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God Spoke Through His Son

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times and in many different ways. But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world. The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven. The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than theirs.

This is because God never said to any of the angels,

“You are my Son.
    Today I have become your Father.” Psalm 2:7

Nor did God say of any angel,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son.” 2 Samuel 7:14

And when God brings his firstborn Son into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[a] Psalm 97:7

This is what God said about the angels:

“God makes his angels become like winds.
    He makes his servants become like flames of fire.” Psalm 104:4

But God said this about his Son:

“God, your throne will last forever and ever.
    You will rule your kingdom with fairness.
You love right and hate evil,
    so God has chosen you from among your friends;
    he has set you apart with much joy.” Psalm 45:6–7

10 God also says,

“Lord, in the beginning you made the earth,
    and your hands made the skies.
11 They will be destroyed, but you will remain.
    They will all wear out like clothes.
12 You will fold them like a coat.
    And, like clothes, you will change them.
But you never change,
    and your life will never end.” Psalm 102:25–27

13 And God never said this to an angel:

“Sit by me at my right side
    until I put your enemies under your control.”[b]Psalm 110:1

14 All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation.

Footnotes

  1. 1:6 “Let . . . him.” These words are found in Deuteronomy 32:43 in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, and in a Hebrew copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
  2. 1:13 until . . . control Literally, “until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

God Speaks to Us By His Son

In the past, God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of the divine nature. He sustains all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,[a] he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The Son Is Superior to the Angels

The Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say:

You are my Son. Today I have begotten you?[b]

And again:

I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.[c]

And again, when he brought his firstborn into the world, he said:

Let all God’s angels worship him.[d]

About the angels he says:

He makes his messengers winds and his ministers flaming fire.[e]

But about the Son he says:

God, your throne is forever and ever,
and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
    beyond your companions.[f]

10 And he says:

In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain.
They will all become old like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe,
and they will be changed like a garment.[g]
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.[h]

13 To which of the angels has he ever said:

Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet?[i]

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent out to serve for the benefit of those who are going to inherit salvation?

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:3 Some witnesses to the text add by himself. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
  2. Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
  3. Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13
  4. Hebrews 1:6 Deuteronomy 32:43 (Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint); Psalm 97:7
  5. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
  6. Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6-7
  7. Hebrews 1:12 Some witnesses to the text omit like a garment.
  8. Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
  9. Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1