Hebrews 1:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;

NIV: He also says, 'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

NASB: And, 'YOU, Lord, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;

CSB: And:In the beginning, Lord,you established the earth,and the heavens are the works of your hands;

NLT: He also says to the Son, 'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.

KJV: And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

NKJV: And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

The writer of Hebrews is collecting Old Testament quotations in order to prove a point about Jesus. The idea is that Jesus is not a created entity or on the same level as angels. Rather, Jesus is equal to God and has an authority far above all other spiritual beings. In order to show this, prior verses have quoted Old Testament Scriptures which show that the Messiah is given qualities angels do not possess.

Verses 10 through 12 quote from Psalm 102:25–27. This is connected to the quotation of Psalm 45:6–7 which ended in Hebrews 1:9. Both passages show that Jesus, as God, and as Messiah, has a regal, unchanging, eternal nature. On the other hand, angels were shown in Hebrews 1:7 to be shifting, created, servant beings.

Psalm 102 is a cry to God over persecution. The psalmist feels overrun and overtaken by his enemies. And yet, because of his trust in an unchanging and eternal God, he is able to find comfort. Verses 25 through 27 explicitly point out the creative work of God and His timeless nature. This, coming from the writer of Hebrews, is a clear statement of Jesus' divinity.

Hebrews 1:5–14 uses a collection of Old Testament quotations. These are used to support the claims made in verses 1 through 4. In particular, the writer is explaining that Jesus Christ is not merely some angelic being or a created spiritual power. He is the exact nature of God and above all other authorities. Since this letter is written to a Jewish audience, this use of Old Testament material is crucial and would have been especially effective. This explanation continues through the entire second chapter of Hebrews.

Chapter 1 starts off with an immediate appeal to God's communication with mankind. It also establishes the divinity of Jesus Christ. Hebrews describes Jesus as superior to all other beings and all other claims. The first area where Jesus is elevated is with respect to angels. Using direct quotations from the Old Testament, this chapter clearly demonstrates that Jesus is above, beyond, and far more than every angel. This theme will continue through chapter 2.

The first chapter of Hebrews establishes two primary ideas used to support the rest of the book. First, that God has spoken to mankind, most recently through Jesus, so we ought to be listening to Him. Secondly, chapter 1 introduces the fact that Jesus is superior to other spiritual beings, such as angels. These concepts are used to support the superiority of faith in Christ, over the Old Testament Law, expressed in the book's later chapters.

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.