Hebrews 2:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,

NIV: You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor

NASB: YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR ;

CSB: You made him lower than the angelsfor a short time;you crowned him with glory and honor

NLT: Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

KJV: Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

NKJV: You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.

Prior sections of this letter were focused on proving that Jesus, the Messiah, is not merely some angelic being. Here, the writer of Hebrews begins to show that Jesus did not come as an angel to save men, but as a man. This allowed Him to perfectly function as our sacrifice, substitute, and high priest (Hebrews 2:9–14). In the previous verse, the author began a quotation of Psalm 8.

This specific verse in Hebrews is from Psalm 8:5, which points out that mankind is given honor and glory which are not offered to angels. The point seems to be that the idea of Messiah coming as a man does not make Him inferior to angels. According to the Jewish Scriptures, mankind has already been given power and honor beyond what angels are allowed. So, the idea of Jesus coming as a man, rather than as an angel, is not something which contradicts God's purposes.

In fact, as later verses will show, coming as a man is crucial to Jesus fulfilling His role as Savior.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 5:49:05 PM