What does Hebrews 1:13 mean?

The primary purpose of the first two chapters of Hebrews is to prove that Jesus is not an angel. Rather, He is eternal, unchanging, and supreme in His authority. In other words, the Messiah promised in the Old Testament is actually God Himself. The writer of Hebrews has stated that God's message once came through prophets, and now comes through Jesus. Showing that Jesus is not merely some created spiritual being is crucial to the rest of this letter.

Verses 13 and 14 make one last comparison between Jesus and angels, before chapter 2 begins with a dire warning. This verse quotes Psalm 110:1, where the Promised One is given the place of ultimate honor: the "right hand" of God. The writer of Hebrews is using this passage for the same purpose as Jesus. Christ also cited Psalm 110:1 (Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37), also as a way of proving that the prophesied King would be the Son of God.

Psalm 110 itself does not seem to connect directly to any event in the life of David. Rather, it seems to be a vision of the future, one which connects to the coming Messiah. In Hebrews 1:14, the idea of the Promised One being a ruler is directly contrasted to the nature of angels as servants.