Hebrews 2

After showing that the Son is greater than the angels, the writer warns his readers not to drift from the message of salvation. He then explains that Jesus became truly human, suffered and died, so that He could lift humanity to glory, break the devil’s hold on death, and serve as a merciful high priest.

Hebrews 2:1

Because the Son is so great, the writer urges us to hold on to what we have heard about Him. Drifting is slow and quiet. A boat that is not tied up simply slides away. No dramatic rebellion is needed, only inattention.

BSA: drift away (“carelessly pass by, let slip”): The danger is letting the truth slip past us unnoticed, not openly rejecting it.

Greek: παραρυῶμεν (pararyōmen, G3901) — “to flow past, slip away.” The word pictures something slipping by like a current carrying a boat past its harbor. Loss comes gently when we are not paying attention.

Hebrews 2:2

The law was passed on through angels, and breaking it brought real consequences. Every wrong step was met with fair justice. If that earlier message was serious and reliable, the message brought by the Son carries far greater weight.

BSA: binding (“steadfast, reliable”): The message from angels stood firm and could be counted on, so it could not be treated lightly. transgression (“violation, overstepping”): Sin is pictured as stepping over a line God has drawn.

See also: Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19.

Hebrews 2:3

No one escapes by ignoring so great a rescue. Neglect alone is enough to miss it. This salvation began with the Lord’s own preaching, and those who heard Him passed it on to us with firm testimony.

BSA: neglect (“ignore, disregard”): Simply not caring about salvation is enough to lose its benefit. salvation (“rescue, deliverance”): Salvation is pictured as a rescue from real danger, not a mere improvement. confirmed (“established, guaranteed”): The apostles’ witness gives the message a firm footing, like a guarantee.

Hebrews 2:4

God Himself added His witness to the message. He did this through signs, wonders and many kinds of miracles, and through gifts of the Holy Spirit shared out as He chose. The gospel rests on more than human report.

BSA: signs (“miraculous tokens”): Miracles served as pointers that showed the message came from God. gifts (“distributions, impartations”): The Spirit’s gifts are shared out by God, not earned.

Hebrews 2:5

The coming world, the new order God is bringing, is not placed under angels. The writer is preparing to show who does rule it. Angels serve, but the future belongs to humanity, brought to its destiny through Christ.

BSA: subjected (“put under His authority, made obedient”): Rule over the coming world is a matter of God’s appointment, and He has not given it to angels.

Hebrews 2:6-7

The writer quotes Psalm 8. David wonders that God would care about frail humans. Yet God made people only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. Human beings were given a high calling from the start.

BSA: glory (“honor and praise”): Humanity was given royal dignity as God’s chosen rulers over creation. care (“visit, look after him”): God does not merely think of us from afar. He comes to us and looks after us.

See also: Psalm 8:4-6; Genesis 1:26-28.

Hebrews 2:8

God put everything under humanity’s authority, with no exceptions. Yet we look around and see sin, death and disorder. The promise is not yet visible. This gap between God’s purpose and what we now see is what the next verse answers.

BSA: nothing (“not a single thing, no exception”): God’s purpose for human rule was complete, leaving no part of creation out.

Hebrews 2:9

What we do see is Jesus. He took the lowly place for a short time, suffered death, and is now crowned. He tasted death for everyone, which was a free gift of God’s grace. In Him the human destiny is already fulfilled.

BSA: taste (“experience, partake of”): Jesus did not merely observe death. He went through it fully and personally. grace (“unmerited favor, divine influence”): His death was a gift to us, not something we earned.

Greek: γεύσηται (geusētai, G1089) — “might taste.” To taste here means to experience something to the full. Jesus took death in completely, on behalf of everyone.

See also: Philippians 2:8-9.

Hebrews 2:10

God is the source and goal of all things, and it was fitting for Him to bring many children to glory through a Savior who suffered. Jesus was made perfect, meaning fully equipped for His saving work, by passing through suffering. He leads the way.

BSA: author (“founder, leader”): Jesus is both the pioneer who opens the path and the one who leads us along it. perfect (“complete, mature”): He was not made perfect from sin, but brought to full readiness for His work as Savior.

Greek: ἀρχηγὸν (archēgon, G747) — “pioneer, trailblazer, leader.” It describes one who goes ahead to open a way for others to follow. Jesus has already walked the road to glory.

Hebrews 2:11-13

Jesus and His people share one Father, so He is not ashamed to call them brothers. The writer cites Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8 to show Christ praising God among His people, trusting God as we do, and presenting the children God gave Him.

BSA: sanctified (“made holy, set apart”): Those who belong to Jesus are set apart for God by Him. ashamed (“does not feel regret or embarrassment”): Jesus does not hold back from claiming us, however weak we are.

See also: Psalm 22:22; Isaiah 8:17-18.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Because God’s children are flesh and blood, the Son took on a real human body. Through His death He broke the devil’s power over death and freed people who lived their whole lives afraid of it. Death no longer has the last word.

BSA: destroy (“bring to nothing, abolish”): The devil’s hold is made powerless, not merely reduced. slavery (“bondage, servitude”): Fear of death can rule a life like a harsh master, and Christ ends that rule.

Greek: καταργήσῃ (katargēsē, G2673) — “make powerless, render inoperative.” The word does not mean wipe out of existence. It means strip of power, so that the devil’s hold over death is made ineffective.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Romans 8:15.

Hebrews 2:16

Jesus came to help human beings, not angels. The phrase descendants of Abraham points to all who share Abraham’s faith. The verb carries the sense of reaching out and taking hold of someone to rescue them.

BSA: helps (“gives aid to, takes hold of”): Jesus actively grasps hold of us to lift us up, as one would rescue someone falling.

Greek: ἐπιλαμβάνεται (epilambanetai, G1949) — “takes hold of, lays hold of.” It describes a hand reaching out to grasp someone in need.

See also: Galatians 3:29.

Hebrews 2:17

To save us, Jesus had to become fully human. This let Him serve as a merciful high priest who understands us and a faithful one who obeys God. His sacrifice makes atonement, dealing with sin so that we can be forgiven and brought near to God.

BSA: atonement (“reconciliation, propitiation”): His sacrifice deals with sin and restores the broken relationship between us and God. merciful (“full of mercy, compassionate”): Because He shares our nature, His priesthood is marked by tender compassion.

Greek: ἱλάσκεσθαι (hilaskesthai, G2433) — “to make atonement, to cover and put away sin.” The word belongs to the language of sacrifice. It speaks of sin being dealt with so that peace with God is restored.

See also: Leviticus 16:15-16; 1 John 2:2.

Hebrews 2:18

Jesus knows temptation from the inside, because He faced it and did not give in. So when we are tested, we have a Helper who understands what we are going through and is able to come to our aid.

BSA: tempted (“tested, tried”): The word covers both temptation and testing, so Jesus meets us in every kind of trial. help (“assist, succor”): He comes to the aid of someone who is crying out.

See also: Hebrews 4:15-16.