Matthew 17:5

17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!”

Luke 9:35

9:35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!”

Luke 10:16

10:16 “The one who listens 10  to you listens to me, 11  and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects 12  the one who sent me.” 13 

John 6:29

6:29 Jesus replied, 14  “This is the deed 15  God requires 16  – to believe in the one whom he 17  sent.”

Hebrews 1:2

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, 18  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 19 

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago 20  in various portions 21  and in various ways 22  to our ancestors 23  through the prophets,

Hebrews 3:1

Jesus and Moses

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, 24  partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, 25 


tn Grk “behold, a.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here or in the following clause because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.

tn Or “surrounded.”

tn Grk “behold, a voice from the cloud, saying.” This is an incomplete sentence in Greek which portrays intensity and emotion. The participle λέγουσα (legousa) was translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style.

tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).

sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

tc Most mss, especially the later ones, have ἀγαπητός (agaphto", “the one I love”; A C* W Ë13 33 Ï it), or ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ ()υδόκησα (agaphto" en |w (h)udokhsa, “the one I love, in whom I am well pleased”; C3 D Ψ pc) here, instead of ἐκλελεγμένος (eklelegmeno", “the Chosen One”), but these variants are probably assimilations to Matt 17:5 and Mark 9:7. The text behind the translation also enjoys excellent support from Ì45,75 א B L Ξ (579) 892 1241 pc co.

sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.

10 tn Grk “hears you”; but as the context of vv. 8-9 makes clear, it is response that is the point. In contemporary English, “listen to” is one way to express this function (L&N 31.56).

11 sn Jesus linked himself to the disciples’ message: Responding to the disciples (listens to you) counts as responding to him.

12 tn The double mention of rejection in this clause – ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ (aqetwn aqetei) in the Greek text – keeps up the emphasis of the section.

13 sn The one who sent me refers to God.

14 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

15 tn Grk “the work.”

16 tn Grk “This is the work of God.”

17 tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).

18 tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

19 tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

20 tn Or “spoke formerly.”

21 tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

22 tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

23 tn Grk “to the fathers.”

24 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

25 tn Grk “of our confession.”