Ibrani 1:1-5

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ¹  in various portions ²  and in various ways ³  to our ancestors ⁴  through the prophets, 1:2 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  1:3 The Son is ⁷  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  1:4 Thus he became ¹⁰  so far better than the angels as ¹¹  he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God ¹²  ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? ¹³  And in another place ¹⁴  he says, ¹⁵  “I will be his father and he will be my son.” ¹⁶ 

Ibrani 5:5

5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, ¹⁷  who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,” ¹⁸ 

2 Petrus 1:17-18

1:17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that ¹⁹  voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: “This is my dear Son, in whom I am delighted.” ²⁰  1:18 When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves ²¹  heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ²² 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ² tn 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).

[1:1]  ³ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[1:2]  ⁵ tn 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).

[1:2]  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.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn 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.

[1:3]  ⁷ tn 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.

[1:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ⁹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.

[1:4]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “having become.” This is part of the same sentence that extends from v. 1 through v. 4 in the Greek text.

[1:4]  ¹¹ tn 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.

[1:4]  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.

[1:5]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “I have begotten you.”

[1:5]  sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.

[1:5]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage.

[1:5]  ¹⁵ tn 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.

[1:5]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”

[1:5]  sn A quotation from 2 Sam 7:14 (cf. 1 Chr 17:13).

[5:5]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:5]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “I have begotten you”; see Heb 1:5.

[5:5]  sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.

[1:17]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “such a.” The pronoun τοιᾶσδε (toiasde) most likely refers to what follows, connoting something of the uniqueness of the proclamation.

[1:17]  ²⁰ tn The verb εὐδόκησα (eudokhsa) in collocation with εἰς ὅν (ei" Jon) could either mean “in whom I am well-pleased, delighted” (in which case the preposition functions like ἐν [en]), or “on whom I have set my favor.”

[1:17]  sn This is my beloved Son, in whom I am delighted alludes to the Transfiguration. However, the author’s version is markedly different from the synoptic accounts (in particular his introductory phrase, “when that voice was conveyed to him,” an unusual expression [perhaps used to avoid naming God directly as the one who spoke from heaven]). The most natural explanation for such differences is that he was unaware of the exact wording of the Gospels. This is, of course, easier to explain if 2 Peter is authentic than if it is a late document, written in the 2nd century.

[1:18]  ²¹ tn The “we” in v. 18 is evidently exclusive, that is, it refers to Peter and the other apostles.

[1:18]  ²² tn 2 Pet 1:17-18 comprise one sentence in Greek, with the main verb “heard” in v. 18. All else is temporally subordinate to that statement. Hence, more literally these verses read as follows: “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am delighted,’ we ourselves heard this voice when it was conveyed from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.”