Hebrews 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."

NIV: And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."

NASB: And again, 'I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.' And again, 'BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM God HAS GIVEN ME.'

CSB: Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me.

NLT: He also said, 'I will put my trust in him,' that is, 'I and the children God has given me.'

KJV: And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

NKJV: And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

Verse 13 is part of an explanation of Jesus' role as Savior. By becoming a man, Jesus was able to say He had experienced all of the struggles of human life (Hebrews 4:15). This allows Him to be the leading example for our salvation (Hebrews 2:10) and gives Him the ability to call those who are saved His "brothers" (Hebrews 2:11). The author of Hebrews has used numerous Old Testament quotations to prove these ideas, and presents two more in this verse.

The first quotation is from Isaiah 8:17. In that verse, the prophet Isaiah is proclaiming his willingness to trust God even though God is hiding His face from Israel. Despite their sins and shortcomings, and despite God's current silence, the prophet knew that God was going to make good on His promises. This harmonizes well with the reference to Psalm 22 used in the prior verse from Hebrews. Both involve a servant who suffers but retains faith in God.

The second quotation in this verse is from Isaiah 8:18, though it also echoes the thoughts of Psalm 18:2. Psalm 18 proclaims trust in God and His promises. That Psalm also ends with a celebration of an anticipated rescue by God and His blessings on the psalmist's children. The writer of Hebrews has been discussing the idea of Christians as Jesus' brothers, something His sacrifice allowed us to become (1 John 3:1). The prophet Isaiah named his children according to the promises of God. Here, the idea seems to be that being given the promise of these children, or brothers, is a sign of God's faithfulness and blessing on Jesus.

Hebrews 2:5–18 explains why the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came in the form of a man, rather than being an angel. In order to serve as a true example, He had to experience our human suffering and temptation. By doing so, Jesus was able to become the ''Captain,'' or the ''Founder,'' of our salvation. His resurrection breaks the slavery we experience over our fear of death. By using more quotations from the Old Testament, the writer of Hebrews shows that this is exactly what God planned for all along.

Chapter 2 begins with a strong warning about the dangers of apostasy. Chapter 1 opened by explaining that Jesus Christ is the message of God. This chapter points out that those who have faith in Christ, but drift from that truth, will face dire consequences. The rest of the passage continues a series of proofs begun in Chapter 1. These are quotes from the Old Testament, used to prove that the Messiah is not an angel, but is superior to any created being. He is, in fact, identical to God. And yet, He became fully human in order to serve as our perfect high priest.

The first two chapters of Hebrews are meant to prove that Jesus Christ is superior to angels. Rather than seeing Jesus as a created being, or some form of exalted angel, He should be viewed as what He is: identical with God. These two chapters use extensive Old Testament quotes to prove this point. The first few verses of chapter 2 feature the first of several warnings within the book about the dangers of apostasy. Later chapters will demonstrate that Christ is also superior to other prophets, spiritual leaders, and priests.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.