son. Today I have begotten you”? - or even, “As for me, I will be in [the relation of] a father to Him, and, as for Him, He will be in the relation of a son to me”?
· The Greek (and Hebrew) words for “angel” have a root meaning of “messenger.”
o The same word is used in the Bible to speak of kings and other leaders sending messengers.
o Have you ever noticed that the word “angel” is in the word “evangelism”? These English words are borrowed from Greek words that mean “messenger” and “a good message.”
· The contrast that is being pointed out in v.5 is that, despite all the splendor and power that angels have displayed before mankind, if you just think about the title, an angel is just a messenger, while the Son of God is in a whole different category, altogether superior to that of a messenger and therefore worthy of more respect than any angel.
· If you lived in England, and the Queen wanted to invite you for tea, she could issue a written invitation through the postal system, so that it is delivered to your mailbox by your postal carrier, and you would rightly feel honored and you would be appreciative of the faithfulness of your postal carrier, but there would be a whole different feel to things if the Prince of Wales himself showed up at your door with all his attendants and invited you to tea. It is naturally fitting for you to show greater honor to the Heir-apparent to the throne, than to your mailman, no matter how good a mailman you’ve got.
· This point of the surpassing glory of divine sonship is brought out by quoting two OT passages:
o Psalm 2:7 “You are my son; today I have begotten You,” and
o 2 Sam. 7:14 Literally, “I, I will be into a father to Him, and He, He will be into a son to me.”
§ Because these passages are quoted in the NT as referring to Jesus, we must consider them to be messianic prophecies and not merely statements about David and Solomon.
§ These words about God becoming a father are peculiar. God does not change (Mal. 3:6), so this can’t be describing the same kind of change in family relationships that we experience when we have children, nevertheless, God chose to speak in these terms because there is some correlation between what we experience as parents and children in relationship and what God the Father and God the Son experience in relationship.
§ I like Marvin Vincent’s comment that this bestowal of the title of Son is speaking of an “official installation” where Jesus is “Recognized… publicly as sovereign.”
· So, the first argument is that Jesus should be treated as more important than angels because He is the Divine Son and they are just messengers. The second argument is that Jesus should be treated as more important than angels because angels are commanded to worship Him:
· Heb. 1: 6 Then again, whenever He shall bring His firstborn in to the world, He says, “Also, let all the angels of God worship Him!”
· This appears to be a quote from Psalm 97:7. The original psalm says, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him [Yahweh… Adon/Lord of all the earth -v.5], all you gods [Elohim – “high ones” - which got translated into Greek as “angels[2].”].” (NKJ)
· The point is that if God’s word commands angels to worship the Lord, those angels are not to be revered by us above the Lord.
· Bible scholars are not agreed[3] that this is limited to the second coming, but I think that is mainly what it’s referring to. The motif of the Lord coming into the oikoumene/world at the end time and being worshipped shows up throughout scripture, but especially in the Psalms, such as Psalm 9:8 “And he will judge the world in righteousness, He will judge the nations in uprightness.” (NAW, cf. Psalm 96:12, Psalm 98:9, Acts 17:31, and Heb 2:5)
· Philippians 2:10 reminds us that when Jesus returns, “every knee will bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth…” “Those in heaven” who will bow surely include the angels.
· The word for “firstborn” is the standard word for a first child[4], but it also appears in reference to Jesus in other special ways, such as to describe His resurrection and His headship:
o Ps. 89:20-27 “I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him… The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him. But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name his horn shall be exalted. Also I will set his hand over the sea, And his right hand over the rivers. He shall cry to Me,`You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. (NKJ)
o Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom. 8:29 NKJ)
o Colossians 1:15-18 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible… And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (NKJV)
o Rev. 1:5 “…Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth”
· “Undoubtedly the author intends for his hearers to understand in [the firstborn] a reference to the superior dignity and honor due to a first-born in any household. Only one can be called the first-born in relation to any father. The honor due to the father is due to his first-born. So in Heb. 1:6 when the Father presents His Son to the world of mankind, the worship due to the Father is due to the Son… the angels will join in acknowledging the dignity, honor, and worship due to Him.” ~Miller, The Epistle to the HEBREWS: An Analytical and Exegetical Handbook[5]
· So, in terms of title and in terms of honor, Jesus trumps angels. What about in terms of office? Verses 7-9 give a third contrast between angels and Jesus in terms of…
· Heb. 1:7-9 Further, on the one hand, it was concerning the angels that He said, “The One who makes His angels spirits and His service-staffers a flame of fire,” but, on the other hand, concerning the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. [And] the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of integrity. You loved righteousness and You hated lawlessness; on account of this, God – Your God – anointed You with oil of gladness beside your companions.”
· The first part describing the angels is a quote from Ps.104:4, “The One who makes His angels spirits/winds and His ministers/liturgical servants a flame of fire”
o Bible scholars are split over whether the Greek word pneumata should be translated “winds” or “spirits[6];” the Greek word can mean either, and both translations make decent sense, for God indeed created angelic messengers who are spiritual beings, and those angels interact with the wind in a few Bible passages[7].
o The Bible passage connecting angels to “flames of fire” are more numerous,
§
From the appearance of the angel of the Lord
in the burning bush to Moses
Exodus 3:2 ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς… And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire
out of the bush, and he sees that the bush burns with fire, --but the bush was
not consumed. (Brenton, cf. Acts 7:30)
§ To the “burning fire” that was among the 10 plagues of Egypt (and later on top of Mt. Sinai),
§
To the angel who ascended in the flames of
Sampson’s parent’s burnt offering
Judges 13:18-20 “And the Angel of the LORD said to him,
"Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" So Manoah
took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to
the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— it happened as the flame went up
toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame
of the altar!...”
§ There are also the descriptions of the flaming seraphim angels in the presence of God seen by the prophets Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John the Revelator
Ø Daniel 7:9 “I beheld until the thrones were set, and the Ancient of days sat; and his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head, as pure wool: his throne was a flame of fire, and his wheels burning fire.” (Brenton)
Ø Cf. “Seraphim” (“burning ones”) in God’s throne-room in Isaiah 6, and the angelic “living creatures” in Ezekiel 1:13 “their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.” (NKJV)
Ø Rev. 4:5 “… seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (NKJV)
§ And then there’s the descriptions of the fiery angels of the Lord coming to judge nations in 2 Thess. 1:6-8 “it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJ)
o But, as awesome as they are, these are called merely “spirits,” “flames,” “messengers,” and “service-staff.” On the other hand, in Psalm 45, the Son is called “God” who is anointed king, superior to all such angelic companions.
· Ps. 45:7-8 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. [And] the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of integrity. You loved righteousness and You hated lawlessness; on account of this, God – Your God – anointed You with oil of gladness beside your companions.”
o A scepter, of course, is the symbol of being a king. I believe it is related to the sword of Rom. 13, which tells us that the job of the executive branch of government is to punish evildoers.
o Note that this king is also called “God” – “your throne, O God…”
o The adjective modifying “scepter/rod” is a specialized Greek word for “righteousness” εὐθύτητος that emphasizes “straightforwardness/integrity,” this is the only occurrence of that specialized word in the New Testament, but it is found in several psalms speaking of the uncorrupted integrity and rightness of the Lord’s coming rulership, for example, Psalm 9:8 “And he will judge the world in righteousness, he will judge the nations in uprightness/εὐθύτητι.” (Brenton, Cf. Ps. 66:5, 95:10, 97:9, 98:4)
o This “integrity/justice/righteousness” is explained in Heb. 1:9 as “loving what is right and hating what is against the law,”
o and it is this righteousness – the righteousness of Christ – which qualifies Him not only to be our savior (with a perfect righteousness to impute to our account) but also our king (with a perfect ability to institute fairness and justice for all the world, unlike any other king or government has ever done).
o The phrase “oil of gladness” appears one other place in the Bible besides Heb. 1 and Psalm 45, and that is in Isaiah 61:3: “The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me to evangelize lowly ones. He has sent me to bind up those who are broken of heart, for the calling out of liberty to the captives, and opening of the eyes for those which have been bound, for the calling out of a year of acceptance for Yahweh and a day of vengeance belonging to our God, to comfort all the mourners, to set for the mourners of Zion, to give to them a tuxedo instead of dust, oil of gladness[8] instead of mourning, a wrap of praise instead of a dim spirit; and they will call them Oaks of the Righteousness, a planting of Yahweh to beautify Himself.” (Isa. 61:1-3, NAW)
o This “oil of gladness” is a happy result of receiving the good news of the Messiah, Jesus! The Bible frequently mentions “gladness/rejoicing/joy” as what the people of God experience in His presence. What a mercy that spending eternity in heaven with Him will be an ecstatic experience with more happiness than we’ve ever experienced yet in this world!
o This anointing with oil relates to another title for the Son of God: The title “Christ” is a Greek word which means “the one who has been anointed with oil as a ceremony to become an official leader” – in this case, a King.
o This king is anointed “Above/beyond/more than” (para) [His] companions.” All kings have a retinue of noblemen, councilors, bodyguards, secretaries, wait-staff, etc, and this seems to be one more comparison between Jesus and the angels who form His retinue – one more way in which He supersedes them: He is “above” them in office as king, and furthermore, He surpasses them in joy and happiness. Next we see that Jesus even further outstrips the angels as…
· Heb. 1:10-12 quotes another prooftext, this time from
· Psalm 102:26-28 “Back in the beginning, Lord, You Yourself laid the foundation for the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. As for them, they will perish, but as for You, You will remain throughout. Indeed, all things will become old like clothing [does], then You will roll them up, just like a robe, and they will be changed out [like clothing is], but as for You, You continue to be the same, and Your years will not have a cut-off.”
· There is a vast difference between the Creator and the created. God the Son is the maker of the spiritual heavens – including every angel and demon, as well as the maker of the physical heavens – including every star in every galaxy. He is also the one who laid the foundations of our earth.
o The Scriptures are full of this theme, for instance Ps. 24:1-2 “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers .” (Brenton, cf. Ps. 8:3, 78:69, 89:11, 104:5, 119:90)
o Zechariah 12:1 “The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel; saith the Lord, that stretches out the sky, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. (Brenton, cf. Prov. 3:19, Job 38:4, Isa. 48:13, Isa. 51:13-16)
o This places Jesus in a completely different class from any human or angelic messenger. They were created by Jesus, so they are accountable to Him.
· Furthermore, all of this order of creation will perish [ἀπολοῦνται] and become old/worn out [παλαιωθήσονται] and be folded/rolled up [ἑλίξεις] and changed out [ἀλλαγήσονται] like clothes are.
o The Apostle Peter mentioned that in his second epistle - 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away [parechomai] with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (NKJV)
o This matches what the Prophet Isaiah wrote: Isaiah 34:4 “And all the host of the heavens will be decayed and the heavens will be rolled up like the scroll, and all their host will wilt like the wilting of leaves from the vine and like wilted things from the fig tree.” … 51:6 “…the heavens will be dissolved like the smoke, and the earth wear out like the garment, and her inhabitants will die likewise, but my salvation will exist forever, and my righteousness will not come undone.” (NAW)
o Revelation 6:12-17 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (NKJ)
o Revelation 20[9] indicates that the old order of things which will pass away includes the spirit world. There will be a new order of things even for angels and demons, even as there will be for human beings. This old order of things that is passing away is not the one to invest your life in.
· But, by contrast, God the Son will “remain [διαμενεῖ]… continue to be the same [ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ], and [His] years will not end/fail/have a cut-off point [ἐκλείψουσι].”
o Psalm 72:17 “…His name shall endure [διαμενεῖ] longer than the sun: and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” (Brenton)
o Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child is born for us, a son is given for us, and the government is on His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of His empire's increase and of peace there will be no end. On David's throne and over his kingdom to cause it to be established and to uphold it in justice and righteousness, from now until eternity...” (NAW)
o Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (NASB)[10]
o Hebrews 13:8-9 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace…” (NKJV)
· Your eternal destiny hangs on whether you depend upon the things of this world which will pass away or whether you depend upon the eternal Son, who will stay the same and stay in authority and translate you into the world to come when this old one wears out and He replaces it.
o Luke 13:5 Jesus said, “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (NKJV)
o John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)
o John 10:28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (NKJV)
o 1 Cor. 15:50-58 “Now, this is what I'm bringing to light, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit God's kingdom, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Look, I am telling a mystery to you: We all will not be asleep [in death] but we all will be changed out, in an instant, in the glance of an eye, in the final bugle-call, for it will bugle, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed out … and whenever this perishableness invests itself in imperishableness and this mortality invests itself in immortality, then the written word will come into being, ‘Death was drunk down into victory.’… thanks be to God, the Giver of the victory to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my dear brothers, continue becoming steadfast, immoveable, abounding in the work of the Lord always, knowing that your labor is not empty in the Lord.” (NAW)
· Jesus excels every other messenger, including the angels in title as Son of God, in glory as the object of heaven’s worship, in rank as the Divine King, in longevity as the Eternal Creator-God, and finally in His calling and mission as…
Heb. 1:13 And then, to which of the angels has He ever said, “Keep sitting off to my right hand until such time as I set your enemies to be a footstool under your feet.” 14 Don’t they all exist to be attending spirits commissioned into service on behalf of those who are about to inherit salvation?”
· The answer to the question posed in v.13 is “none of them.”
· It quotes Psalm 110:1, noting that God has never called any man or angel to preside at His right hand in the office of Lord and Christ except Jesus.
o The change in the Greek word for “say” from Aorist tense in the first question (in v.4) to Perfect tense now in v.13 indicates that here in v.13 it is a calling to a continuing office.
o In Acts 2:34, the Apostle Peter connected the dots as to what that continuing office is: “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (NKJV)
o That’s why all the synoptic Gospel writers picked up on Jesus’ quote of this same verse as a proof of His Messiahship. (Matt. 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42)
· Now, a footstool is just the spot where you put your feet when you sit down.
o Heb. 10:12-13 “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.” (NKJV)
o In the Bible, God is pictured as sitting in heaven and resting his feet upon the earth. Isaiah 66:1a Thus says Yahweh, “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is a stool for my feet…” (NAW, quoted in Mat. 5:35 & Acts 7:49)
o If you go to a wedding dinner, the most important people (the bride and groom and their attendants) are often seated on a platform above all the guests. It is a way of communicating status.
o This is not primarily about literal placement of people’s bodies, but rather “bring[ing] about” a change of recognized status of His enemies from independence to submission. It symbolizes Jesus’ pre-eminence and authority over mankind.
· In contrast to the office of Christ is the office of angels.
o Jesus is God’s right-hand Man, ministering to God, but angels exist to serve humans. In v.14 they are called “ministering/attending/servant/λειτουργικὰ spirits… for those who are about to inherit salvation” – that’s us! Angels serve Christians!
o Furthermore, instead of sitting at God’s right hand, as Jesus does, angels are “sent forth/commissioned out” to serve/minister/render service/arrange provision of the needs of the saints.
o The contrast couldn’t be much greater.
· Galatians 1:6-9 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (ESV)
· 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (NKJV)
· So, what do we do with this knowledge of the superiority of Jesus to angels? As I mentioned before, I suspect that preoccupation with angelic spirits may not be what distracts most of you from Christ, but if you consider the root meaning of the word “angel” and think in terms of “messengers,” it should be patently obvious that this is still a huge issue today.
· There are millions of messages being sent to you by thousands of messengers throughout your lifetime. Every messenger bears a message that either confirms or denies the good message of Jesus Christ, king of the universe, who loved His church so much that He became a man and suffered death by crucifixion to redeem a people enslaved by their rebellion against Him and to reconcile them to live forever in intimate relationship with Him.
· Every advertisement, every movie, every video, every song, every singer, every producer, every website, every image, every teacher, every parent, every friend is an “angel” – a message-bearer, and every thought in your mind produced by their messages which you do not take captive to the obedience of Christ is a violation of the doctrine of supremacy of the Son of God taught here in Heb. 1.
· As children of the Son of God, it is a basic part of who we are to hold Jesus with more respect than we give to any other message-bearer in our life. It is fundamental to compare every message sent to us by every messenger and media with the message which the Son of God gave us in the Bible and to reject every one which does not line up.
· Little compromises here and there may not seem like much, but if you think of it, most cult movements are the result of one person acting on a false message delivered to him or her,
o whether by a spirit-being, such as the so-called angel Moroni, who led Joseph Smith astray to found Mormonism,
o or the jinn whom Mohammed confessed gave him teachings that he wrote down in the Koran,
o or even by other humans, such as Darwin’s teachings on human evolution which encouraged Hitler to murder millions of Jews because He thought they were less-evolved than Aryans. Little compromises with false messages can potentially result in vast monstrosities.
· Valuing Jesus above every messenger in our life – believing
o that He has the greater title as Son of God,
o that He deserves the highest attention and all other messengers must bow to Him,
o that He is the God-King whom every messenger should serve,
o the eternal creator who owns and outlives every other messenger,
o and His agenda of salvation is the one that every message should conform to –
o
this is the way to take every thought
captive to the obedience of Christ.
Children of God, this is your calling!
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Hebrew Psalter |
Greek Psalter |
NAW |
KJV |
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4 τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ᾿ αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα. |
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4 Having become to such an extent superior to the angels, He has inherited a title to the same extent more excellent than theirs, |
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. |
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5 τίνι γὰρ εἶπέ ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων· υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε; καὶ πάλιν· ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν[A]; |
אָמַ֨ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֜נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃ (Ps. 2:7) (Aquila=teknon... etekon) אֲנִי֙ אֶהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ לְאָ֔ב וְה֖וּא יִהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְבֵ֑ן ... (2 Sam. 7:14) |
… κύριος εἶπεν πρός με υἱός μου εἶ σύ ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε (Ps. 2:7) ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν … (2Sa. 7:14) |
5 For, to which of the angels did He ever say, “You Yourself are my Son. Today I have begotten you”? - or even, “As for me, I will be in [the relation of] a father to Him, and, as for Him, He will be in the relation of a son to me”? |
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? |
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6 ὅταν δὲ πάλιν εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, λέγει· καὶ [B]προσκυνησάτωσανAAV3p αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ |
HitVplהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֜וֹ כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (Ps. 97:7b) |
…προσκυνήσατεAAV2p αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ (Ps. 96:7b) |
6 Then again, whenever He shall bring His firstborn in to the world, He says, “Also, let all the angels of God worship Him!” |
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. |
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7 καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους λέγει· ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸςGNS [C]φλόγαAFS |
עֹשֶׂ֣ה מַלְאָכָ֣יו רוּח֑וֹת xמְ֜שָׁרְתָ֗יו אֵ֣שׁ לֹהֵֽטPtc׃(Ps.104:4) Aq=πυρ λαβρον Sym.=πυρινην φλογα |
ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρANS φλέγονPtcANS (Ps. 103:4) |
7 Further, on the one hand, it was concerning the angels that He said, “The One who makes His angels spirits and His service-staffers a flame of fire,” |
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. |
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8 πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱόν· ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος·[και[D]] ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου.[E] |
כִּסְאֲךָ֣ אֱ֭לֹהִים עוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶ֑ד שֵׁ֥בֶט מִ֜ישֹׁ֗ר שֵׁ֣בֶט מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ׃ (Ps. 45:7) Aqu=…θεε εις αιωνα και ετι σκηπτρον… |
ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος [?] ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου (Ps. 44:7) |
8 but, on the other hand, concerning the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. [And] the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of integrity. |
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. |
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9 ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν[F]· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε, ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου[G]· |
אָהַ֣בְתָּ צֶּדֶק֘ וַתִּשְׂנָ֫א רֶ֥שַׁע עַל־כֵּ֤ן׀ מְשָׁחֲךָ֡ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֱ֭לֹהֶיךָ שֶׁ֥מֶן שָׂשׂ֗וֹן מֵֽחֲבֵרֶֽיךָ׃ (Ps. 45:8) |
ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου (Ps. 44:8) |
9 You loved righteousness and You hated lawlessness; on account of this, God – Your God – anointed You with oil of gladness beside your companions.” |
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. |
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10 καί· σὺ κατ᾿ ἀρχάς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί·[H] |
לְ֭פָנִיםx הָאָ֣רֶץ יָסַ֑דְתָּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יָדֶ֣יךָ שָׁמָֽיִם׃(Ps. 102:26) Sym=εν προσωποις την γην… |
κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς σύ κύριε τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί (Ps. 101:26) |
10 Then there’s, “Back in the beginning, Lord, You Yourself laid the foundation for the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. |
10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: |
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11 αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμένεις· καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται,[I] |
הֵ֤מָּה׀ יֹאבֵדוּ֘ וְאַתָּ֪ה תַ֫עֲמֹ֥ד וְ֭כֻלָּם כַּבֶּ֣גֶד יִבְל֑וּ (Ps. 102:27a) Sym.=τα εν αυτοις… Aq.=…συ δε στηση... |
αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται σὺ δὲ διαμενεῖς καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται… (Ps. 101:27a) |
11 As for them, they will perish, but as for You, You will remain throughout. Indeed, all things will become old like clothing [does], |
11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; |
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12 καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτούς, [ως ιματιον[J]] καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται· σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσι |
כַּלְּב֖וּשׁ תַּחֲלִיפֵ֣ם וְֽיַחֲלֹֽפוּ׃וְאַתָּה־ה֑וּא וּ֜שְׁנוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִתָּֽמּוּ׃ (Ps 102:27b-28) Sym.=…ως ενδυμα αλλαξεις αυτά και… |
…καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις[K] αὐτούς καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν (Ps. 101:27b-28) |
12 then You will roll them up, just like a robe, and they will be changed out [like clothing is], but as for You, You continue to be the same, and Your years will not have a cut-off.” |
12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. |
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13 πρὸς τίνα δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴρηκέ ποτε· κάθουPDV ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶAAS τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου[L]; |
נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֙ה׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֜יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃(Ps. 110:1) Sym.=προσδοκησον την δεξιαν μου… |
εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου (Ps. 109:1) |
13 And then, to which of the angels has He ever said, “Keep sitting off to my right hand until such time as I set your enemies to be a footstool under your feet.” |
13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? |
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14 οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν; |
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14 Don’t they all exist to be attending spirits commissioned into service on behalf of those who are about to inherit salvation? |
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? |
[1] The Greek perfect tense indicating an event in the past which resulted in the present condition, and that past thing which resulted in this present condition of proprietorship appears to be referred to by the participial verb at the beginning of the verse “having become so much better than/superior to the angels.
[2] Both in the Septuagint version of the OT Psalm as well as in this NT quote in Hebrews 1 (and this NT quote appears to be an independent translation of the Hebrew Psalm into Greek and not merely a quote of the Septuagint).
[3] It seems the event referred to is either a one-time event in the unknowable future (Miller) or a series of more than one events, including the incarnation, nativity, resurrection, ascension, and parousia (ATR, M. Henry, JFB - Some commentators think it refers to only one of the events in the above list.) Of this, Ellingsworth commented: “Patristic evidence is divided... Grammatical criteria are inconclusive.” Which, for me weighs in favor of the indefinite. Miller: “A majority of commentators and versions agree that the second advent of Jesus is the preferred reference... If palin were to be construed with legei, the word order would most likely be palin de otan (cf. Vincent, Westcott. However, Bruce argues that “the word order is not as conclusive as [Westcott] maintains.”). ATR says there is no way to tell for certain whether palin was intended to qualify eisagage (2nd Coming) or legei (3rd quote). Ellingsworth seems to be of the same opinion, citing Luther, Calvin, Bengel, Windisch, Vitti, Spicq, Moffatt, Bruce, Montefiore, Attridge, Lane (and I could add JFB, Alford, Barnes, Wesley, Bruce, the NIV, KJV, ESV, Geneva, and DRB) as construing palin with legei, and citing Westcott, Riggenbach, Héring, Michel, Braun, Grässer (to which I would add Miller, Gill, Vincent, A.Clark, the ASV, RV, NKJV, NASB, and NET) as construing palin with eisagage. Although it could be used to indicate Jesus’ passivity when God planted the seed in Mary’s womb, raised Him from the dead, lifted Him up into Heaven, and reveals Him in the last day, it seems more respectful to speak of the Father “leading/introducing” the mighty Christ rather than “carrying” him.
[4] Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Lk. 2:7 NKJ, also in Mt. 1:25)
[5] Bruce: “we may think rather of his exaltation and enthronement as sovereign over the inhabited universe,” Vincent: “glorified,” Barnes: “eminence” Gill: “Messiah... first in causality and dignity,” Ellingsworth: “The thought of Christ as supreme (prwto-) over creation (Col. 1:15) accords well with what is said in Heb. 1:1-4 of Christ’s supremacy.”
[6] Winds: L&N, rabbinic writings, NASB, NIV, ESV | Spirits: LXX, Vulgate, Wycliffe, Geneva Bible, KJV, NKJ, NET
[7] The four places namely being: Psalm 35:5 “Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them.” Matthew 24:31 “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (cf. Mk. 13:27), and Revelation 7:1 “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.” (NKJ) Since none of these really seem to equate the angels with the winds, I prefer the “spirits.”
[8] ἄλειμμα εὐφροσύνης – the Hebrew is the same, but the Greek is a synonymous phrase
[9] Rev. 20:10-14 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away… Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire…” (NKJV)
[10] Contrast with Isa. 7:8 “But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rasim; and yet within sixty and five years the kingdom of Ephraim shall cease [εκλειψει] from being a people.” (Brenton)
[A] These two quotes match the Septuagint of the original quotes in the OT exactly. The Hebrew behind them, however, is straightforward enough that it would be easy for an independent translator to come up with the exact same Greek translation. I could note, however, that about 100 years after the book of Hebrews was written, when Aquilla made his translation of the Psalms into Greek, he used the word technon (child) rather than huion (son), I suspect, because of his Judaistic aversion to the divinity of Christ, so the writer of Hebrews at least rejects that idea.
[B] This obviously is not a quote from the Septuagint, since this verb is in the third person rather than LXX’s second person, and since there is no definite article before “angels” as there is in the LXX, and since the modifier of “angels” is “God’s” rather than the LXX “His.” Both the LXX and this NT quote are, nevertheless, faithful renderings of the Hebrew of the original Psalm (the imperative form of this verb in Hebrew does not have a person indicator, so it could be either second or third person), and it is understandable that Greek readers would need an additional contextual note to bring over the meaning of the Hebrew elohim (“high ones”) which, without that important contextual note, could honestly be interpreted to mean “God, “angels,” or “human leaders.”
[C] Once again, Hebrews does not quote the LXX, but is a faithful translation of the Hebrew. 2nd century translations of the Psalm from Hebrew demonstrate that there is a fair amount of latitude in how the phrase “fire flaming” can be accurately carried over into Greek.
[D] This “and” is not in the majority of Greek manuscripts or in the Hebrew or Greek original Psalm, but it is in all of the earliest-known manuscripts (Chester-Beatty Papyrus46, Siniaticus, Vaticanus, and Beza). Those same early manuscripts (except for the Beza) also add an “and” (not in the original Psalm) before “righteousness” and change the pronoun at the end of the quote from “your” to “His.” None of this changes the meaning, however.
[E] The Byzantine (rather than the modern critical) Greek text of this verse matches the LXX of the original Psalm. It could be mere coincidence as two faithful translations, but the range of translations by 2nd Century Jewish translators of this same psalm into Greek show that there are a variety of ways this could be accurately translated – most notably, the phrase “for ever and ever” was translated the same by Theodotian but differently (more closely to the Hebrew) by Aquila and Symmachus.
[F] Two of the oldest-known Greek manuscripts (Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus) read “unrighteousness” (instead of “lawlessness” the reading of the majority of the oldest manuscripts as well as the overall majority of Greek manuscripts) but even so, this does not change the meaning.
[G] This verse is an exact replica of the LXX of the original Psalm, but it is also a faithful translation of the Hebrew as well, and apparently Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotian all translated the Hebrew into Greek the same way that the LXX did, so again, the author of Hebrews could be copying the LXX or making his own translation from the Hebrew.
[H] Apart from the word “you” being the first rather than the third word, the quote in Hebrews matches the LXX exactly, and it is pretty clear from the difference in Symmachus’ translation (especially the missing vocative “Lord”) that the author of Hebrews was not looking at the Masoretic Hebrew text of this Psalm. Adding the vocative and changing the word order makes no practical difference in meaning from the original Hebrew, though.
[I] This quote matches the Septuagint. Its only difference with the original Hebrew Psalm is that the verb “become old” is passive in both Greek translations, but active in the original Hebrew. This doesn’t really make a difference in meaning with a transitive verb like that, though. Further slight differences in translations by Aquila and Symmachus make it appear that this is a quote from the LXX rather than a fresh translation from Hebrew. The same can be said for the continuation of this verse into Heb. 1:12 in the majority Greek text, although there are disputes on two points in v.12 which are separately footnoted.
[J] “as a garment” is not in the majority of Greek manuscripts, but it is in the majority of the oldest-known ones, including P46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Beza) Psalm 101.27 does not contain this phrase in the LXX, and the ancient Italian, vulgate, Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Georgian, and Slavic, as well as quotes from early church fathers (incl. Athanasius, Chrysostom, and Cyril) also don’t contain this phrase.
[K] Some editions of the LXX read ἀλλά- (“change”) instead of ἑλί- (“fold”), and, when it comes to 2nd Century translations of the original Psalm from Hebrew to Greek, Aquila and Theodotian opted for “fold,” Symmachus for “change.” This is also reflected in Hebrews 1:12, with two of the oldest-known Greek manuscripts. The variant doesn’t make a significant difference, especially since it is a repetition of the last verbal action in the sentence.
[L] Once again, this matches the LXX, but then again, so does Aquila’s translation from the Hebrew a century later. Symmachus’ translation “wait at my right hand” is not an accurate translation.