Hebrews 1:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

NIV: And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'

NASB: And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, 'AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF God WORSHIP HIM.'

CSB: Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says,And let all God's angels worship him.

NLT: And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 'Let all of God’s angels worship him.'

KJV: And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

NKJV: But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

This is part of an extended series of Old Testament quotes. The writer of Hebrews seeks to prove, from the Jewish Scriptures, that Jesus Christ is a superior authority to any angel or other spiritual being. This list of evidence will continue through chapter 2, pausing only briefly to deliver a warning against ignoring the message of God.

Verse 5 made reference to Psalm 2:7, which refers to a newly-crowned king as "begotten." In that context, the meaning was coming into power and authority. Verse 5 also quoted from 2 Samuel 7:14, which connected the idea of God's role in king-making to the lineage of David.

Here, in verse 6, the idea of "again, when he brings the firstborn" is really meant to connect the words "bring" and "again." In other words, this is a reference to the second coming of Jesus. This is the time when God will "again bring" Jesus into the world. At this point in time, instead of being a poor and humble figure, Messiah will be a conquering and mighty figure, openly worshipped by the angels.

The writer of Hebrews makes this link through Psalm 97:7, though some also see a reference to Deuteronomy 32:43. Hebrews uses quotations from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament made by Jewish scholars. This results in some subtly different wording than is found in other, direct-from-Hebrew citations. In this instance, the word translated as "gods," with a small letter "g" in Psalm 97:7, is from a Hebrew term elohiym, a plural term which is sometimes used for God, and other times for generic spiritual beings. The Septuagint translators chose the Greek term for "angels," which corresponds to the context of the passage.

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.