ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Hebrews 1.13

Book: Hebrews · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

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.

13. 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?

  1. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:11-14, ASV)
WEB

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.”

13. 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?”

  1. Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:11-14, WEB)
KJV

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.

13. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

  1. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:11-14, KJV)
YLT

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.'

13. And unto which of the messengers said He ever, 'Sit at My right hand, till I may make thine enemies thy footstool?'

  1. are they not all spirits of service, for ministration being sent forth because of those about to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:11-14, 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

Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. The chapter closes by returning to Psalm 110:1, the Old Testament verse the New Testament quotes more than any other.

The rhetorical form matches verse 5: to which of the angels did he ever say this. The expected answer is none, and the contrast is completed in verse 14, where angels are defined by function as ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation. Servants are sent; the Son is seated.

The seating is the theological point and it recurs through the letter. At 10:11-12 the contrast is drawn out: every priest stands daily offering sacrifices that can never take away sins, but this one, having offered a single sacrifice, sat down. In a sanctuary with no chairs, sitting is the posture of completed work.

The until clause holds the letter's eschatology in tension. The enthronement is accomplished and the subjection of enemies is outstanding, which is the already-and-not-yet shape the New Testament keeps. Paul reasons from the same verse at 1 Corinthians 15:25.

Jesus himself pressed Psalm 110 on his opponents, asking how the Messiah can be David's son when David calls him Lord. Hebrews assumes the answer.

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:

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.