Hebrews 1:6
Verse
Context
Sermons
Chuck Smith
Les Wheeldon
Albert Leckie
Mike Theule
Matt Slick
Lewis Sperry ChaferSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten - This is not a correct translation of the Greek, Ὁταν δε παλιν εισαγαγῃ τον πρωτοτοκον εις την οικουμενην· But when he bringeth again, or the second time, the first-born into the habitable world. This most manifestly refers to his resurrection, which might be properly considered a second incarnation; for as the human soul, as well as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, dwelt in the man, Christ Jesus on and during his incarnation, so when he expired upon the cross, both the Godhead and the human spirit left his dead body; and as on his resurrection these were reunited to his revivified manhood, therefore, with the strictest propriety, does the apostle say that the resurrection was a second bringing of him into the world. I have translated οικουμενη the habitable world, and this is its proper meaning; and thus it is distinguished from κοσμος, which signifies the terraqueous globe, independently of its inhabitants; though it often expresses both the inhabited and uninhabited parts. Our Lord's first coming into the world is expressed by this latter word, Heb 10:5 : Wherefore when he cometh into the world, διο εισερχομενος εις τον κοσμον, and this simply refers to his being incarnated, that he might be capable of suffering and dying for man. But the word is changed on this second coming, I mean his resurrection, and then οικουμενη is used; and why? (fancy apart) because he was now to dwell with man; to send his gospel everywhere to all the inhabitants of the earth, and to accompany that Gospel wherever he sent it, and to be wherever two or three should be gathered together in his name. Wherever the messengers of Jesus Christ go, preaching the kingdom of God, even to the farthest and most desolate parts of the earth where human beings exist, there they ever find Christ; he is not only in them, and with them, but he is in and among all who believe on him through their word. Let all the angels of God worship him - The apostle recurs here to his former assertion, that Jesus is higher than the angels, Heb 1:4, that he is none of those who can be called ordinary angels or messengers, but one of the most extraordinary kind, and the object of worship to all the angels of God. To worship any creature is idolatry, and God resents idolatry more than any other evil. Jesus Christ can be no creature, else the angels who worship him must be guilty of idolatry, and God the author of that idolatry, who commanded those angels to worship Christ. There has been some difficulty in ascertaining the place from which the apostle quotes these words; some suppose Psa 97:7 : Worship him, all ye gods; which the Septuagint translate thus: Προσκυνησατε αυτῳ, παντες αγγελοι αυτου· Worship him, all ye his angels; but it is not clear that the Messiah is intended in this psalm, nor are the words precisely those used here by the apostle. Our marginal references send us with great propriety to the Septuagint version of Deu 32:43, where the passage is found verbatim et literatim; but there is nothing answering to the words in the present Hebrew text. The apostle undoubtedly quoted the Septuagint, which had then been for more than 300 years a version of the highest repute among the Jews; and it is very probable that the copy from which the Seventy translated had the corresponding words. However this may be, they are now sanctioned by Divine authority; and as the verse contains some singular additions, I will set it down in a parallel column with that of our own version, which was taken immediately from the Hebrew text, premising simply this, that it is the last verse of the famous prophetic song of Moses, which seems to point out the advent of the Messiah to discomfit his enemies, purify the land, and redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Deu 32:43, from the Hebrew Deuteronomy 32:43, from the Septuagint - Rejoice, ye heaven, together with him; and let all the ... Rejoice, O ye nations, with angels of God worship him. Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people ... his people; and let the children of God be strengthened ... for he will avenge in him; for he will avenge the blood of his children; the blood of his servants; - and will render he will avenge, and will repay judgment to his adver- vengeance to his adversaries: - and ... saries; and those who hate him will he recompense: ... will be merciful to his land and to his people and the Lord will purge the land of his people This is a very important verse; and to it, as it stands in the Septuagint, St. Paul has referred once before; see Rom 15:10. This very verse, as it stands now in the Septuagint, thus referred to by an inspired writer, shows the great importance of this ancient version; and proves the necessity of its being studied and well understood by every minister of Christ. In Romans 3 there is a large quotation - from Psa 14:1-7 :, where there are six whole verses in the apostle's quotation which are not found in the present Hebrew text, but are preserved in the Septuagint! How strange it is that this venerable and important version, so often quoted by our Lord and all his apostles, should be so generally neglected, and so little known! That the common people should be ignorant of it, is not to be wondered at, as it has never been put in an English dress; but that the ministers of the Gospel should be unacquainted with it may be spoken to their shame.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
And--Greek, "But." Not only this proves His superiority, BUT a more decisive proof is Psa 97:7, which shows that not only at His resurrection, but also in prospect of His being brought into the world (compare Heb 9:11; Heb 10:5) as man, in His incarnation, nativity (Luk 2:9-14), temptation (Mat 4:10-11), resurrection (Mat 28:2), and future second advent in glory, angels were designed by God to be subject to Him. Compare Ti1 3:16, "seen of angels"; God manifesting Messiah as one to be gazed at with adoring love by heavenly intelligences (Eph 3:10; Th2 1:9-10; Pe1 3:22). The fullest realization of His Lordship shall be at His second coming (Psa 97:7; Co1 15:24-25; Phi 2:9). "Worship Him all ye gods" ("gods," that is, exalted beings, as angels), refers to God; but it was universally admitted among the Hebrews that God would dwell, in a peculiar sense, in Messiah (so as to be in the Talmud phrase, "capable of being pointed to with the finger"); and so what was said of God was true of, and to be fulfilled in, Messiah. KIMCHI says that the ninety-third through the hundred first Psalms contain in them the mystery of Messiah. God ruled the theocracy in and through Him. the world--subject to Christ (Heb 2:5). As "the first-begotten" He has the rights of primogeniture (Rom 8:29); Col 1:15-16, Col 1:18). In Deu 32:43, the Septuagint has, "Let all the angels of God worship Him," words not now found in the Hebrew. This passage of the Septuagint may have been in Paul's mind as to the form, but the substance is taken from Psa 97:7. The type David, in the Psa 89:27 (quoted in Heb 1:5), is called "God's first-born, higher than the kings of the earth"; so the antitypical first-begotten, the son of David, is to be worshipped by all inferior lords, such as angels ("gods," Psa 97:7); for He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16). In the Greek, "again" is transposed; but this does not oblige us, as ALFORD thinks, to translate, "when He again shall have introduced," &c., namely, at Christ's second coming; for there is no previous mention of a first bringing in; and "again" is often used in quotations, not to be joined with the verb, but parenthetically ("that I may again quote Scripture"). English Version is correct (compare Mat 5:33; Greek, Joh 12:39).
John Gill Bible Commentary
And again, when he bringeth the first begotten into the world;.... By "the first begotten" is meant Christ. This is a name given him in the Old Testament, and is what the Hebrews were acquainted with, and therefore the apostle uses it; it is in Psa 89:27 from whence it seems to be taken here, and which the ancient Jews (u) acknowledge is to be understood of the Messiah; who, as the Son of God, is the only begotten of the Father, and was begotten from eternity, as before declared, and before any creature had a being, and therefore called the firstborn of every creature, Col 1:15 and is sometimes styled the first begotten from the dead; he rose the first in time, and is the first in causality and dignity: and he may be called the firstborn, with respect to the saints, who are of the same nature with him, and are partakers of the divine nature, and are adopted into the family of God, though they are not in the same class of sonship with him; and the bringing of him into the world may refer to his second coming, for this seems agreeable from the natural order of the words, which may be rendered, "when he shall bring again", &c. that is, a second time, and from Psa 97:1 from whence the following words are cited; and from the glory he shall then have from the angels, who will come with him, and minister to him; and not to his resurrection from the dead, when he was exalted above angels, principalities, and powers; though, as we read the words, they seem to regard his first coming in to this habitable world, at his incarnation and birth, when he was attended with angels, and worshipped by them, according to the order of God the Father, as follows: he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him; these words are cited from Psa 97:7 where the angels are called Elohim, gods. So Aben Ezra on the place observes, that there are some (meaning their doctors) who say, that "all the gods are the angels"; and Kimchi says, that the words are not imperative, but are in the past tense, instead of the future, all the angels have worshipped him; that is, they shall worship him; as they have done, so they will do. According to our version, they are called upon to worship God's firstborn, his only begotten Son, with a religious worship and adoration, even all of them, not one excepted; which shows, that Christ, as the first begotten, is the Lord God, for he only is to be served and worshipped; and that if angels are to worship him, men ought; and that angels are not to be worshipped, and that Christ is preferable to them; and the whole sets forth the excellency and dignity of his person. Philo the Jew (w) often calls the Logos, or Word of God, his first begotten. (u) Shemot Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 104. 4. (w) De Agricultura, p. 195. De Confus. Ling. p. 329, 341. Somniis, p. 597.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:6 The supreme (or firstborn) Son shared the authority of the father, inherited most of his property, and was especially favored. In the New Testament, “firstborn” most frequently refers to Christ’s supremacy both in the church and in the created order; his resurrection is often given as the evidence for this status (Acts 13:33; Rom 1:4; 8:29; Col 1:15, 18; Rev 1:5; cp. Heb 12:23, where believers are called firstborn children). • “Let all of God’s angels worship him”: This quotation from Deut 32:43 demonstrates the lower status of the angels in that they worship the Son (see also Ps 97:7).
Hebrews 1:6
The Supremacy of the Son
5For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father” ? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son” ? 6And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
(Through the Bible) Hebrews 1-2
By Chuck Smith2.1K1:31:36PSA 102:25PSA 104:4MAT 6:33HEB 1:6HEB 1:9In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes that in the past, God spoke to our ancestors in various ways, but in the present time, He has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The speaker highlights seven facts about Jesus Christ, including his appointment as the heir of all things and the promise of a glorious kingdom yet to come. The prophets of the Old Testament provided glimpses of this kingdom, where mankind lived in peace and abundance. The speaker also expresses awe and gratitude for God's love and grace, acknowledging that even the articulate King David was left speechless before God's goodness. The sermon concludes with an encouragement to spend time in worship and fellowship with God, growing in our relationship with Him.
The Church - Part 3
By Les Wheeldon1.5K1:01:39ChurchMAT 6:33MAT 16:15JHN 3:3JHN 20:281CO 3:14HEB 1:6HEB 8:10In this sermon, the speaker shares a powerful story of a woman who encountered a dangerous criminal in a shopping mall. Despite the man's evil intentions, the woman boldly spoke to him about Jesus and the presence of God overwhelmed him. He eventually prayed to Jesus and experienced a radical transformation, becoming a born-again Christian. The story highlights the power of sharing the gospel and the ability of Jesus to change lives. The speaker emphasizes the importance of serving God above all else and not being swayed by the opinions of others or societal movements.
The Consummation of the Ages
By Albert Leckie1.4K56:16ConsummationISA 66:8ACT 1:9EPH 3:21COL 3:4TIT 2:13HEB 1:6HEB 6:19In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of the millennial reign of Christ as God's final test to humanity. He explains that during this time, there will be no false religions and all people will have knowledge of God. However, despite this, there will still be those who do not believe. The preacher also highlights that the millennial reign will serve as God's conclusive proof that He has not lost anything due to the entry of sin, thanks to the sacrifice of Calvary. The sermon concludes by discussing the future manifestation of Christ and how believers will be glorified with Him, bringing an end to the reproach they face in the world.
Jehovah's Witnesses #3 - the Ten Misapplied Texts Pt. 2 (The Watchtower and False Prophesy)
By Mike Theule9491:09:17ISA 44:6ISA 48:12LUK 4:8JHN 2:19ACT 2:32ROM 8:11GAL 4:8HEB 1:6In this sermon, the speaker discusses the importance of understanding the nature of God. He shares a personal experience of witnessing to a Jehovah's Witness girl who was convinced by a verse from the Bible that there is only one God. The speaker emphasizes the need to carefully examine the translations of Bible verses and points out that the Jehovah's Witness translation is incorrect. He then focuses on Isaiah 43:10 as a key verse in understanding the nature of God, highlighting that there is only one God and that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. The speaker concludes by referencing Revelation 22 and emphasizing that it is Jesus who is coming quickly and will reward each person according to their works.
Our Lord Walking on the Water Matthew 14:22-36
By R.A. Torrey0The Power of PrayerFaith in TrialsJOB 9:8ISA 40:31ISA 59:1MAT 14:22MAT 17:20MRK 6:45MRK 9:23JHN 6:14ROM 10:13HEB 1:6R.A. Torrey explores the profound lesson of faith and reliance on Jesus as He walks on water to reach His disciples during a storm. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus sends His followers into trials to strengthen their faith, and He is always aware of their struggles. When Peter steps out in faith but begins to sink, he learns the importance of keeping his eyes on Christ. The message concludes with the reassurance that Jesus is always ready to save those who call upon Him in their time of need. Ultimately, the sermon highlights the necessity of prayer and the comfort found in Jesus' presence amidst life's storms.
A Test: Do You Have the True Jesus?
By Matt Slick0PSA 116:4ZEC 13:9MAT 2:2MAT 11:27LUK 10:22JHN 5:23JHN 9:35JHN 20:28ACT 7:551CO 1:1HEB 1:6HEB 1:8Matt Slick preaches about the importance of recognizing the true Jesus of the Bible, distinguishing Him from distorted versions presented in cult theologies like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. The true Jesus is prayed to, worshiped, and called God, as evidenced by biblical verses. Sincerity in faith is not enough if placed in a false Jesus; only the Jesus of the Bible bridges the gap of sin between God and man.
God the Son: His Pre-Existence
By Lewis Sperry Chafer0MIC 5:2JHN 1:1JHN 8:58JHN 17:5JHN 20:28COL 1:16HEB 1:6HEB 1:10Lewis Sperry Chafer delves into the dual nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, perfectly human and divine, emphasizing His likeness and unlikeness to men. The Scriptures clearly depict Jesus as a man who lived, suffered, and died among men, yet with a sinless character, sacrificial death, and eternal pre-existence. The pre-existence of Christ is directly stated in various Scriptures, highlighting His infinite Person and eternal existence coequal with the Godhead, unaffected by His incarnation. Additionally, the Word of God consistently implies the pre-existence of Jesus through His works of creation, appearances as the Angel of Jehovah, divine titles, attributes of God, and being worshiped as God.
The Firstborn
By Arno Clemens Gaebelein0ROM 8:291CO 15:20COL 1:18HEB 1:6REV 1:5Arno Clemens Gaebelein preaches about the significance of 'The Firstborn' or 'The Firstbegotten' as one of the names of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His resurrection, ascension to the highest heaven, and future return to rule in power and glory. The message focuses on the eternal object of Christ, His redemptive work, and the believers' blessed union with Him. Gaebelein highlights the importance of meditating on Scriptures that reveal Christ as the Firstborn from the dead, the faithful witness, and the Prince of the Kings of the earth, stressing the need for hearts to turn more to Him for perfect rest and joy.
Prove What Is That Good, and Acceptable, and Perfect, Will of God
By A.B. Simpson0PSA 104:4MAT 2:11JHN 9:38HEB 1:6REV 4:10Wayne Barber delves into the meaning of worship, emphasizing the significance of proskuneo, which involves prostrating oneself in homage before God. He explores the profound awe and respect associated with worship, highlighting how proskuneo represents adoration and reverence. Barber discusses the command to worship effectively and fully, drawing from biblical examples of angels and individuals prostrating themselves before God. He also contrasts the worship of God with the worship of false idols, emphasizing the importance of recognizing Jesus as worthy of worship.
Why I Believe That Jesus Christ Is God in Human Form
By R.A. Torrey0The Deity of ChristFaith and SurrenderISA 45:21MRK 2:5JHN 3:16JHN 5:23JHN 8:24JHN 14:9ACT 2:36ROM 1:4PHP 2:10HEB 1:6R.A. Torrey emphasizes the critical importance of recognizing Jesus Christ as God in human form, arguing that if He is not divine, then Christians are idolaters for worshiping Him. He presents compelling reasons for this belief, including Christ's unique claims, His character, the miracles He performed, His profound influence on history, and His resurrection. Torrey asserts that the Bible unequivocally supports the divinity of Christ, and he highlights the transformative power of accepting Jesus as the Son of God. He concludes with a call to acknowledge and surrender to Jesus as the Divine Savior and Lord, warning against the grave sin of rejecting Him.
The Mighty Conqueror
By Robert Murray M'Cheyne0The Kingly Office of ChristChrist's SovereigntyISA 10:5MAT 28:18MRK 5:35JHN 1:1ACT 9:4EPH 1:22COL 2:15HEB 1:6REV 1:5REV 19:17Robert Murray M'Cheyne emphasizes the ultimate authority of Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords, highlighting the final conflict between Christ and the world regarding His kingly office. He discusses the three crowns Christ wears: His mediatorial crown over all creation, His crown over the visible Church, and His crown over the redeemed. M'Cheyne reassures believers of Christ's sovereignty and power, which brings comfort, while warning the unrepentant of the consequences of opposing Him. He calls for a defense of Christ's kingly authority, especially in the face of modern challenges to His rule. The sermon serves as a reminder of the importance of recognizing Christ's dominion in all aspects of life.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten - This is not a correct translation of the Greek, Ὁταν δε παλιν εισαγαγῃ τον πρωτοτοκον εις την οικουμενην· But when he bringeth again, or the second time, the first-born into the habitable world. This most manifestly refers to his resurrection, which might be properly considered a second incarnation; for as the human soul, as well as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, dwelt in the man, Christ Jesus on and during his incarnation, so when he expired upon the cross, both the Godhead and the human spirit left his dead body; and as on his resurrection these were reunited to his revivified manhood, therefore, with the strictest propriety, does the apostle say that the resurrection was a second bringing of him into the world. I have translated οικουμενη the habitable world, and this is its proper meaning; and thus it is distinguished from κοσμος, which signifies the terraqueous globe, independently of its inhabitants; though it often expresses both the inhabited and uninhabited parts. Our Lord's first coming into the world is expressed by this latter word, Heb 10:5 : Wherefore when he cometh into the world, διο εισερχομενος εις τον κοσμον, and this simply refers to his being incarnated, that he might be capable of suffering and dying for man. But the word is changed on this second coming, I mean his resurrection, and then οικουμενη is used; and why? (fancy apart) because he was now to dwell with man; to send his gospel everywhere to all the inhabitants of the earth, and to accompany that Gospel wherever he sent it, and to be wherever two or three should be gathered together in his name. Wherever the messengers of Jesus Christ go, preaching the kingdom of God, even to the farthest and most desolate parts of the earth where human beings exist, there they ever find Christ; he is not only in them, and with them, but he is in and among all who believe on him through their word. Let all the angels of God worship him - The apostle recurs here to his former assertion, that Jesus is higher than the angels, Heb 1:4, that he is none of those who can be called ordinary angels or messengers, but one of the most extraordinary kind, and the object of worship to all the angels of God. To worship any creature is idolatry, and God resents idolatry more than any other evil. Jesus Christ can be no creature, else the angels who worship him must be guilty of idolatry, and God the author of that idolatry, who commanded those angels to worship Christ. There has been some difficulty in ascertaining the place from which the apostle quotes these words; some suppose Psa 97:7 : Worship him, all ye gods; which the Septuagint translate thus: Προσκυνησατε αυτῳ, παντες αγγελοι αυτου· Worship him, all ye his angels; but it is not clear that the Messiah is intended in this psalm, nor are the words precisely those used here by the apostle. Our marginal references send us with great propriety to the Septuagint version of Deu 32:43, where the passage is found verbatim et literatim; but there is nothing answering to the words in the present Hebrew text. The apostle undoubtedly quoted the Septuagint, which had then been for more than 300 years a version of the highest repute among the Jews; and it is very probable that the copy from which the Seventy translated had the corresponding words. However this may be, they are now sanctioned by Divine authority; and as the verse contains some singular additions, I will set it down in a parallel column with that of our own version, which was taken immediately from the Hebrew text, premising simply this, that it is the last verse of the famous prophetic song of Moses, which seems to point out the advent of the Messiah to discomfit his enemies, purify the land, and redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Deu 32:43, from the Hebrew Deuteronomy 32:43, from the Septuagint - Rejoice, ye heaven, together with him; and let all the ... Rejoice, O ye nations, with angels of God worship him. Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people ... his people; and let the children of God be strengthened ... for he will avenge in him; for he will avenge the blood of his children; the blood of his servants; - and will render he will avenge, and will repay judgment to his adver- vengeance to his adversaries: - and ... saries; and those who hate him will he recompense: ... will be merciful to his land and to his people and the Lord will purge the land of his people This is a very important verse; and to it, as it stands in the Septuagint, St. Paul has referred once before; see Rom 15:10. This very verse, as it stands now in the Septuagint, thus referred to by an inspired writer, shows the great importance of this ancient version; and proves the necessity of its being studied and well understood by every minister of Christ. In Romans 3 there is a large quotation - from Psa 14:1-7 :, where there are six whole verses in the apostle's quotation which are not found in the present Hebrew text, but are preserved in the Septuagint! How strange it is that this venerable and important version, so often quoted by our Lord and all his apostles, should be so generally neglected, and so little known! That the common people should be ignorant of it, is not to be wondered at, as it has never been put in an English dress; but that the ministers of the Gospel should be unacquainted with it may be spoken to their shame.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
And--Greek, "But." Not only this proves His superiority, BUT a more decisive proof is Psa 97:7, which shows that not only at His resurrection, but also in prospect of His being brought into the world (compare Heb 9:11; Heb 10:5) as man, in His incarnation, nativity (Luk 2:9-14), temptation (Mat 4:10-11), resurrection (Mat 28:2), and future second advent in glory, angels were designed by God to be subject to Him. Compare Ti1 3:16, "seen of angels"; God manifesting Messiah as one to be gazed at with adoring love by heavenly intelligences (Eph 3:10; Th2 1:9-10; Pe1 3:22). The fullest realization of His Lordship shall be at His second coming (Psa 97:7; Co1 15:24-25; Phi 2:9). "Worship Him all ye gods" ("gods," that is, exalted beings, as angels), refers to God; but it was universally admitted among the Hebrews that God would dwell, in a peculiar sense, in Messiah (so as to be in the Talmud phrase, "capable of being pointed to with the finger"); and so what was said of God was true of, and to be fulfilled in, Messiah. KIMCHI says that the ninety-third through the hundred first Psalms contain in them the mystery of Messiah. God ruled the theocracy in and through Him. the world--subject to Christ (Heb 2:5). As "the first-begotten" He has the rights of primogeniture (Rom 8:29); Col 1:15-16, Col 1:18). In Deu 32:43, the Septuagint has, "Let all the angels of God worship Him," words not now found in the Hebrew. This passage of the Septuagint may have been in Paul's mind as to the form, but the substance is taken from Psa 97:7. The type David, in the Psa 89:27 (quoted in Heb 1:5), is called "God's first-born, higher than the kings of the earth"; so the antitypical first-begotten, the son of David, is to be worshipped by all inferior lords, such as angels ("gods," Psa 97:7); for He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16). In the Greek, "again" is transposed; but this does not oblige us, as ALFORD thinks, to translate, "when He again shall have introduced," &c., namely, at Christ's second coming; for there is no previous mention of a first bringing in; and "again" is often used in quotations, not to be joined with the verb, but parenthetically ("that I may again quote Scripture"). English Version is correct (compare Mat 5:33; Greek, Joh 12:39).
John Gill Bible Commentary
And again, when he bringeth the first begotten into the world;.... By "the first begotten" is meant Christ. This is a name given him in the Old Testament, and is what the Hebrews were acquainted with, and therefore the apostle uses it; it is in Psa 89:27 from whence it seems to be taken here, and which the ancient Jews (u) acknowledge is to be understood of the Messiah; who, as the Son of God, is the only begotten of the Father, and was begotten from eternity, as before declared, and before any creature had a being, and therefore called the firstborn of every creature, Col 1:15 and is sometimes styled the first begotten from the dead; he rose the first in time, and is the first in causality and dignity: and he may be called the firstborn, with respect to the saints, who are of the same nature with him, and are partakers of the divine nature, and are adopted into the family of God, though they are not in the same class of sonship with him; and the bringing of him into the world may refer to his second coming, for this seems agreeable from the natural order of the words, which may be rendered, "when he shall bring again", &c. that is, a second time, and from Psa 97:1 from whence the following words are cited; and from the glory he shall then have from the angels, who will come with him, and minister to him; and not to his resurrection from the dead, when he was exalted above angels, principalities, and powers; though, as we read the words, they seem to regard his first coming in to this habitable world, at his incarnation and birth, when he was attended with angels, and worshipped by them, according to the order of God the Father, as follows: he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him; these words are cited from Psa 97:7 where the angels are called Elohim, gods. So Aben Ezra on the place observes, that there are some (meaning their doctors) who say, that "all the gods are the angels"; and Kimchi says, that the words are not imperative, but are in the past tense, instead of the future, all the angels have worshipped him; that is, they shall worship him; as they have done, so they will do. According to our version, they are called upon to worship God's firstborn, his only begotten Son, with a religious worship and adoration, even all of them, not one excepted; which shows, that Christ, as the first begotten, is the Lord God, for he only is to be served and worshipped; and that if angels are to worship him, men ought; and that angels are not to be worshipped, and that Christ is preferable to them; and the whole sets forth the excellency and dignity of his person. Philo the Jew (w) often calls the Logos, or Word of God, his first begotten. (u) Shemot Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 104. 4. (w) De Agricultura, p. 195. De Confus. Ling. p. 329, 341. Somniis, p. 597.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:6 The supreme (or firstborn) Son shared the authority of the father, inherited most of his property, and was especially favored. In the New Testament, “firstborn” most frequently refers to Christ’s supremacy both in the church and in the created order; his resurrection is often given as the evidence for this status (Acts 13:33; Rom 1:4; 8:29; Col 1:15, 18; Rev 1:5; cp. Heb 12:23, where believers are called firstborn children). • “Let all of God’s angels worship him”: This quotation from Deut 32:43 demonstrates the lower status of the angels in that they worship the Son (see also Ps 97:7).