Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ¹  in various portions ²  and in various ways ³  to our ancestors ⁴  through the prophets,

Hebrews 4:2

4:2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in ⁵  with those who heard it in faith. ⁶ 

Hebrews 4:11

4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:13

4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ⁷  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

Hebrews 6:18

6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him ⁸  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

Hebrews 7:26

7:26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Hebrews 8:1

The High Priest of a Better Covenant

8:1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: ⁹  We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ¹⁰ 

Hebrews 9:24

9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation ¹¹  of the true sanctuary ¹²  – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.

Hebrews 10:9

10:9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” ¹³  He does away with ¹⁴  the first to establish the second.

Hebrews 10:22

10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, ¹⁵  because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience ¹⁶  and our bodies washed in pure water.

Hebrews 12:5

12:5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?

“My son, do not scorn ¹⁷  the Lord’s discipline

or give up when he corrects ¹⁸  you.

Hebrews 13:15

13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name.

Hebrews 13:20

Benediction and Conclusion

13:20 Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ,

[1:1]  ¹ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ² 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).

[1:1]  ³ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Or “they were not united.”

[4:2]  ⁶ tc A few mss (א and a few versional witnesses) have the nominative singular participle συγκεκερασμένος (sunkekerasmeno", “since it [the message] was not combined with faith by those who heard it”), a reading that refers back to the ὁ λόγος (Jo logo", “the message”). There are a few other variants here (e.g., συγκεκεραμμένοι [sunkekerammenoi] in 104, συγκεκεραμένους [sunkekeramenou"] in 1881 Ï), but the accusative plural participle συγκεκερασμένους (sunkekerasmenou"), found in Ì^13vid,46 A B C D* Ψ 0243 0278 33 81 1739 2464 pc, has by far the best external credentials. This participle agrees with the previous ἐκείνους (ekeinou", “those”), a more difficult construction grammatically than the nominative singular. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, συγκεκερασμένους is preferred.

[4:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:18]  ¹³ tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.

[8:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the main point of the things being said.”

[8:1]  ¹⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1; see Heb 1:3, 13.

[9:24]  ²¹ tn Or “prefiguration.”

[9:24]  ²² tn The word “sanctuary” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.

[10:9]  ²⁵ tc The majority of mss, especially the later ones (א² 0278^vid 1739 Ï lat), have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”) at this point, while most of the earliest and best witnesses lack such an explicit addressee (so Ì⁴⁶ א* A C D K P Ψ 33 1175 1881 2464 al). The longer reading is a palpable corruption, apparently motivated in part by the wording of Ps 40:8 (39:9 LXX) and by the word order of this same verse as quoted in Heb 10:7.

[10:9]  ²⁶ tn Or “abolishes.”

[10:22]  ²⁹ tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”

[10:22]  ³⁰ sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).

[12:5]  ³³ tn Or “disregard,” “think little of.”

[12:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “reproves,” “rebukes.” The Greek verb ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.