Hebrews 2

Hebrews 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews 1 used Old Testament quotations to show that the Son is superior to the angels. Chapter 2 draws a conclusion from this argument in the form of the book's first warning and then explains why the Son became human and suffered.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 warn readers to give earnest heed lest they drift away from the word they have heard. Since every transgression of the word spoken by angels received a just recompense, there will be no escape for those who neglect so great a salvation. This salvation was first spoken by the Lord, confirmed by those who heard him, and attested by God through signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
• Verses 5–9 state that God has not put the world to come in subjection to angels and quote Psalm 8: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?" Although we do not yet see all things put under him, we do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels and, for the suffering of death, was crowned with glory and honor.
• Verses 10–13 explain that God, in bringing many sons unto glory, made the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. He is not ashamed to call those who are sanctified his brethren. This claim is supported by quotations from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8.
• Verses 14–18 explain why he took on flesh and blood: to destroy the devil, who had the power of death, and to deliver those who through fear of death were subject to bondage. He takes hold not of angels but of the seed of Abraham. Made like his brethren in all things, he became a merciful and faithful high priest and is therefore able to help those who are tempted.

Key Verses

• Hebrews 2:3 "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" — the first of the recurring warnings in Hebrews.
• Hebrews 2:14 "He also himself likewise took part of the same" — explains the purpose of the Incarnation as breaking the power of death and of the devil.
• Hebrews 2:18 "He is able to succour them that are tempted" — introduces the theme of the high priest who has suffered.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ — portrayed as the captain of salvation and high priest, made for a little while lower than the angels and then crowned with glory.
• Angels — mentioned as mediators of the law and contrasted with the one who will rule the world to come.
• The devil — described as the one who had the power of death.
• Abraham — appears in the phrase "the seed of Abraham," which Christ takes hold of.

Points for Reflection

• The application of Psalm 8: Psalm 8 originally celebrates the dignity of humanity. One interpretation takes "him" in verses 6–8 as humanity in general and reads verse 9 as saying that Jesus fulfilled that calling. Another reads the passage as referring to Christ from the outset. In the Psalm, "Son of man" is likewise an expression for a human being. The phrase "than the angels" quoted in Hebrews follows the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament); the Hebrew text reads elohim.
• "For every man" (v. 9): The Calvinist tradition tends to connect this phrase with the "many sons" of verse 10, that is, those who will be saved. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions regard it as evidence that Christ died for all people.
• "To make perfect" (v. 10): Most traditions do not read this as the correction of a moral defect. Rather, they understand it to mean that his qualification and mission as Savior were brought to completion through suffering (cf. Hebrews 4:15).
• Signs and wonders (v. 4): Cessationism sometimes appeals to the past tense "was confirmed" in regarding these as signs given in the apostolic age. Continuationism reads them as an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit today.
• Verse 14 connects with 1 John 3:8. The high-priestly theme of verses 17–18 is developed fully in Hebrews 4–10.