Hebrews 2

Translator Notes

1. The Greek pararuōmen ('drift away') is a nautical metaphor — a ship slipping past its harbor because the crew was inattentive. The danger is not active rebellion but passive neglect. The verb prosechein ('to pay attention, to hold course toward') sustains the nautical image. This is the first of five warning passages in Hebrews (2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:26-31; 12:25-29).

Translator Notes

1. The 'message spoken through angels' refers to the Mosaic law, which Jewish tradition held was mediated by angels at Sinai (cf. Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19, Deuteronomy 33:2 LXX). The argument is from lesser to greater (a fortiori): if disobeying the angel-mediated law brought punishment, how much more serious is neglecting the Son-delivered message. The terms parabasis ('violation, stepping across a boundary') and parakoē ('disobedience, failure to hear') pair transgression of act with transgression of attention.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Deuteronomy 33:2. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. The rhetorical question expects no answer — there is no escape. The verb amelēsantes ('having neglected') continues the theme of passive drift rather than active rejection. The chain of transmission is explicit: the Lord spoke, those who heard him confirmed it to 'us.' This places the author in the second generation of Christians who received the gospel from eyewitnesses, which has implications for dating and authorship.

Translator Notes

1. The fourfold attestation — signs (sēmeiois), wonders (terasin), powerful deeds (dynamesin), and Spirit distributions (pneumatos hagiou merismois) — parallels the language used in Acts for apostolic authentication. The compound verb synepimarturountos ('testifying alongside, co-witnessing') means God added his own testimony to the human witnesses. The 'distributions' (merismois) of the Spirit suggests diverse gifts apportioned to different believers, echoing 1 Corinthians 12.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase tēn oikoumenēn tēn mellousan ('the coming world/inhabited earth') introduces an eschatological horizon. The present world may involve angelic powers (cf. Daniel 10:13, 20-21), but the world to come belongs to the Son and, through him, to redeemed humanity. This sets up the Psalm 8 quotation that follows.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Daniel 10:13 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalm 8 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Quoting Psalm 8:4-6 (LXX). The vague citation formula 'someone has testified somewhere' (pou tis) is not carelessness — it directs attention to the divine author rather than the human psalmist. The Greek anthrōpos and huios anthrōpou are rendered 'human being' and 'son of man' respectively. In the original psalm, these are parallel terms for humanity in general; the author of Hebrews will read them christologically.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalms 8:4-6. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek brachu ti can mean 'for a little while' (temporal) or 'a little bit' (degree). The Hebrew of Psalm 8 uses me'at, which is similarly ambiguous. The author of Hebrews reads it temporally — the Son was lower than angels only during his brief incarnation, not permanently. This temporal reading drives the argument: the lowering was temporary; the crowning is permanent. The SBLGNT omits 'and set him over the works of your hands,' which appears in some manuscripts.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalms 8:4-6. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. The author's commentary on Psalm 8 contains a crucial 'not yet' (oupō) — the subjection of all things is real but not yet fully realized. This 'already but not yet' tension is characteristic of New Testament eschatology. The word anypotakton ('unsubjected, outside of subjection') emphasizes that the divine intention leaves no exceptions, even though current reality shows incomplete fulfillment.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 8:4-6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The name 'Jesus' appears here for the first time in Hebrews, and its placement is emphatic — after the description of lowering and before the description of crowning. The phrase geusētai thanatou ('taste death') is viscerally physical — death is experienced, not merely encountered. The preposition hyper ('for, on behalf of') with pantos ('everyone') asserts the universal scope of Christ's death. Some manuscripts read 'apart from God' (chōris theou) instead of 'by the grace of God' (chariti theou), but the SBLGNT follows the majority reading.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb eprepen ('it was fitting') argues not from necessity but from divine appropriateness — God's character made this the right path. The Greek archēgon ('pioneer, founder, leader, captain') denotes one who goes first and opens the way for others to follow. It will recur in 12:2 for Jesus as 'pioneer and perfecter of faith.' The verb teleiōsai ('to make perfect, to bring to completion') does not imply moral deficiency but vocational completion — Jesus was made fully fit for his saving role through the experience of suffering.
2. We render 'sons' (huious) as 'sons and daughters' since the Greek plural can be inclusive and the theological point — believers being brought to glory — applies to all.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase ex henos ('from one') is deliberately ambiguous — it could mean 'from one Father,' 'from one source,' or 'of one nature.' The ambiguity serves the author's purpose: whatever the precise reference, the sanctifier and the sanctified share a common origin, which grounds Jesus's willingness to identify with humanity. The present passive participle hagiazomenoi ('being sanctified') suggests an ongoing process, while the active hagiazōn ('sanctifying') points to Jesus as the agent.

Translator Notes

1. Quoting Psalm 22:22. This psalm begins with the cry of dereliction ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?') and moves to praise in the midst of the assembly. The author of Hebrews places these words on Jesus's lips — the Son identifies believers as 'my brothers' (adelphois mou). The Greek ekklēsia ('assembly, congregation') here translates the Hebrew qahal of the psalm.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalms 22:22. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. Two quotations from Isaiah 8:17-18. The first ('I will put my trust in him') shows the Son exercising the same faith that believers exercise — a profound statement of solidarity. The second ('Here I am and the children') originally referred to Isaiah and his children as signs to Israel; the author applies it to Jesus and his spiritual children. Together, these quotations establish that the Son shares humanity's dependence on God.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 8:17-18 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The verb kekoinōnēken ('have shared, have participated in') is perfect tense — humanity's participation in flesh and blood is an ongoing state. The verb meteschen ('he shared in') is aorist — the Son's participation was a decisive, historical act. The difference in tense is theologically significant: we are always flesh and blood; he entered that condition by choice. The verb katargēsē ('destroy, render powerless, nullify') does not necessarily mean annihilation but rather the stripping of effective power.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase dia pantos tou zēn ('throughout all of living') emphasizes that the fear of death pervaded the entirety of human existence, not just its final moments. The word douleia ('slavery, bondage') characterizes the human condition under death's shadow as a form of captivity. Christ's death breaks the power of this fear by removing death's finality.

Translator Notes

1. The verb epilambanetai ('takes hold of, helps, grasps') is debated. The KJV reads it as 'took on the nature of,' but the more natural meaning is 'takes hold of to help' or 'comes to the aid of.' The present tense suggests ongoing action: Christ continually assists Abraham's descendants, not just at the incarnation. The phrase 'seed of Abraham' (spermatos Abraam) connects to the covenant promises of Genesis 12, 15, and 17.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 12. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This is the first appearance of archiereus ('high priest') in Hebrews — the title that will dominate the letter's central argument. The verb hilaskesthai ('to make atonement, to propitiate, to make expiation') corresponds to the Hebrew kipper (כפר) and the mercy seat (hilastērion/kapporet). The requirement that the high priest be both 'merciful' (eleēmōn) and 'faithful' (pistos) defines the two qualities that chapters 3-5 will develop — faithfulness in chapter 3 (comparison with Moses) and mercy in chapter 5 (sympathy with human weakness).

Translator Notes

1. The Greek peirastheis/peirazomenois ('tested/being tested') can mean either 'tempted' or 'tested' — the semantic range covers both moral temptation and trial by suffering. In context, the emphasis is on suffering as the mode of testing. The perfect tense peponthen ('has suffered') indicates that Jesus's suffering remains a present reality in his experience — it is not something he has left behind but something that equips him to help. The verb boēthēsai ('to help, to come to aid') is the same word used for crying out for help in battle.