Copyright @ 2022 by Félix H.

Cortez
Exhortation: Pay attention to God’s decree

(Hebrews 2:1–4)

1
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift
away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by
those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with
various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
(Hebrews 2:1–4 NKJV)
1
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away
from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every
transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we
neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to
us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various
miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
(Hebrews 2:1–4, ESV)

In this section, the author pauses his theological exposition for a moment to exhort his readers to

pay closer attention because what they have heard has grave implications for them. The author

employs three kinds of arguments to persuade his readers of this point. First, he lays the

foundation with a logical argument. Since the Son is greater than the angels, as shown in 1:5–14,

the message God has spoken now through the Son deserves more attention than the message

previously spoken through angels. Secondly, the author emphasizes the legal dimension of the

message received through the Son. This message has been given with ample evidence of its

certainty, such that the audience can be held to account if they neglect its truth. Finally, the

author emphasizes the audience’s personal experience. They personally know that the message is

true; therefore, they cannot escape the responsibility it entails.

This is the first of several exhortatory sections that appear in the letter (see the section in the

introduction to this commentary titled “Structure”). These sections will flesh out the appeal to
the audience to hold fast to their Christian confession and will also warn them against allowing

their spiritual condition to decline.

2:1. Therefore. The exhortation builds on the whole argument of chapter 1, which described

Jesus’s exaltation at the right hand of God as Lord (1:5–14).

Give the more earnest heed … drift away. The Greek verb prosechein “pay close attention”505

is sometimes used to refer to holding a ship on course toward port,506 or anchoring a ship at port

(Herodotus Hist. 9.99).507 The author may be intending a nautical metaphor here, for the verb

pararreo “drift away” could refer to slipping away from one’s course.508 An explicit nautical

metaphor also appears in Hebrews 6:19, where it is said that Jesus is the “anchor of the soul, firm

and secure.” These metaphors capture the author’s concern that his audience is slipping away

from truth, that their spiritual commitment is declining. The author will later warn the audience

against hardening their hearts (3:8, 12), against becoming “dull of hearing” and unwilling to

mature (5:11–6:3), and against the roots of “bitterness” that may grow into open rebellion

(12:15). Instead of “drifting away” and neglecting their spiritual commitment, the author exhorts

the readers to “hold fast” (3:6; 4:14), “come boldly” (4:16), “draw near” (10:22), “look unto”

(12:2), and “go forth” (13:13).

2:2. The word spoken through angels. The word in question is probably the law proclaimed at

Sinai. Exodus 19 and 20 do not mention angels present at the giving of the law, but Moses refers

505
BDAG, s.v. “προσέχω.”
506
LSJ, s.v. “προσέχω.”
507
deSilva, Perseverance in Gratitude, 104–5; Johnson, Hebrews, 86; Koester, Hebrews, 205.
508
LSJ, s.v. “προσέχω.”

206
later to their presence at Sinai (Deut 33:2 [LXX]; cf. Ps 68:17). By the time of the New

Testament, there was a widespread belief among Jews that angels had played a mediatorial role

at Sinai, which the Jews considered to be a sign of the law’s exalted status (Jub. 1:27; 2:1, 26–

27; Philo, Dreams 1.143; Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 15.136; Mek. on Exod 20:18; Sipre 102

on Num 12:5; Pesiq. Rab. 21). Paul and Stephen also refer to this notion (Acts 7:38, 53; Gal

3:19).

Steadfast. The Greek word bebaios “reliable, abiding, valid,” has a legal connotation here.509 It

refers to the fact that God’s word at Sinai, witnessed by angels and accepted solemnly by the

people, was legally binding.510 Thus, any transgression or violation was liable to punishment,

which is what eventually happened for Israel. Israel’s transgression and disobedience received a

just retribution when they went into the exile (e.g., Dan 9:4–19). Hebrews 9:15–23 will explain

in detail how Jesus’s death solved the legal dilemma posed by Israel’s transgressions and

established the legality of a new covenant for those who believe in Jesus.

2:3. How shall we escape…? The author develops his argument via a lesser-to-greater

comparison. In the past, God gave the law through angels at Sinai, and this word was legally

binding, but now he has spoken “by His Son,” who is so much superior to the angels (1:5–14).

The comparison does not emphasize a difference of content or quality between the messages but

a difference in how strongly binding they are.511 This is because the angels and the Son are not

509
BDAG, s.v. “βέβαιος.”
510
Heinrich Schlier, “βέβαιος κτλ,” TDNT 1:602–603.
511
The author argues that Israel received the gospel just as we have (see comment in 4:2; cf. Cockerill, Epistle to
the Hebrews, 120–21); therefore, just as they were found guilty when they rejected it, we will be found guilty if
we do.

207
just channels through whom God communicates; the legal language suggests that they function

also as witnesses who can attest to the making of a covenant or promise—and who can in turn

serve as witnesses against those who transgress. Deuteronomy 19:15 established that for every

matter of life and death there was a necessity of two or three witnesses, a principle that is also

important to Hebrews and other New Testament writings (Heb 10:28; 12:1; cf. Matt 18:16; 2 Cor

13:1; 1 Tim 5:19). One of the functions of a mediator in Hellenistic law was to be a witness in

this legal sense of the word.512 Thus, while God’s message at Sinai was mediated through angels,

God’s word to us has been mediated by the Son. The message through the Son has been further

attested by “those who heard Him,” and by God himself through “signs and wonders” (2:4),

making it even firmer. If judgment was inevitable for those who transgressed that word at Sinai,

how much more is it inevitable for us (4:12–13; 10:26–31; 12:25–29).

Salvation. The word God has spoken, both at Sinai and through the Son, is about “salvation,” a

salvation that was inaugurated with the enthronement of the Son at the right hand of God (see

comment on Heb 1:2). The author’s stress on the greatness of the salvation made available

through the Son may imply a comparison to the salvation offered by Caesar, the Roman emperor,

who was, like Jesus, considered son of God and savior. Caesar was thought to be the earthly

representative of the savior-god Zeus (cf. 1:3), and he provided salvation to the world in the form

of “peace and security.”513 The Son in Hebrews, however, has done so much more. He has

destroyed the “one who has the power of death” (2:14–16), made available God’s rest to us (4:1–

512
Ceslas Spicq, “μεσιτης,” TLNT 2:465–8. See also, Cortez, “Within the Veil, 210–213.
513
See Sylvia Keesmat, “Crucified Lord or Conquering Saviour: Whose Story of Salvation?,” HBT 26 (2004):
69–93.

208
10), provided cleansing from sin (9:14–29), inaugurated a new covenant (9:15–23), and provided

access for us into the very presence of God (10:19–22).

And was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. “Those who heard” probably refers to the

apostles. In this case, the author is saying that the apostles confirmed to him and those in his

company the message of the gospel. It is often argued that this means that Paul could have not

been the author of Hebrews, since Paul denied in Galatians 1:11–12 to have “received”

(parelabon) the gospel from any man. However, this objection to Pauline authorship is not

compelling.514 The argument of the passage is not that author and the audience “received”

(parelabon) or were “taught” (edidachthēn) the gospel by the apostles but that the gospel was

“confirmed” (ebebaiōthē) to them by the apostles, those who heard Jesus (Heb 2:3). The point

was that the double confirmation by the apostles and God made the audience liable to God’s

judgment should they abandon the gospel (Heb 2:1–4; cf. Heb 10:28). In fact, Paul

acknowledged that he received the gospel from God through revelation (Gal 1:11–12) and

fourteen years later he sought confirmation from the apostles about the gospel he preached—“to

make sure I was not running or had not run in vain” (Gal 2:1–2). Both assertions are true with

regard to Paul: Paul received the gospel by revelation (Gal 1:11–12), but the gospel was also

confirmed to him by those who had heard it (Gal 2).

2:4. Signs and wonders. This expression was regularly used to refer to miraculous events that

that accompanied God’s great acts of redemption. In the LXX, it was a standard phrase for the

miracles God performed to deliver Israel from Egypt (e.g., Exod 11:9–10; Deut 4:34; 6:22). In

the New Testament, signs and wonders were associated with the ministries of Jesus (e.g., Acts

514
See Rothschild, Hebrews as a Pseudepigraphon, 78–79.

209
2:22), the apostles (Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12), and Paul (Acts 14:3; 15:12; Rom 15:19; 2 Cor 12:12).

The miracles performed by Jesus and the apostles did more than simply legitimize their message

(see 2:3); they were also a fulfillment of the message they announced. By casting out demons,

healing the sick, converting the sinners, and destroying the power of sin through His

resurrection, Jesus and the disciples after Him effected the salvation they were announcing,

making real the power of God’s kingdom among us.

Gifts. This word translates the Greek term merismos “separation, distribution, apportionment.”515

This term can be used to describe the apportionment of an inheritance (cf. P.Oxy. 493.8; P.Ryl.

65.5). Note that both Jesus and the believers were identified as inheritors of “all things” and

“salvation” respectively in chapter 1 (vv. 2, 14). The apostle Paul wrote of the gifts of the Holy

Spirit as an initial apportionment of the believer’s future inheritance (Eph 1:14; cf. 2 Cor 1:22;

5:5), and the author of Hebrews expresses a similar idea in Hebrews 6:4–5 when he says that

believers have tasted “the heavenly gift … the powers of the coming age.” This implies that

through the gifts of the Holy Spirit God has given believers a foretaste of future salvation. These

gifts serve as a testimony of the firmness of God’s word and once believers have received these

gifts, they bear an increased responsibility to faithfulness.

Exposition: The Son was crowned after being made lower than the angels

to experience death for everyone

(Hebrews 2:5–18)
5
For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 6 But
one testified in a certain place, saying:

515
BDAG, s.v. “μερισμός.”

210
 “What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
7
You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
8
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in
subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet
see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of
God, might taste death for everyone.
9
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in
bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of
one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
13
And again:
“I will put My trust in Him.” And again:
“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise
shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to
the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that
He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being
tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
(Hebrews 2:5–18 NKJV)

5
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are
speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
8
putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At
present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a
little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor
because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone.
10
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many
sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For

211
 he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not
ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13
And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death,
that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to
lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of
Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
(Heb 2:5–18 ESV)

After exhorting his readers not to neglect the great salvation that has been offered to them (2:1–

4), the author resumes his exposition of the Son’s exaltation at the right hand of God (1:5–14).

He addresses two questions that may have been raised in the mind of the audience: first, if the

Son has been enthroned over the world, why is it that His rule does not seem more evident or

effective? That is to say, if salvation has been achieved, why are we still suffering? This question

is especially pressing for an audience that has confessed Jesus as Lord (4:14; 10:23) and yet

continues to experience persecution, temptation, and reproach (4:15; 10:32–34; 12:3–4; 13:3).

The author answers briefly by acknowledging that we do not yet see all things in submission to

God. But he also notes that the enemies have been subjugated to Jesus in the “coming world”

(2:5),516 affirming that God will eventually bring about the total submission of the enemies in the

516
The “coming world” refers in Hebrews to "the citiy that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God”
(11:10), the heavenly country (11:16), “the reward” (11:26), and “the city that is to come” (13:14). The "coming
world” is the culmination of the promises of the gospel. It is equivalent to the “new heaven” and “the new earth”
of Rev 21:1.

212
future when God’s rule fully breaks out into our world (1:14; 10:23–13; 12:25–29; cf. 1 Cor

15:20–28). A second and intimately related question absorbs the author’s interest in this section:

if the Son is so superior over the angels, why did He suffer such a humiliating death? Do not

Jesus’s humanity and suffering contradict His superiority over the angels? The author answers

that Jesus fully identified with us in our weakness and suffering in order to save us (vv. 9–11).

Through His death, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil and is able to help us as a merciful

high priest (vv.14–18).

The transition from the discussion of the loftiness of Jesus’s exaltation (1:5–14) to the analysis of

the depths of His incarnation (2:9–18) is made possible by a quotation from Psalm 8 (2:6–8),

which marvels both at the insignificance of human beings in comparison to the night skies and

the magnificence of their role as rulers over God’s creation. Although the psalm was originally

written to describe the human race, the author applies its language to describe the two successive

stages in Jesus’s effort to save us: just as human beings are both lowly and exalted, so Jesus, too,

took on a lowly status initially (through His incarnation and suffering) but later received

exaltation and dominion.

This section offers strong contrasts to the previous section of exposition in Hebrews 1. Hebrews

1:1–14 reflected on Jesus’s relationship to God, whereas 2:5–18 contemplates Jesus’s

relationship to human beings. There, He was the Son of God, ruler over the angels, “the

brightness of His glory and the express image of His person”; here, He is Jesus, the Son of Man,

made lower than the angels, fully human—even to the point of death. There, God spoke to the

Son; here, Jesus responds to God. There, God proclaimed, “You are My Son” (1:5); here, Jesus

accepts human children as His “brethren” (2:12). There, God declared the Son’s divine

sovereignty (1:8–12); here, the Son affirms His fealty to God (2:13a). There, God invited the

213
Son, “sit at My right hand” (1:13); here, the Son accepts the invitation, saying, “Here am I and

the children whom God has given me” (2:13b). There, Jesus was the divine Lord, creator,

sustainer, and sovereign; here, Jesus is the human high priest, merciful and faithful. Thus, the

description of Jesus as faithful and merciful high priest (2:18) culminates the description of the

Son as the ultimate manifestation of God (1:1–4).

2:5. The world to come, of which we speak. After a short digression warning the readers

against disregarding the word of God (2:1–4), the author now continues the discussion of Jesus’s

enthronement that he began in 1:5. He explains that Jesus was introduced to the “world to come”

and enthroned there. This is the same world mentioned in 1:6.

The expression “world to come” was common in early Jewish and Rabbinic literature, and it

referred to the future age of salvation where God would establish His rule. Although they

differed among themselves in their understanding of some of the final details, the Jews expected

that at that time God’s justice would be manifested, order would be restored, corruption would

be cleansed, and the world would be recreated.517 Jesus entered this world at His ascension as our

forerunner, which means that we will enter it in the future as well (6:20; cf. 2:10; 12:1–4).

Hebrews shares the view of other New Testament writers that the world believers will inherit is

kept in heaven for them (Col 1:5; 1 Pet 1:4–5).

In subjection to angels. Some passages in Scripture suggest that the present world is under the

dominion of angels (see Deut 32:8 LXX; Dan 10:13, 20, 21; 12:1).518 But while our world is

under the dominion of angels, Hebrews argues that “the world to come” has been subjected to

517
Mackie, Eschatology and Exhortation, 29–35.
518
This idea was also present in other early Jewish literature (Sir 17:17; 1 En. 60:15–21; 89:70–76; Jub. 35:17).

214
the Son (through the enthronement of Jesus at His right hand). Thus, Jesus’s exaltation has

brought to fruition the kingdom of God promised for “the last days” (Heb 1:2; cf. Dan 2:28, 44;

Heb 9:26).

The benefits of Jesus’s rule have not fully transpired on earth, however. That which is already a

reality for Jesus in heaven, still lies in the future for believers.519 Thus, while believers taste now

“the powers of the age to come” (6:5), they still look forward to a city that is to come (13:14).

The cleansing of sins has already been accomplished (9:26; 10:1–10) but final

judgment/cleansing (9:27–28; 10:25; 12:25–29) and the total submission of the enemies still lie

in the future (1:14; 10:11–14). Believers are living in the transition between two ages.

2:6. But one testified in a certain place. The quotation of Psalm 8:4–6 is not introduced as an

instance of divine direct speech. This interrupts the series of quotations from the Psalms in Heb

1:5–14 that were introduced as divine direct speech. The reason for this is that Ps 8:4–6 contains

a direct address to God instead of God’s address to someone else. The author’s vague

introduction of Ps 8 does not mean that the author did not know who the author of Ps 8 was or

where it could be found. He also introduces vaguely Gen 2:2 in Heb 4:4 eventhough it is clear

from the context that the author knew where that passage was (see Heb 4:3). The author’s vague

introduction of the author and of the location of Ps 8 may have the purpose of reducing the

prominence of human authorship of the psalm in order to emphasize its divine inspiration. That

may be the reason that the testimony is valid.

man … son of man. These parallel expressions are the translation of a Semitic idiom. Both

expressions refer simply to humanity in general (e.g., Num 23:19; Isa 56:2; Jer 49:18, 33; Mic

519
deSilva, Perseverance in Gratitude, 97; Mackie, Eschatology and Exhortation, 35–44.

215
5:7).520 The author is quoting here Psalm 8:4–6, where the psalmist marvels at two contrasting

aspects of the human condition: on one hand, human beings are inconsequential in comparison to

the vast universe observable in the night sky. On the other, they have a majestic role as rulers

over the created world. Human beings are nothing in comparison to the boundless universe; yet,

they have great honor and glory because God has “put all things in subjection under his [their]

feet” (v. 8).

2:7. A little lower than the angels. The original Hebrew text of the psalm being quoted here

says that humans were a little lower than ’elohim, which can refer either to God in the singular or

to gods in the plural (in the latter sense, it can be used to refer to heavenly beings, as in Psalm

97:7). Several ancient translations of Psalms took the word in the first sense and rendered this

phrase as “a little lower than God” (e.g., Aquila, Symmachus). This could be appropriate, since

God’s original purpose for humanity was that they would rule over creation. As rulers, human

beings were indeed “a little lower” than God, who has dominion over the universe (Gen 1:26–

28). Hebrews, however, is relying on the Septuagint translation of the psalm, which

interpreted’elohim as referring to heavenly beings and rendered this phrase “a little lower than

the angels” (the Syriac Old Testament, Targum, and Vulgate interpret the psalm in the same

way). It is clear in any case that this expression refers to the grandeur of humanity since it is

synonymous with the expression “crowned … with glory and honor.”

And set him … hands. This phrase appears in the original Hebrew texts of Psalm 8:6 as well as

in the earliest Greek translations of Psalms. However, the phrase appears only inconsistently in

520
It is clear that the terms “man” and “son of man” refer to humanity in general (rather than to one man in
particular) because both terms lack the article in the original language. By contrast, when Jesus used the
expression “Son of Man” as a title to refer to himself, He always used the article (the single exception is John
5:27).

216
manuscripts of Hebrews. It is included in manuscripts such as ‫א‬, A, C, D* but is lacking in

others such as p46, B, D2. Thus, some English versions include the phrase (e.g., NKJV) but others

do not (e.g., ESV). The phrase was probably not in the original text of Hebrews 2:7; it was most

likely added later by a scribe to match the text of Psalm 8:6.

2:8. But now we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. “Him” in this verse refers to

humanity in general and to the people of God in particular.521 The author is aware that God

originally blessed the entire human race with dominion and fruitfulness (Gen 1:26–28). This is

the blessing celebrated in Psalm 8, which Hebrews has just quoted.522 After the fall, the original

promise was renewed to Abraham’s seed (Gen 15:5; 17:6–8; 22:16–18; Dan 7:13–14, 22, 27).

God’s plan was to restore His original purpose for humanity by blessing “all the nations of the

earth” through the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:1–3; 22:16–18). The author of Hebrews is aware,

however, that the current condition of suffering among the people of God contradicts God’s

glorious intention of putting “all things” under His people and under human beings. The

audience of Hebrews—which at the time of the letter is experiencing abuse, temptation, and

reproach (Heb 4:15; 10:32–34; 12:3–4; 13:3)—is probably also very aware of this painful

contradiction between God’s glorious purpose and their reality.

521
Some understand “him” to refer to Jesus. If this was the case, we would expect “him” and “Jesus” to be in the
reversed order (“At present, we do not yet see everthing in subject to Jesus, but we do see him (…) at least
crowned with glory and honor”). Furthermore, if this passage referred to Jesus, it would be asserting what was
asserted in Heb 1:13, making the discussion of Ps 8 superfluous or at least redundant. Finally, the fact that Heb
2:9 refers to the representative nature of Jesus’s suffering supports the idea that Jesus is the one person in whom
the promises and purposes originally intended for humanity are fulfilled. See Jared Compton, Psalm 110 and the
Logic of Hebrews, LNTS 357 (London: Bloomsbury, 2015), 38–53; Philip Church, Hebrews and the Temple:
Attitudes to the Temple in Second Temple Judaism and in Hebrews, NovTSup 171 (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 295–310.
522
For additional discussion of Psalm 8 and its celebration of God’s blessing on the human race, see the section in
the introduction titled “The Story at the Cosmic Level.”

217
The author of Hebrews is not the only one to remark on the disconnect between God’s purposes

as described in Psalm 8 and the current condition of God’s people. In a similar manner, the

author of 4 Ezra alluded to Psalm 8 to complain before God about Israel’s suffering:

“All this I have spoken before you, O Lord, because you have said that it was for us that

you created this world. As for the other nations which have descended from Adam, you

have said that they are nothing, and that they are like spittle, and you have compared their

abundance to a drop from a bucket. And now, O Lord, behold, these nations, which are

reputed as nothing, domineer over us and devour us. But we your people, whom you have

called your first-born, only begotten, zealous for you, and most dear, have been given

into their hands. If the world has indeed been created for us, why do we not possess our

world as an inheritance? How long will this be so? (6:55–59 [OTP 1:536]).

Other early Jewish writers also shared this belief that the “son of man” of Psalm 8 referred to

Israel.523 Similarly, The Shepherd of Hermas, a Christian writing from the second century AD,

considered that God created all things for the church, suggesting that the “son of man” of Psalm

8 referred to the church (Vis. 1.1.6 and 2.4.1).

2:9. But we see Jesus. The author now argues that God’s grand purpose for human beings at

creation actually has been fulfilled. It is fulfilled in Jesus, who was crowned with glory and

honor at His ascension. Although Psalm 8 originally celebrated the promise given to all

humanity and later renewed to Israel specifically, the author is suggesting that Psalm 8 should

523
2 Bar 14:19; 15:7; 21:24, T.Mos. 1:12; Sifre on Deut. 11:21; b. Ber. 32b; Gen. Rab. 12:2; Tanh. Ber. 3 and 10;
1QS 4.23; CD 3.20; 1QH 4.15. For further references, see Michael E. Stone, Fourth Ezra. Hermeneia. (Minneapolis:
Fortress, 1990), 188–189. See also N. T. Wright, “Adam, Israel and the Messiah, The Climax of the Covenant:
Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology (Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress, 1993), 18–40.

218
now be read in a new light as referring to Jesus (and His followers), instead of Adam or Israel

(see 4 Ezra 6:58-59; cf. Ps 80:7-17). Other New Testament documents adopted this same

interpretation of Psalm 8 and quoted Ps 8 just after quoting Ps 110 just as here in Hebrews (1 Cor

15:25–27; Eph 1:20–22; Heb 1:13; 2:6–8).

Although the Jews recognized many psalms as ultimately speaking of a future messiah, they had

not recognized any messianic implications of Psalm 8 in particular; the interpretation of Psalm 8

in a messianic light probably originated with Christianity. However, early Jewish literature had

previously applied some cases of the “man/son of man” language to the messiah.524 The “Son of

God” text from Qumran, some early Jewish writings (4 Ezra 12–13; cf. 1 Enoch 46–48; 62:2–

71), and some rabbinic sources (b. Sanh. 38, 96, 98) all interpreted the “one like a son of man” of

Daniel 7 as the Davidic messiah.525 Jesus built on this same interpretation when He referred to

Himself as “the Son of Man” who would come to judge the world (e.g., Matt 16:27; 19:27–28;

25:31; Mark 8:38; 14:62; Luke 21:36; John 5:22–27). In other words, Jesus identified Himself as

the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 7 where “one like a son of man” (ESV) comes to the

father and receives “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (v. 13).526 Jesus also conflated the

fulfillment of Daniel 7 with the fulfillment of Psalm 110:1, which describes the enthronement of

the Davidic king at God’s “right hand” (Matt 19:27–28; Mark 14:62; cf. Acts 7:56). Jesus’s

reading of Daniel 7 in terms of the Davidic covenant (Ps 110:1) was probably anticipated by

524
Note that Adamic language is used to describe the Messiah as representative and embodiment of the people of
God in Daniel 7. The “Son of Man” is given authority over the beasts just as the Son of Man of Psalm 8, like
Adam in Genesis 1, are given authority over the animals.
525
John J. Collins, The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2nd ed (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 2010), 191; Chrys C. Caragounis, The Son of Man (Tübingen: Mohr, 1986), 133–34.
526
For a brief introduction to the history of interpretation of this expression, see Collins, “Son of Man,” 5:341–8.

219
Psalm 80:17, where the psalmist asks God to restore Israel (who is at the time suffering under

nations that behave like animals; v. 13) by restoring the man/son of man of his right hand. It is

possible, then, that the author of Hebrews had Daniel 7 in mind when he applied Psalm 8 to

Jesus. (The fact that he will later allude to Daniel 7 in Hebrews 12:28 makes this even likelier.

See comment there.)

Who was made a little lower than the angels. The Greek adverb brachy “a little” translates the

Hebrew me'at “a little.” Both may denote a “little” in terms of space, time, or quantity,527 but in

this case an interpretation in terms of time is preferable (e.g. the ESV translation “for a little

while”). The author’s point is that Jesus was made lower than the angels only temporarily.

Hebrews 1 and 2, like Philippians 2:6–11 and elsewhere, describe Jesus’s path to save us as

having three stages: Jesus originally had a position of sovereignty as creator, sustainer, and equal

to God (Heb 1:2–3, 10–12); He was then lowered down to a position of incarnation, suffering

and death (2:9–16); He then returned back to a position of sovereignty, where He was crowned

with “honor and glory” (2:9).

As shown above, the author of Hebrews presents a double reading of Psalm 8, and this double

reading hinges on the flexibility of the adverb brachy/mĕʿaṭ. Originally, Psalm 8 referred to

God’s grand purpose for humanity as a whole. Human beings were made “a little lower” than the

angels (Heb 2:7) and given dominion over creation, but their purpose was not fulfilled due to sin.

The author argues, then, that Psalm 8 was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus when He was made “a

little while lower than the angels” (Heb 2:9, emphasis mine) in order to taste death and then be

crowned with “glory and honor” on our behalf. Thus, when referring to God’s original intention

527
BDAG, s.v. “βραχύς”; HALOT, s.v. “‫ ”ְמַﬠט‬2:611.

220
for humanity, brachy/mĕʿaṭ denotes the greatness of human beings in that they were made only

“a little lower” than the angels. When referring to Jesus, the adverb denotes His temporal

humiliation and death by being made only “a little while lower” than the angels.

Taste death for everyone. This expression could be meant in two senses. On one hand,

the idea that Jesus got only a “taste” of death could imply that He only had a limited experience

with death, which is appropriate since Jesus remained in the tomb only temporarily. On the other

hand, the Semitic expression for “tasting” does not always refer to a small taste; the expression is

often used simply as the equivalent of “eating” or “drinking” something (1 Sam 14:24; 2 Sam

3:35; Dan 5:2; Jonah 3:7). In this sense, it can be used to speak of fully experiencing something

(Matt 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27; 14:24; John 8:52). Thus, the expression also reminds us that

Jesus drank fully, to the very dregs, the cup of suffering (Matt 20:22; 26:39–42 and parallels;

John 18:11; cf. Isa 51:17). Because of Jesus’s taste of death, however, believers have also tasted

the “heavenly gift,” “the good word of God,” and “the powers of the coming age” (Heb 6:4–5).

2:10. It was fitting. The author argues that it was morally congruent with God’s character and

aims that Christ should have been perfected through sufferings.528 This is a shocking

statement.529 Jews protested that the shame of the cross was completely inconsistent with God’s

purpose of establishing his kingdom through the messiah. Justin argued, “But this so-called

Christ of yours was dishonorable and inglorious, so much that the last curse contained in the Law

of God fell on him, for he was crucified” (Dial. 32.1; Deut 21:22–23). Justin also argued that it

528
Koester, Hebrews, 226.
529
See M. Hengel, Crucifixion: In the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross (London: SCM,
1977).

221
was insane to “put a crucified man in second place after the unchangeable and eternal God, the

Creator of the world” (1 Apol. 13.4; cf. 1 Cor 1:22–25).

In contrast to the perspective of Jews, the author of Hebrews holds that Jesus’s death was

“fitting.” Part of the reason he thinks this is that Jesus’s death as our representative and our

substitute provides a solution to the legal demands created by the transgressions and

disobedience of the people (see comment on Heb 2:1–4 and 9:15–22). The author of Hebrews

will also emphasize in the next verses that Jesus’s identification with our suffering was important

for our trust and identification with Him—in essence, the cross functioned as a kind of divine

rhetoric to win our trust (2:17–18; 4:15–16; 5:2).530

That said, the extreme suffering and shame of the cross cannot be explained only as the result of

legal or rhetorical necessity.531 The expression “it was fitting” is beyond our ability to fully

explain, just as the expression in Isaiah 53:10 that “it pleased the Lord to bruise him [the

Servant]” also defies explanation.532 There is a mystery and wonder that still surrounds the cross.

2:10. For whom… and by whom… The phrase “for whom are all things and by whom are all

things” is a circumlocution for God.533 This way of referring to God is significant in three

different ways. First, it reminds the readers that the same God who created them is the one who

will execute everything necessary to fulfill the original plan for which He created them (Ps 8;

530
See Alan C. Mitchell, “The Use of πρἐπειν and Rhetorical Propriety in Hebrews 2:10,” CBQ 54 (1992): 681–
701. For the importance of solidarity for the argument of Hebrews, see Kevin B. McCruden, Solidarity Perfected:
Beneficent Christology in the Letter to the Hebrews (Berlin: deGruyter, 2008).
531
See Félix H. Cortez, “What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?” God’s Character and the Last Generation,
ed. Jiri Moskala and John Peckham (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2018), 174–89.
532
See Jacques Doukhan, On the Way to Emmaus: Five Major Messianic Prophecies Explained, Kindle ed.
(Clarksville, MD: Lederer Books, 2012), kindle edition, ch. 4, “The Servant.”
533
Lane, Hebrews 1–8, 55. Similarly, megalōsynē (“Majesty”) in 1:3 and 8:5.

222
Heb 2:6–9). Second, it is significant for Christology. Hebrews 1:2 identified Jesus as the agent

(di᾽ hou) and the beneficiary of creation (hon, “heir of all things”), but this passage identifies the

Father as the agent (di’ hou, “through whom”) and beneficiary (di’ hon, “for whom”) of creation.

Thus, there seems to be an interchangeability of roles between the Father and the Son.534 Finally,

this circumlocution for God also shows that there was not any minimal reticence on the part of

the author to identify God as the agent for the creation of the physical universe.535 The gnostics

would later reject the notion that God created all things. They would argue that it was an inferior

deity, whom they disparagingly called a Demiuge (“craftsman”), who had created the physical

universe.

Glory. In the Bible, glory refers primarily to God’s visible divine presence (Exod 24:16–18, see

comment on Heb 1:3). Thus, the expression “bringing many sons to glory” means to bring the

sons into the place where God’s presence is manifest (Isa 60:19) and into life everlasting with

Him (Rom 2:7; 5:2; 1 Cor 15:42–43; Eph 1:18; 1 Pet 5:10). Bringing into “glory” is equivalent to

bringing into God’s rest (Heb 4:1-11), into the inner room behind the veil (6:19-20; 10:20), into

“the city that has foundations” (11:10), into the heavenly homeland (11:15-16), and into the

“heavenly Jerusalem (12:22).

That said, “glory” may refer as well to God’s honor (Exod 14:4) and character (Exod 33:18-19).

This suggests that bringing into “glory” involves more than simply access to God’s presence and

includes a restoration of believers’ social standing among God’s creation, just as Jesus’s honor

534
Other letters by Paul reflect the same sense of interchangeability between the roles of Father and Son. Romans
11:36 affirms that “all things” are “through” God, but 1 Corinthians 8:6 affirms that “all things” are “through”
Jesus. Similarly, Romans 11:36 and 1 Corinthians 8:6 affirm that “all things” are “for” God, but Colossians 1:16
affirms that “all things” are “for” the Son.
535
See Edward Adams, “The Cosmology of Hebrews,” in Bauckham et al., Epistle to the Hebrews, 124–30.

223
was restored at the enthronement (Heb 12:2). It also implies the restoration of their spiritual

nature by the cleansing of the conscience (10:1–4, 10, 14).

Founder/captain. The term archegos “leader, originator, founder” refers to the “hero of a city,

who founded it, often gave it his name and became its guardian”;536 for example, Athene for

Athens and Romulus for Rome. In the Septuagint, this term was used commonly for heads of

tribes and chiefs of the army (Exod 6:14; 1 Chr 26:26; etc.).537 An archegos was a family or

tribal representative. The author argues that Jesus is the archegos “head” or “captain” of the

human family who represented them in battle against the devil and defeated him on our behalf

(2:14-16). He is also the founder of salvation because He was the first to arrive into glory (see

“forerunner” in 6:20) and the first to be crowned with glory and honor (2:5–9), making it

possible for His brethren to follow him (2:10; 4:14–16).

There is in this passage a subtle allusion to Moses, who “chose to be mistreated with the people

of God” (11:24–26) and became the captain/leader (Num 14:4) who guided Israel to the

promised land. Just like Moses, Jesus identified Himself with His people, in that He was “not

ashamed to call them brothers” (Heb 2:11) and willingly assumed their human nature (2:14-18;

10:5-11). Also like Moses, Jesus did this in order to lead His people “to glory” (2:10).

Make … perfect through sufferings. The term teleioo “make perfect” may refer to the

overcoming of some kind of imperfection (7:11, 19), or it may refer to the attainment of a goal

(see comment on 5:14). Jesus was not perfected in the sense that He overcame moral

536
Gerhard Delling, “ἀρχηγός,” TDNT 1:487.
537
For a history of interpretation of this term in Hebrews scholarship, see Eric F. Mason, “You are a Priest
Forever”: Second Temple Jewish Messianism and the Priestly Christology of the Epistle to the Hebrews, STDJ
74 (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 10–12.

224
imperfection. The author has just said that Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the

exact imprint of his nature” (1:2) and that He “loved righteousness and hated wickedness” (1:9;

cf. 4:15-16; 7:26-28). As one with God, Jesus is perfect in His nature and morality (see comment

on 5:9). He did, however, undergo a process of vocational perfection. He was perfected as the

captain of our salvation. In order to become our savior, Jesus adopted our nature and offered His

own life as a sacrifice on our behalf (2:14-16; 9:14, 15-22, 26, 28; 10:5–10, 20; 13:12). This

made it possible for Him to become our representative and savior. Thus, perfection refers here,

not to a process of moral improvement, but to Jesus’s process of being equipped for His work as

savior.

In addition to its other uses, the Septuagint also uses the term teleioō to refer to the consecration

of priests (Exod 29:9; Lev 4:5; 8:33; 16:32; 21:10). The context of our passage suggests that the

author may had had this in mind as well. The author says that because of Jesus’s sufferings,

which include both His temptations and His death (5:7–10; 9:15–22), Jesus has qualified as a

“merciful and faithful high priest” on our behalf (2:17–18).

It is remarkable that the author refers to Jesus’s sufferings and death as the means for perfecting

Jesus. Ancient peoples believed that how a person died revealed his or her character. A noble

death was honorable and crowned a life well lived, but the cross was the most shameful of all

deaths and so would not have seemed like a death signifying perfection (see comment on 12:2).

The author notes, however, that Jesus suffered and died on our behalf and that these sufferings

were the means by which He was “crowned with honor and glory” (5:9). In other words, His

death was honorable because it was done to benefit the people.

225
The author exalts Jesus here as savior and high priest of humanity.538 There is a subtle

comparison here to the rulers of Rome, for Roman emperors sought to be praised as saviors of

the known world on account of bringing the Pax Romana, and the emperor was also honored as

the pontifex maximus (high priest) of Roman religion.

2:11. He who sanctifies. The expression ho hagiazon “the sanctifier” is used in the OT only for

God (LXX Exod 31:13; Lev 20:8; Eze 20:12, etc.), but here it designates Jesus. This is consistent

with other verses in Hebrews that also describe the work of Jesus on our behalf as consisting of

“sanctification” (9:12–14; 10:29; 12:10). In the OT, to sanctify something meant to separate it

from common use to be used only by God. An object that was used for worship or a person who

approached God had to be clean (Ps 24:3-4; Exod 19:10–11). Thus, the priests who approached

God and the furniture that was used for worship had to be washed and ritually purified in order to

be consecrated (Lev 8). Since Jesus’s purpose is to bring us into the presence of God (10:19–26;

2:10; 4:14–16; 12:14), He must also cleanse and purify us, which He accomplishes through the

blood of His sacrifice (10:10, 14; 13:12). His work on our behalf is described in 10:19–22 as a

consecration to priesthood (see comment on 10:22). The sanctification of the “sons” is a process

initiated and driven by God. This description agrees with the notion in Ezekiel that God will

show His holiness by cleansing His people and renewing His covenant with them (Eze 36:23-27;

20:41; 28:25; 39:27), which is what Jesus does (Heb 10:19-23).

Are all of one. The Greek word for “one” is henos. In this case it could be either masculine or

neuter, which makes possible several possible interpretations. If it is neuter, it may refer to the

fact that Jesus and His people share a common human nature (e.g., JB, NEB). If it is masculine,

538
Ben Witherington III, Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on
Hebrews, James and Jude (Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, 2007), 145–9.

226
it could mean that they come from one ancestor. The reference to God in verse 10 suggests that

henos is masculine and refers to God and, therefore, both Jesus and the people belong to God.

Not ashamed. Jesus’s solidarity with the people contrasts the public shaming that the readers

have suffered from their neighbors (see comment in 10:33). Jesus’s action was prefigured by

Moses’s identification with the people of God (11:25), and reflects God’s own feelings that He

“is not ashamed to be called their God” (11:16). Jesus’s action fulfills a promise he had made to

his disciples: “whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who

is in heaven” (Matt 10:32-33; cf. Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Rom 1:16; 2 Tim 1:8, 12). The readers

have confessed Jesus in the midst of persecution (Heb 10:32–35), so Jesus confesses them also as

brothers before His Father. They have confessed God’s name in the midst of suffering just as He

did (10:32–34).539 Believers, however, need to continue their confession of Jesus. Thus, the

author exhorts them to continue their confession of Jesus by going to him “outside the camp and

bear the reproach he endured” (13:13).

2:12–13. There is embedded throughout Hebrews a dialogue between the Father, the Son, the

Holy Spirit, and us (see the section in the introduction to this commentary titled “Message”).

Hebrews 1:5–14 used a chain of quotations from the OT to express three declarations that the

Father spoke to the Son on the occasion of the latter’s enthronement at God’s right hand (see

comments on 1:5–14). Now, here in this passage in chapter 2, we hear Jesus’s first words in the

dialogue. In response to the Father’s three declarations, Jesus gives three answers, and just as the

539
This confirms God’s original plan that believers would “be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29).

227
words of the Father came in the form of quotations from the OT, so do the responses of the

Son.540

2:12. In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise. These first words from Jesus

come in the form of a quotation from Psalm 22:22. Psalm 22 was one of the best-known psalms

in early Christianity: it is cited in the passion accounts of all four gospels (Matt 27:35, 46; Mark

15:14, 34; Luke 23:34; John 19:24) and there are allusions to it in other parts of the New

Testament as well (e.g., 1 Pet 5:8). The psalm has two main sections. In the first section a

righteous man cries to God for deliverance from his enemies (Ps 22:1–21). Jesus spoke the words

of that cry on the cross (Ps 22:1; Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34), and the evangelists found in this first

section of the psalm various references to Jesus’s sufferings, including in the taunts from the

mob (Ps 22:7–8; Matt 27:43), the piercing of His hands and feet, and the casting of lots over His

garments (Ps 22:16–18; Matt 27:35; John 19:23; 31–36). In the second section, by contrast, the

righteous man praises God for the deliverance he has received from God (Ps 22:22–31). Here,

Hebrews is quoting the first verse of this second section of Psalm 22 and presenting the words as

540
Both the Gospels and Paul describe Jesus as speaking the Psalms of David in first person, as if they were His
own words. In doing so, the NT writers were expressing their conviction of Jesus’s Davidic/messianic identity as
the Son of God.

According to the OT, God had promised that He would raise up David’s seed and establish his kingdom forever
(e.g., 2 Sam 7:12–14; Ps 89:3–4), but by the time of Jesus David’s heirs had lost the throne, and Israel’s enemies
(Rome) were in power. Thus, in Jesus’s day, the only way to read these passages consistently was that they were
referring to the eschatological future. (An example of this type of reading in early Judaism is found in Psalms of
Solomon 17 and 18.)

It is significant that the majority of the first-person Davidic Psalms Jesus quoted were psalms in which David first
described himself as the target of the scorn of the enemies of God and then celebrated his triumph over those
enemies with the help of God. Jesus’s use of these psalms gave rise to the Christian conviction that God had
raised Him as the Davidic heir (Luke 1:31-33) through whom God would fulfill his promises to Israel (Acts 2:22–
36). The following quotations of the psalms imply that Jesus is the speaker of the psalm, Ps 18:49 in Rom 15:9;
Ps 22:18 in Mark 15:24; Ps 31:5 in Luke 23:46; Ps 40:7–9 in Heb 10:5–7; Ps 69:9 in Rom 15:3 and John 2:17;
also Ps 78:2 in Matt 13:34–35. See also Hays, “Christ Prays the Psalms,” 101–118.

228
if they are coming from the mouth of Jesus. This response from Jesus to God fits well with

God’s first declaration to Him: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (Heb 1:5).

Name. As part of God’s first declaration to the Son, the Father gave the Son an excellent name

(1:4). Now the Son in turn proclaims God’s name to His brothers (2:12). In the Old Testament,

God’s name is typically proclaimed through action. God had a personal name, Yahweh (Exod

3:13–15), which Moses announced to Israel (Exod 3:15, 5:23), but God Himself revealed the

significance of that name in His powerful deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exod 6:2–

8; 9:16) and in His grace and mercy toward Israel (Exod 33:19; 34:5–7). The most powerful

revelation of God’s name came, however, through God’s powerful actions in favor of humanity

through the ministry, death, and glorification of Jesus (John 12:28; 17:6, 26), who is God himself

(Heb 1:2–4).

The Son’s proclamation of the “name” to His brothers should not be considered boasting. The

purpose of His revelation of God’s name to them is that the love with which the Father has loved

the Son (singular) may be extended to many sons (John 17:26). The Father has proclaimed the

adoption of Jesus as the royal Son (see comment Heb 1:5). Now the Son proclaims His adoption

of the human family as His brothers so that they may share in His glory (2:10), His inheritance

(9:15), and His kingdom (12:28).541 The author will exhort the readers to follow Jesus’s example

of proclaiming God: they are to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips

that acknowledge his name” (Heb 13:15).

541
Note that right after the resurrection, Jesus refers to His disciples as His brothers (Matt 28:10). He explains to
Mary the implication of this filial relationship, which is that Jesus’s Father is now the disciples’ Father as well:
“Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am
ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17).

229
2:13. I will put my trust in him. Jesus’s second declaration is quoting the words either of Isaiah

(8:17; 12:2) or David (2 Sam 22:3), but it is not clear which. The fact that the author of Hebrews

quotes Isaiah 8:18 in the second section of the verse suggests to many scholars that the quotation

here is from Isaiah 8:17.542 The separation of these two quotations by the expression “and again”

does not affect this view, since the author of Hebrews uses the same formula to separate one

other contiguous quotation (Deut 32:35–36 in Heb 10:30). More probably, however, the author is

referring here to 2 Samuel 22:3. This psalm was sung by early Christians. Origen includes it in a

list of biblical odes adopted for liturgical use543 and the same psalm is probably also quoted in

Romans 15:9.544 The context of the original psalm fits well with the setting here in Hebrews 2.

David sang this psalm the “day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from

the hand of Saoul [Saul]” (NETS). In the psalm, David describes his sufferings as if he has

experienced death (vv. 5–6), but then says that God rescued him. God’s deliverance helps David

to continue trusting in God, knowing that God will defeat his enemies and put them under his

feet (vv. 38–39). When Jesus sings this psalm as part of the family dialogue in Hebrews, He is

speaking from a similar position to the one David was in. As He speaks, Jesus is standing in the

midst of the congregation at the heavenly temple after God has delivered Him from death, and

He is expressing His trust that God will defeat His enemies and put them under His feet, as God

has promised to do (Heb 1:13; 2:8; 10:11–14).

542
For a summary of arguments in different directions, see Peeler, You are My Son, 89 n. 86; Cockerill, Epistle to
the Hebrews, 143–4.
543
Origen, Hom. in Cant. 1, quoted in Heinrich Schneider, “Die Biblischen Oden Im Christlichen Altertum,”
Biblica 30 (1949): 50–52.
544
Romans 15:9 is most likely quoting verse 50 from the psalm.

230
As noted earlier, the family dialogue between God and Jesus in Hebrews is presented as if it is

taking place during the enthronement ceremony of Jesus. So then, Hebrews is indicating that

Jesus proclaimed His trust in God right at the beginning of His rule at the right hand of God. It is

this trust that will make it possible for God to fulfill the Davidic promises through Him.

I and the children God has given me. Jesus’s third declaration quotes Isaiah 8:18. In the

original passage, the prophet Isaiah presents himself and his children as signs to the house of

Israel of the truthfulness of God’s message. He does this after expressing his trust in the Lord

(8:17), which contrasts forcefully with King Ahaz’s lack of faith, described in 2 Kings 16:5–18

and Isaiah 7. Though Ahaz was a Davidic king, he renounced God when the kings of Israel and

Syria threatened to attack and depose him. God had exhorted Ahaz to trust Him and to ask for a

sign that He would deliver Ahaz (Isa 7:1–11). But Ahaz refused to request a sign, claiming that

he did not want to tempt God. Instead, he sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria,

saying, “I am your servant and your son” (2 Kgs 16:8). In other words, though Ahaz was God’s

Son and servant by virtue of the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:4–17), he effectively terminated his

special relationship to God via his overture to the king of Assyria. Thus, God proclaimed through

Isaiah the coming of a new “son,” Immanuel, who would sit on the throne of David (Isa 7:14;

9:6–7). Isaiah and his disciples represented a faithful remnant among Israel who trusted in the

Lord and prefigured the faithfulness of this future Davidic king (Isa 9:6–7). It is fitting, then, for

Jesus to quote this verse. In doing so, Jesus is presenting himself the faithful Davidic heir who is

accepting the throne at God’s right hand in fulfillment of the Davidic prophecies (2 Sam 7:4–17;

231
Ps 110:1), which were confirmed by Isaiah (7:14; 9:6–7). He accepts this throne in favor of his

brothers, who are described here as his children.545

Patrick Gray suggests that Jesus is being described here as the guardian of his brothers. The

Roman system of tutela impuberum determined that “[a] tutor, often an older brother, became

responsible of the care of minor children and their inheritance until they reached the age of

majority, thus heightening the older brother’s natural duty to take care of his younger

siblings.”546 The relationship between Jesus and the “children” is not temporary however. They

are given to him as part of His all-encompassing inheritance (Heb 1:2).

2:14–16. These verses focus on the fact that Jesus became incarnated and suffered death in order

to liberate the “sons” from slavery to the devil, a slavery that the author says these sons were

subjected to through the fear of death. This explanation of why Jesus suffered and died would

probably remind some readers of Hebrews of multiple traditions about Jewish and Greco-Roman

heroes. For example, Cynic and Stoic philosophers held that Hercules’s sufferings and death had

liberated others from the fear of death (Seneca, Herc. fur. 889–92).547 In addition, the idea that

the messiah would defeat the demonic forces was prevalent both in Jewish apocalyptic traditions

and early Christianity.548 For example, T. Levi 18:10–12 refers to an eschatological priest who, a

545
Jesus calls his disciples both “brothers” (John 20:17) and “children” (John 21:5).
546
Patrick Gray, Godly Fear: The Epistle to the Hebrews and Greco-Roman Critiques of Superstition, SBLAB 16
(Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003), 125 n. 50.
547
See David E. Aune, “Heracles and Christ: Heracles Imagery in the Christology of Early Christianity,” in
Greeks, Romans, and Christians: Essays in Honor of Abraham Malherbe, ed. D. L. Balch, Everett Ferguson, and
W. A. Meeks (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990), 13–19.
548
As. Mos. 10.1; T. Dan 5.10; T. Jud 25.3; T. Lev. 18.1-2; Sib. Or. 3.63–74; 1 Enoch 10.13; 4 Ezra 13.1; 1QM I,
11, 13, 15; Matt 12:25-30; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1 John 3:8; Rev 12:7-10. See Adela Yarbro
Collins, The Combat Myth in the Book of Revelation, HDR 9 (Missoula, MT.: Scholars, 1976), 57–206.

232
champion of Israel, will bind Beliar and “grant to his children the authority to trample on wicked

spirits” (OTP 1:795).549

Some scholars suggest that this passage contains an exodus typology. According to this view,

Jesus stands parallel to Moses, who liberated the Israelites from the “house of slavery” (Exod

13:3; 20:2; Deut 5:6; passim). Moses was not ashamed of calling the slaves his brethren (Exod

2:11; 4:18; Heb 11:24–26), but rather declared the name of God to them (Exod 3:13–14; cf. Heb

2:12), trusted God (Exod 14:13–14; cf. Heb 2:13), and delivered the people by destroying

Pharaoh’s army (Exod 14:21–31; cf. Heb 2:14b–15). Those who see an exodus typology in

Hebrews 2 perceive that Hebrews 3:7–4:13 then continues the typology by carrying the

comparison of Moses and Jesus beyond the exodus itself and into Israel’s journey through the

wilderness.550

More likely, however, this passage echoes the OT motif of God as the Divine Warrior.551 The

OT describes God on several occasions as a champion who engages in combat on behalf of his

people: “The LORD goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he

549
See also the comparison that Hans Windisch makes between Testament of Levi 18:2–12 and the catena of
Hebrews 1:5–14, Der Hebräerbrief, 2nd. ed., HNT 14 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1931), p. 15. The Testament of
Levi, along with the other Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, was probably written around 150 BC. See Howard
Clark Kee, Introduction to “Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,” OTP 1:777–8. The Testaments, however, are
Christian in their present form and probably received this form sometime in the second half of the second century
AD. Marinus de Jonge, “Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,” ABD 5:183. De Jonge also concludes that “it is very
difficult, if not impossible, to establish the exact contents of the ‘original’ (pre-Christian) Jewish document, let alone
to detect different stages in the redaction of that document” “Testaments,” 183).
550
Koester, Hebrews, 240.
551
Lane, Hebrews 1–8, 62–66; Charles Sherlock, The God Who Fights: The War Tradition in Holy Scripture, RSCT
6 (Edinburgh: Rutherford, 1993), 356–60. For a description of this motif, see Neil Forsyth, The Old Enemy: Satan
and the Combath Myth (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1987); Tremper Longman III and Daniel G. Reid,
God Is a Warrior, SOTBT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995); Patrick D. Miller, Jr., The Divine Warrior in Early
Israel, ed. Frank Moore Cross et al., HSM 5 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1973).

233
shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes” (Isa 42:13; cf. 49:24–26; 59:15b–20).552

Probably the passage in the OT that bears the most similarity to Hebrews’s presentation of God

as Divine Warrior is Isaiah 49:24–26: “Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of

a tyrant be rescued? But thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and

the prey of the tyrant be rescued; for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will

save your children.” Here in Hebrews, Jesus, whose divine identity has already been asserted in

chapter 1, is presented using the same warrior motif. Jesus is the champion who takes on the

devil in solo combat to deliver His brethren. He calls to mind the young David who defeated

Goliath to deliver His brethren who were cowering as the giant threatened them.553

In the ancient Near East, there was a widespread notion that the gods engaged in warfare in order

to attain supreme kingly power, a notion usually referred to by contemporary scholars as the

Divine Warrior motif or combat myth. The divine battles in this mythology typically followed a

narrative pattern: (1) a war between deities results in (2) the enthronement of the victorious god

as king over the gods, after which (3) a temple or palace is built in his honor where (4) he

celebrates his victory with those loyal to him.554 The first four chapters of Hebrews follow this

552
See Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld, “Put on the Armour of God”: The Divine Warrior from Isaiah to Ephesians,
JSNTSup 140 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1997). This idea also appears in apocalyptic writings of the Second
Temple period; for example: “And thereafter the Lord himself will arise upon you, the light of righteousness with
healing and compassion in his wings. He will liberate every captive of the sons of men from Beliar, and every spirit
of error will be trampled down” (T. Zeb. 9:8 [trans. H. C. Kee, OTP 1:807]; cf. T. Levi 18:10–12; T. Mos.10.110;
11Q13 [11QMelch] II, 13).
553
Jesus described himself as a champion who overpowers Satan and “divides his plunder” (Luke 11:21-22; cf.
Matt 12:29; Mark 3:27).
554
For a table comparing divine warfare myths from different cultures, see Forsyth, Old Enemy, 446–52. For similar
narrative structures in Egypt and India, see Fontenrose, 177–216. The divine warfare motif appears in Roman
culture in the Gigantomachy, which refers to the victory of Jupiter over the tyrannical giants that resulted in peace,
order, and prosperity for the world. See Jason A. Whitlark, “The God of Peace and His Victorius King: Hebrews
13:20–21 in Its Roman Imperial Context,” in Gelardini and Attridge, Hebrews in Contexts, 161–164.

234
same pattern: Hebrews 2:14–16 refers to Jesus’ warfare with the devil. Hebrews 1:5–14 refers to

Jesus’s enthronement “at the right hand of the majesty on high” as a result of this victory (cf.

2:9). Hebrews 3:3 refers to Jesus as the builder of the house of God (see comment on Heb 9:23

and 10:20). Finally, Jesus invites His faithful ones to enter into “the rest” (3:7–4:11), which is

described in 12:22–24 as an eschatological celebration of God’s victory.555

2:14. Flesh and blood. The expression flesh and blood emphasizes the frailty of the human

condition—its weakness (Eph 6:12), lack of understanding (Matt 16:17; Gal 1:16), and

subjection to death (1 Cor 15:50). The author says that Jesus partook of human nature in order to

liberate human beings who were enslaved to the devil. Importantly, while the passage

emphasizes that Jesus participated in the frailty of the human condition (see 5:7–8), taking on

human nature did not mean He became inherently sinful (4:15; 9:14). The author describes Jesus

as “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners” (ESV), and not needing to offer sacrifices

for His own sins (7:26–28). Jesus is not described as a slave of the devil but as a liberator who

comes from outside (10:5–10; see also comment on 2:17).

Through death he might destroy. Jesus’s adoption of human nature makes it possible for Him

to die in order to destroy the devil. The basic meaning of the word katargēsē, translated “might

destroy,” is to make powerless or ineffective.556 But how, exactly, did Jesus’s death destroy the

devil and the power of death? Greco-Roman people recognized fear of death as a form of

slavery, and for some of them, deliverance came through the realization that death releases us

555
God’s description of the “rest” as “my rest” alludes to the sanctuary as God’s own rest (Isa 66:1). Note that the
invitation to enter the rest in 4:1–11 culminates with the invitation to “approach the throne of grace [the heavenly
holy of holies] with boldness” (4:16).
556
BDAG, s.v. “καταργέω.”

235
from suffering.557 This is not, however, what Hebrews has in mind when it speaks of Jesus

destroying the power of death. A hint about Hebrews’s view comes in verse 15 in the form of the

Greek expression enochoi esan douleias. This phrase is translated “subject to bondage,” but it

can also be translated “liable to [or deserving] slavery.”558 Most probably the passage assumes

the biblical teaching that sin leads to death (Gen 2:17) and to God’s judgment (Heb 9:27).

Because of their sin, human beings have “a fearful expectation” of being judged and punished as

adversaries of God (10:27; 10:31). This is the “fear of death” that keeps us enslaved to the devil

and away from God. Jesus, however, destroyed the power of the devil and delivered us from the

fear of judgment by satisfying the demands of God’s judgment and enduring the punishment for

our sins in our place (2:9; 9:15–22). Thus, he averted God’s wrath by dying as “propitiation for

the sins of the people” (2:17, see comment on 9:15–17) and has made possible forgiveness and

reconciliation with God.559 Jesus also broke the power of sin by giving us the power to live a

righteous life through the fulfillment of the new covenant promise of writing the law in our

hearts (8:10; see comment on 9:26). Thus, Jesus effectively liberated us from slavery to the devil

so that we can now “serve the living God” (9:14). By satisfying the demands of God’s judgment

against us through his death in our place, and by giving us the power to live a righteous life

through a new covenant where he has promised to write the law in our hearts (Heb 8:10), Jesus

stripped the enemy of his weapons and vanquished him (Col 2:14–15; John 12:31-32; 16:11; 1

557
Euripides, Orest. 1522; Plutarch, Mor. 34B; 106D, quoted in O’Brien, Hebrews, 116. See further quotations on
Greco-Roman authors in Johnson, Hebrews, 100–101.
558
See BDAG, s.v. “ἔνοχος.” For example, Matt 5:21–22; 26:66; Mark 3:29; 14:64.
559
Note the relationship between kingship and destroying or maintaining the forces of chaos in the ancient Near
Eastern worldview. In that worldview as in Christianity, the king dies for the sins of the people (see Shirley
Lucass, The Concept of the Messiah in the Scriptures of Judaism and Christianity, [London: T&T Clark, 2011],
52–55).

236
John 3:8; 2 Tim 1:10). Being justified and reconciled through him, we do not fear death

anymore. The devil is thus already defeated, even though his final destruction will not come until

in the future (Heb 1:13; 10:11–14; 1 Cor 15:20–28; Rev 20:1–3,10).

2:16. He helps the seed of Abraham. The word epilambanetai, translated here as “he helps,”

refers to grasping or taking hold of something.560 Hebrews 8:9 (quoting Jer 31:32) uses this verb

to describe how God took Israel by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.561 Here it is Jesus who

takes believers by the hand and leads them out of slavery to the devil. The reference to “the seed

of Abraham” also brings to mind God’s oath to Abraham that He would bless “all the nations of

the earth” through Abraham’s offspring (Gen 22:16–18). Hebrews 6:13–15 refers to this oath as

the basis for our confidence (see comment on 6:9–20).

Angels. The reference to angels in this passage parallels the initial assertion in Hebrews 2:5 that

God did not submit the world to angels but to the Son of God and to human beings.

2:17–18. The argument of 2:5–18 explaining why Jesus was made lower than the angels

concludes with these verses. While Hebrews 1 focused on the exaltation of Jesus as king and on

His equality with God, Hebrews 2:5–18 has been focusing on His identification with human

beings as their priest and His suffering and death on their behalf.

2:17. He had to be made like his brothers in every respect. Jesus tasted death on our behalf,

as our representative and substitute (see the section in the introduction to this commentary titled

“The Story at the National Level”; see also comment on 9:15–17). In order to take our place, it

was necessary that He was like us “in every respect,” that is, fully human. His death had to be

560
BDAG, s.v. “ἐπιλαμβάνομαι.”
561
Isaiah 41:8–10 uses a similar verb (antilambanomai, “to come to the aid of”) to describe how God helps Israel,
the offspring of Abraham, and exhorts Israel to fear not.

237
real as well (see comment on 2:10). Hebrews emphasizes here, then, His total identification with

us. One specific respect in which Jesus became like is that He partook of “flesh and blood”

(2:14; 5:7). This was important so that He could have something to offer God as a sacrifice on

our behalf (10:5–10). It is Jesus’s flesh that made it possible for Him to become a propitiatory

sacrifice and provide us with access to God (10:20).

While Jesus became like us “in every respect,” note that the Greek expression kata panta “in

every respect” is always delimited by the context.562 Jesus was like us in everything that has to

do with being human, but a sinful nature is not an essential or defining characteristic of the

human nature,563 and Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus did not take on human sinfulness. He was

“holy, innocent, unstained” (7:26–28), “without blemish” (9:14; also 4:15–16; 10:5–10), and

completely unmarred by sin. To use the language of this passage, though Jesus was fully human,

He was not a slave of the devil (2:14–16).

So that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest. Jesus’s incarnation and

sufferings had the purpose of making Him a high priest who is both merciful and faithful. This

does not mean that Jesus became merciful because of His sufferings. According to the author of

Hebrews, the Father and the Son together initiated the process of salvation in favor of humanity

(2:10; 10:5–10), and they did so out of grace (2:9) and good will (10:5–10). The author’s point

here is not that Jesus’s sufferings affected Him by making Him more merciful, but rather that

they affected us by showing us the mercifulness that has been characteristic of Jesus all along.

562
The same phrase is used to to tell children and slaves to obey their parents or masters “in every respect” (Col
3:20, 22). There too, the phrase has limits. The context suggests that children and slaves are obligated to obedience
in every way that pleases the Lord. Likewise, see Acts 3:22; 17:22; Rom 3:2; Heb 4:15.
563
This is clear from the fact that Adam before the fall was fully human and yet did not have a sinful human
nature.

238
Jesus experienced temptation (2:18; 4:15), suffering (2:9–10, 18; 5:8; 9:26; 13:12), and death

(2:9, 14; 5:7) and through this we are able to see that He can understand us (4:15–16).

There is no explicit requirement in the OT for priests to be merciful. In fact, priests were often

expected to act mercilessly on the side of God. Thus, the Levites consecrated themselves to the

priesthood “each one at the cost of his son and of his brother” (Exod 32:29; see also Num 25:6–

13). The OT emphasizes, however, that mercy is one of the principal characteristics of God.564

Thus, Jesus’s mercifulness tells more of His divine nature than of the requirements of His

office.565

The statement that Jesus is “faithful” could be read in two ways. It may mean that Jesus is

worthy of believers’ trust, or it could mean that He was faithful and obedient to God. Most likely

it refers to both. Jesus’s faithfulness refers to His relationships as high priest both to God and to

the people, as Jesus’s faithfulness both to God and to his brethren is asserted in Hebrews 2:12–

16.

To make propitiation. Scholars have debated whether the verb hilaskomai should be translated

here as making “propitiation” (e.g., ESV, NKJV) or as making “expiation” (e.g., NRSV). The

two meanings are intimately related. “To propitiate” means “to conciliate,” that is, to appease an

offended person. “To expiate” means to nullify an offensive act.566 The correct translation is “to

expiate” as the author is referring to sins, which require expiation.

564
Exod 22:27; 34:6; 2 Chr 30:9; Neh 9:17, 31; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 116:5; 145:8; Jer 3:12; Joel 2:13; Jonah
4:2.
565
It has been suggested that the expression “merciful and faithful” to describe Jesus reflects the characterization
of God as having “steadfast love and faithfulness” in His relationship to Israel (Exod 34:6; Deut 7:9). The lexical
relationships between the two phrases are not clear enough to say this for sure, however. See James Swetnam, “A
Merciful and Trustworthy High Priest: Interpreting Heb 2:17,” PJT 21 (1999):6–25.
566
Moisés Silva, “ἱλάσκομαι,” NIDNTTE 2:534. Also BDAG, s.v. “ἱλάσκομαι.”

239
The general message of the letter is, however, that Jesus’s expiation of the sins of the people

made possible their conciliation with God. Thus, Jesus turned aside, or propitiated, God’s wrath

by his work of expiation. In other words, Jesus made possible the forgiveness of the sins of His

people (9:22; 10:18) by “making purification for sins” (1:3, 9:22), “putting away sin” (9:26), and

“bearing sin” (9:28). God’s people was under the threat of the wrath of God because they had

broken the covenant (9:15, see comment on 9:16–17), but now they have reconciliated through

Jesus’s sacrifice and have confidence to enter into the very presence of God (10:19–23). If

believers, however, reject Jesus’s expiation in their behalf, they will experience God’s wrath

(3:7–14; 6:4–8; 10:26–31; 12:29).

2:18. He is able to help those who are being tempted. In the Septuagint, the verb boetheo “to

help” most of the time translates the Hebrew ‘azar, which is mainly used to describe the help

God provides to His people. This description of Jesus would be very attractive to the readers of

Hebrews, who at the time of the letter are going through great difficulties and are in danger of

losing heart (2:1–4; 3:12–13; 5:11–14; 10:32–39; 12:12–13).

Exhortation: An invitation to enter the rest

(Hebrews 3:1–4:16)

In this section, the author exhorts his readers to respond with faith to God’s invitation of entering

His rest. Thus, there is a transition from the focus on the exaltation and humiliation of the Son in

Hebrews 1–2 to a focus on the rest of God in Hebrews 3–4. The logic of this transition makes

sense in the context of the Davidic Covenant. This covenant had promised that God would give

rest to His people through a Davidic son who would be adopted by God as His own son and

whose throne would be established by God forever (2 Sam 7:8–16). Hebrews 1–2 showed that

240