ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Hebrews 1.10-12

Book: Hebrews · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

8. but of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

10. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands: 11. They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12. And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.

  1. But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet? 14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:8-14, ASV)
WEB

8. But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom. 9. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”

10. And, “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of your hands. 11. They will perish, but you continue. They all will grow old like a garment does. 12. You will roll them up like a mantle, and they will be changed; but you are the same. Your years will not fail.”

  1. But which of the angels has he told at any time, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet?” 14. Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:8-14, WEB)
KJV

8. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. righteousness: Gr. rightness, or, straightness 9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

10. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

  1. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:8-14, KJV)
YLT

8. and unto the Son: 'Thy throne, O God, [is] to the age of the age; a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy reign; 9. thou didst love righteousness, and didst hate lawlessness; because of this did He anoint thee, God, thy God, with oil of gladness above thy partners;'

10. and, 'Thou, at the beginning, Lord, the earth didst found, and a work of thy hands are the heavens; 11. these shall perish, and Thou dost remain, and all, as a garment, shall become old, 12. and as a mantle Thou shall roll them together, and they shall be changed, and Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.'

  1. And unto which of the messengers said He ever, 'Sit at My right hand, till I may make thine enemies thy footstool?' 14. are they not all spirits of service, for ministration being sent forth because of those about to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:8-14, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: the anonymous author of Hebrews. Pauline authorship was doubted in antiquity and Origen concluded that who wrote it, God knows
  • Audience: Jewish believers under pressure to fall back from Christ into the older covenant observances
  • Location: unknown; the closing greeting from those of Italy (13:24) points in two directions at once
  • Time period: most likely before AD 70, since the sacrificial system is discussed as still operating

Theological reading

This is one of the most striking Christological moves in the New Testament, and it is easy to read past because it looks like a long quotation.

The author cites Psalm 102:25-27: Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou continuest. In its own context that psalm addresses YHWH directly. It is a prayer of the afflicted, and the one addressed is the covenant God of Israel, the unchanging creator against whose permanence the psalmist sets his own frailty.

The author of Hebrews applies it, without argument or apology, to the Son. Verse 8 has already introduced the run with unto the Son he saith, so the addressee is fixed before the citation begins.

What that requires is worth stating plainly. A first-century Jewish writer, addressing Jewish believers, takes a text about the creator God's eternity and unchangeableness and reads the Son as its subject. This is not an inference from a title or an argument from a miracle. It is the direct identification of Jesus with the one the psalm is praying to, and the letter treats it as uncontroversial enough to serve as a premise.

The attributes carried across are creation, permanence through cosmic dissolution, and immutability, three of the properties classical theism reserves to God alone. See Cumulative Case for the Deity of Christ and Divine Simplicity.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

Passages:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.