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God’s Supreme Revelation(A)

God, who [a]at various times and (B)in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the [b]worlds; (C)who being the brightness of His glory and the express (D)image of His person, and (E)upholding all things by the word of His power, (F)when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our sins, (G)sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as (H)He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The Son Exalted Above Angels

For to which of the angels did He ever say:

(I)“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?

And again:

(J)“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”?

But when He again brings (K)the firstborn into the world, He says:

(L)“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

And of the angels He says:

(M)“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”

But to the Son He says:

(N)“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A [f]scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, (O)has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

10 And:

(P)“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 (Q)They will perish, but You remain;
And (R)they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the (S)same,
And Your years will not fail.”

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:

(T)“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?

14 (U)Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will (V)inherit salvation?

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:1 Or in many portions
  2. Hebrews 1:2 Or ages, Gr. aiones, aeons
  3. Hebrews 1:3 NU omits by Himself
  4. Hebrews 1:3 cleansed
  5. Hebrews 1:3 NU omits our
  6. Hebrews 1:8 A ruler’s staff

God’s Final Word in His Son

God, after He (A)spoke long ago to the fathers in (B)the prophets in many portions and (C)in many ways, [a](D)in these last days (E)has spoken to us [b]in His (F)Son, whom He appointed (G)heir of all things, (H)through whom He also made the [c](I)world. [d]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact (J)representation of His nature, and [e](K)upholds all things by [f]the word of His power. When He had made (L)purification of sins, He (M)sat down at the right hand of the (N)Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent (O)name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say,

(P)You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”?

And again,

(Q)I will be a Father to Him
And He will be a Son to Me”?

And [g]when He again (R)brings the firstborn into [h](S)the world, He says,

(T)And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

And regarding the angels He says,

(U)He makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”

But regarding the Son He says,

(V)Your throne, God, is forever and ever,
And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of [i]His kingdom.
(W)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
(X)Therefore God, Your God, has (Y)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your companions.”

10 And,

(Z)You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 (AA)They will perish, but You remain;
(AB)And they all will [j]wear out like a garment,
12 (AC)And like a robe You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are (AD)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,

(AE)Sit at My right hand,
(AF)Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet”?

14 Are they not all (AG)ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will (AH)inherit (AI)salvation?

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:2 Or at the end of these days
  2. Hebrews 1:2 Or in the person of a Son; lit in Son
  3. Hebrews 1:2 Lit ages
  4. Hebrews 1:3 Lit Who being
  5. Hebrews 1:3 Lit upholding
  6. Hebrews 1:3 Or His word of power
  7. Hebrews 1:6 Or again when He brings
  8. Hebrews 1:6 Lit the inhabited earth
  9. Hebrews 1:8 Late mss Your
  10. Hebrews 1:11 Or become old

God’s Final Word in His Son

God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways, has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus], whom He appointed heir and lawful owner of all things, through whom also He created the universe [that is, the universe as a space-time-matter continuum]. The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s [a]Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority], having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious [b]name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].

For to which of the angels did the Father ever say,

You are My Son,
Today I have begotten (fathered) You [established You as a Son, with kingly dignity]”?

And again [did He ever say to the angels],

I shall be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me”?(A)

[c]And when He again brings the firstborn [highest-ranking Son] into the world, He says,

And all the angels of God are to worship Him.”(B)

And concerning the angels He says,

Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministering servants flames of fire [to do His bidding].”(C)

But about the Son [the Father says to Him],

Your throne, [d]O God, is forever and ever,
And the [e]scepter of [absolute] righteousness is the scepter of [f]His kingdom.

You have loved righteousness [integrity, virtue, uprightness in purpose] and have hated lawlessness [injustice, sin].
Therefore God, Your God, Has anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”(D)

10 And,

[g]You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 
They will perish, but You remain [forever and ever];
And they will all wear out like a garment,
12 
And like a robe You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will be changed.
But [h]You are the same [forever],
And Your years will never end.”(E)

13 But to which of the angels has the Father ever said,

Sit at My right hand [together with me in royal dignity],
Until I make your enemies
A footstool for your feet [in triumphant conquest]”?(F)

14 Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:3 The word “Shekinah” does not appear in Scripture, but has been used by both Christians and Jews to describe the visible divine Presence of God, in such things as the burning bush, the cloud and the pillar of fire that led the Hebrews in the wilderness, and the Presence of God that rested between the cherubim over the mercy seat of the ark.
  2. Hebrews 1:4 In Greek “name” occurs last in this verse to emphasize that Jesus alone bears the name Son. No angel is superior to the Son.
  3. Hebrews 1:6 Most likely a reference to the second coming of Christ when He will be acknowledged as divine and worshiped as the Son of God. Another view suggests that this may be a reference to His incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth.
  4. Hebrews 1:8 The Son is recognized as deity by being addressed by the Father as “God.”
  5. Hebrews 1:8 I.e. symbol of authority.
  6. Hebrews 1:8 Late mss read Your.
  7. Hebrews 1:10 The deity of Jesus is acclaimed by the designation “You, Lord.”
  8. Hebrews 1:12 Since He is deity, the eternality of Jesus is recognized.

God’s Final Word: His Son

In the past God spoke(A) to our ancestors through the prophets(B) at many times and in various ways,(C) but in these last days(D) he has spoken to us by his Son,(E) whom he appointed heir(F) of all things, and through whom(G) also he made the universe.(H) The Son is the radiance of God’s glory(I) and the exact representation of his being,(J) sustaining all things(K) by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,(L) he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.(M) So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.(N)

The Son Superior to Angels

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father”[a]?(O)

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son”[b]?(P)

And again, when God brings his firstborn(Q) into the world,(R) he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[c](S)

In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits,
    and his servants flames of fire.”[d](T)

But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;(U)
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions(V)
    by anointing you with the oil(W) of joy.”[e](X)

10 He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.(Y)
11 They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.(Z)
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
    like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,(AA)
    and your years will never end.”[f](AB)

13 To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand(AC)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool(AD) for your feet”[g]?(AE)

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits(AF) sent to serve those who will inherit(AG) salvation?(AH)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
  2. Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
  3. Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
  4. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
  5. Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
  6. Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
  7. Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

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?

And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

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.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

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.

13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?