Hebrews 1
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 1
Prologue[a]
1 In previous times, God spoke to our ancestors
in many and various ways
through the Prophets,[b]
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us
through his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe.
3 He is the reflection of God’s glory
and the perfect expression of his very being,[c]
sustaining all things by his powerful word.
Achieving purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
4 So he became as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
The Son of God, Superior to the Angels[d]
Messianic Enthronement.[e] For to which of the angels did God ever say,“You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?[f]
6 And again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all the angels of God pay him homage.”
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and detested wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness far above your companions.”
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a cloak;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are ever the same,
and your years will have no end.”
13 But to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool”?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:1 From the opening words to the final “Amen” (Heb 13:21), readers are to keep their gaze fixed on Christ. In this magisterial sentence, “God . . . has spoken to us through his Son” (Heb 1:2), which is one of the most tightly packed and beautiful of the entire New Testament, the essence of the Letter is expressed.
God has spoken definitively in Christ, who is his real, living Word. Everything that can be said about the plan of God is made fully real in Christ. Using expressions taken from Alexandrian thought, the author says that the Son, born of the Father, is in every respect equal to him; the glorified Christ is far superior to the world of the angels, and he gives existence and salvation to every creature.
Thus, seven great theological themes are set forth: (1) Theism: God exists; (2) Revelation: God has revealed himself through the Prophets and through his Son; (3) Incarnation: God became man in Jesus Christ; (4) Creation: God created all things through Christ; (5) Providence: God upholds all things by his almighty word; Redemption: by his mediatorship and his suffering Christ made salvation possible; and Ascension: the Lord Jesus has ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. - Hebrews 1:1 Through the Prophets: this refers not only to the Prophets but to all the writers of the Old Testament, for they constituted the preparation for the coming of Christ.
- Hebrews 1:3 Perfect expression of his very being: that is, there is an identity of nature (see Wis 7:25-26).
- Hebrews 1:5 How can God, who is inaccessible and transcendent, communicate with human beings? Are not intermediaries needed to establish the link between the heavenly world and the terrestrial one? This was a question that preoccupied many Jewish circles after the Exile. In reply they insisted on the role and importance of beings who were neither human nor divine: angels. They even imagined that the intervention of the angels was needed to bring the Law to Moses (see Heb 2:2; Gal 3:19). However, if it is necessary to multiply intermediaries between God and humans, does not this mean that humanity remains decisively distant from the Lord? The perspective is completely reversed when one speaks of Christ.
5
No one is like him in intimacy with God, neither is anyone like him in proximity to humans. The link between heaven and earth is established in his very Person. It is the principal aim of the Letter to the Hebrews to hold to these two aspects of Christ: he is united through and through with God, and he is completely one with human beings. In this first part of the Letter, he is presented as Son of God and brother to human beings. - Hebrews 1:5 In Christ God has spoken in a definitive way (Heb 1:2), and the author sees this truth already proclaimed in the Old Testament. He cites a series of passages, almost all of which were regarded in the Jewish tradition as announcements of the Messiah. What are angels? Merely subordinates, mediators, and messengers ever being replaced. But the Son is the Firstborn. This is the title of honor reserved for Christ that includes a priority over creatures (see Col 1:15). He receives adoration, is enthroned, and partakes unceasingly in the status of God.
- Hebrews 1:5 I will be his Father,/and he will be my Son: before the coming of Christ, this text from 2 Sam 7:14 and the text of Ps 2 were acknowledged to be Messianic.
Hebrews 1
Lexham English Bible
God’s Full and Final Revelation in the Son
1 Although[a] God spoke long ago in many parts[b] and in many ways to the fathers by the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world,[c] 3 who is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, sustaining all things by the word of power.[d] When he[e] had made purification for sins through him, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become by so much better than the angels, by as much as he has inherited a more excellent name than theirs.
The Son Superior to the Angels
5 For to which of the angels did he ever say,
“You are my son,
today I have begotten you,”[f]
and again,
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“And let all the angels of God worship him.”[j]
7 And concerning the angels he says,
“The one who makes his angels winds,
and his servants a flame of fire,”[k]
8 but concerning the Son,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever[l],
and the scepter of righteous is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
because of this God, your God, has anointed you
with the olive oil of joy more than your companions.[m]
10 And,
“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 continue,
and they will all become old like a garment,
12 and like a robe you will roll them up,
and like a garment they will be changed;
but you are the same, and your years will not run out.”[n]
13 But to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit down at my right hand,
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”[o]
14 Are they not all spirits engaged in special service, sent on assignment for the sake of those who are going to inherit salvation?
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:1 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“spoke”) which is understood as concessive
- Hebrews 1:1 Or “portions”
- Hebrews 1:2 Or “the universe”; literally “the ages”
- Hebrews 1:3 Some manuscripts have “by the word of his power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down”
- Hebrews 1:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had made”) which is understood as temporal
- Hebrews 1:5 A quotation from Ps 2:7
- Hebrews 1:5 Literally “to him for a father”
- Hebrews 1:5 Literally “to me for a son”
- Hebrews 1:5 A quotation from 2 Sam 7:14 (cf. 1 Chr 17:13)
- Hebrews 1:6 A quotation from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7
- Hebrews 1:7 A quotation from Ps 104:4
- Hebrews 1:8 Literally “for the age of the age”
- Hebrews 1:9 A quotation from Ps 45:6–7
- Hebrews 1:12 A quotation from Ps 102:25–27
- Hebrews 1:13 A quotation from Ps 110:1
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