1
“In These Latter Days He Has Spoken to Us through His Son”
While+ in times past it was+ in various parts+ and in various ways that God spoke to our ancestors+ through the prophets, in these latter+ days he has spoken to us through his Son, whom he appointed heir of all creation, through whom he also ordained the ages, who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his nature, and who upholds the whole creation by his powerful+ command.+ After making atonement to cleanse away the uncleanness of guilt generated by sins,+ he sat down at the right hand of the Majestic One+ on high, having been exalted above the angels with far+ greater power and authority,+ inasmuch as it is+ a title+ so far superior to theirs that he has inherited. Indeed, to which of the angels+ did God+ ever declare:
“ˢYou+ are my Son+!
I, on this day, anoint you as my chosen king.++
Or again,
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”+
And again, when he brings his firstborn+ into the world, he says,
“All God’s angels must worship him.”+
And whereas about the angels+ he says,
“He makes his angels winds,+
and his servants flames of fire,”+
about the Son he says+ this:
“ˢYour throne, O God, endures forever into the ages of the ages,
and it is+ a just+ scepter that will+ rule+ your Kingdom.
You loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
for such loyalty+ God, the God in covenant with you,+
has anointed you preeminently with the oil of joy,
giving you greater honor than your companions.++
10 And,
“It was+ ˢyou, O Lord, who laid the earth’s foundation in the beginning,
and it was+ by your hands that the heavens were made.
11 They will perish, but you will surely remain;
they will all wear out like a cloak.+
12 You will swing them about+ like a mantle+;
like a cloak they will indeed be changed.
You, however, remain the same+;
your years will never come to an end.”+
13 Now to which of the angels has God+ ever said,
“Continue sitting at my right hand,
until I make ˢyour enemies a footstool under your feet”?+
14 All the angels+ are spirits+ in the service of God,+ are they not, sent out on assignment+ to bring help+ to those who are to inherit salvation?
+1:1A contrast is implied in this context between v 1 and v 2 (cf CJB, ESV, LEB, NCV, NIV, NRSV, RSV, TEV). “While” has thus been used in translation here to signal the contrast, and to signal that v 1 is setting the backdrop for the foreground information in verse 2.+1:1Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως ( polumerōs kai polutropōs) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore a cleft-construction has been used to give extra focus to this element.+1:1Or various times, or various portions, or little by little. Cf Jn 3:34.+1:1Or forefathers. Lit fathers.+1:2Or last.+1:3Translating the genitive attributively here. Cf HCSB, ISV, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, TEV.+1:3Or word.+1:3Lit Having made/performed purification of sins. ME(OTB)/IT (see JFB, 2:441; LALS, sv καθαρισμός; UBSHS [Heb], 10; translation and notes at 2 Pt 1:9) See also Timothy Miller, “Paul’s Priestly Mission and Salvation from the Coming Wrath: A Missiological Probe of Romans 15:16 and the Question of Divine Anger through the Worldview of Leviticus” (PhD diss., Columbia International University, 2024). Cf, eg, Lv 4:20, 4:31, 6:7, 16:1-34; Nu 15:28; Jb 7:21.+1:3Lit of the majesty. ME (see L-N, 12.5).+1:4τοσούτῳ κρείττων τῶν ἀγγέλων ( tosoutō kreittōn tōn angelōn) is in a split focal position (see BART Display; cf LDGNT), and therefore an adverb has been used to give extra focus to the preposed element within the ME (see following note). The preposed element has also been placed in clause-final for extra focus and stress.+1:4Lit having becoming superior in rank to the angels. ME (see UBSHS [Heb], 13).+1:4διαφορώτερον παρʼ αὐτοὺς ὄνομα ( diaphorōteron par’ autous onoma) is in a split focal position (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore a cleft-construction and adverbs have been used to give extra focus to this element.+1:4Or a name. Cf DuCL; UBSHS (Heb), 13.+1:5τῶν ἀγγέλων ( tōn anggelōn) is in a split focal position (see BART Display), and has therefore been italicized for extra focus and emphasis.+1:5Lit he. Cf CJB, ISV, NET, NIV, NLT, TEV.+1:5Unless otherwise marked (through superscript—ˢyou), all second person pronouns are in the second person plural.+1:5υἱός μου ( huios mou) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:5Lit I today have fathered you, or I today have begotten you. ME(OTB/H) (see translation and notes at Ac 13:33).+1:5Ps 2:7+1:52 Sm 7:14+1:6Cf Ps 89:27; Col 1:15-18; Re 1:5.+1:6Dt 32:43 (LXX); cf Ps 97:7.+1:7τοὺς ἀγγέλους ( tous angelous) is in an embedded focal position (see BART Display), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:7The Greek word used here can mean “wind,” “spirit,” or “breath.”+1:7Ps 104:4. Cf, eg, Jb 1-2; Ps 148:8; Ga 4:3, 9; Col 2:8, 20; Re 7:1, 14:18, 16:5.+1:8IT. Cf, eg, ISV, NET, NIV.+1:8ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς εὐθύτητος ( hē rabdos tēs euthutētos) is in P2 (see BART Display), and therefore a cleft-construction has been used to give extra focus to this element.+1:8Translating the genitive attributively here. Cf NET.+1:8The context of Ps 45:6 favors a futuristic interpretation of the implied copula here. Cf NCV, NIV.+1:8Lit that [will be] the scepter of. ME (see UBSHS [Heb], 19). Cf CJB, NCV, NLT.+1:9Lit That is the reason why. ME(OTB)/IT (see translation and notes at Mt 10:37, 22:32; Lk 14:26; Jn 12:5; 1 Co 16:22; Ga 3:6; Jm 1:12).+1:9Lit the God of you. ME(OTB)/IT. Covenantal connotations have been activated by “love” and “hate” in this context (see translation and notes at Mt 10:37, 22:32; Lk 14:26; Jn 12:5; 1 Co 16:22; Jm 1:12).+1:9Lit has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions. ME/IT (see UBSHS [Heb], 20). Cf GeCL; TEV.+1:9Ps 45:6-7+1:10σὺ κύριε ( su kurie) is in P2, with κύριε split from σὺ (see BART Display; note, though, that the BART Display is marked for focal ambiguity), and therefore a cleft-construction has been used to give extra focus to this element.+1:10ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού ( erga tōn cheirōn sou) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore a cleft-construction has been used to give extra focus to this element.+1:11ὡς ἱμάτιον ( hōs himation) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:12Or roll them up.+1:12ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ( hōs peribolaion) is in P2 (see BART Display), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:12ὁ αὐτὸς ( ho autous) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:12Ps 102:25-27+1:13Lit he.+1:13Ps 110:1+1:14IT. Cf NCV.+1:14Or winds.+1:14Cf NRSV, TEV; TNT in ESS (Heb), 39.+1:14Drawing from BDAG in translation here (see BDAG, 230, sv διακονία 1). εἰς διακονίαν ( eis diakonian) is in P2 (see BART Display and LDGNT), and therefore italics have been used to give this element extra focus and emphasis.+1:14διά ( dia) here is interpreted as a marker of benefaction (see, eg, L-N, 90.38). This is reflected in the translation. Cf ESV, NCV, NRSV, RSV, TEV.