5. For 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"?

The reader of Hebrews is immediately struck by the numerous citations from the psalms that the author uses to strengthen his teaching about the superiority of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter alone he includes five quotations from the Psalter and two from other books. And in the following chapter, quotations from the Psalms occur rather frequently; they almost become the hallmark of this epistle.

The recipients of the letter had become familiar with the Psalms in the local worship services in which the congregation sang "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). They possessed a store of knowledge that had been communicated orally in the worship services and committed to memory. "It is not surprising at all that the author [of Hebrews], in an attempt to reach perfect communication, strengthens not only his whole Epistle with quotations from the Psalter known in the liturgy of the Church: indeed in his first chapter he avails himself of five passages from the Psalms and one from the Hymn of Moses (Deut. 32)." The quotations are from Psalm 2:7 and II Samuel 7:14 in verse 5; Deuteronomy 32:43 (according to the readings in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint) in verse 6; Psalm 104:4 in verse 7; Psalm 45:6-7 in verses 8-9; Psalm 102:25-27 in verses 10-12; and Psalm 110:1 in verse 13.

1. Psalm 2:7

1:5

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? The writer obviously links this verse to verse 4, in which he introduces the teaching of the Son's superiority to angels. He does not intend to bypass the significance of the first three verses, but in verse 4 he makes the point of comparing the Son with the angels and stating his superiority. With the help of quotations from the Old Testament, specifically from the Book of Psalms, the author indicates that the Son has fulfilled the Scripture passages that he quotes.

One of these passages, Psalm 2, is probably of Davidic origin. This assumption is predicated on information in Acts 4:22-26, which indicates that the Jerusalem church handed down an ancient tradition concerning the authorship of this psalm. The Jewish people understood Psalm 2 to be messianic, and their use of the psalm in the synagogue reflected that understanding. The individual writers of the New Testament also interpreted messianically all the quotations and references from the second psalm. For example, when Paul preached in Pisidian Antioch, he said, "What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father'" (Acts 13:32-33). Quotations from Psalm 2 are given in Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; Revelation 2:26-27; 19:15. Allusions to verses 2, 7, 8, and 9 can be discerned in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, II Peter, and Revelation.

As Psalm 2:7 asks, did God ever say to any of the angels, "You are my son; today I have become your Father"? The answer to this rhetorical question obviously is negative, even though angels are called sons of God (see especially Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The status described in this verse has never been conferred on the angels, and no angel has ever been given the title Son of God anywhere in the Scriptures.

In the same way, Solomon, the son of David, never completely fulfilled the words of the psalm. Why, for example, would a son of a king receive the tide son? It would be more fitting to call him king at the time of his accession to the throne (as in Psalm 2:6, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill"). This son is a type of the Son of God. The believers in the Old Testament era, then, were given a representative who foreshadowed the Messiah. Obviously the earthly king, called Son, was unable to fulfill the words of Psalm 2, for the passage referred to the Messiah who in the fullness of time gave the psalm its ultimate significance. (In the prophecy of Isaiah, the Messiah is revealed as a Son: "for to us a child is born, to us a son is given" [9:6]). The words of Psalm 2 apply ultimately to the Son of God. His appointment to the office of Son—specifically, his appearance in the flesh—is reflected in the clause "today I have become your Father." (The word today ought not be taken literally but should be understood generally to refer to the time of Jesus' work on earth.) But the clause does not say that at the moment of Jesus' birth he became the Son or at the time of his resurrection (Acts 13:33) God became his Father. Rather, the words I have become indicate that God the Father from eternity has begotten and continues to beget the Messiah, his Son. The Athanasian Creed of the fourth century summarizes this succinctly in its twenty-first and twenty-second articles:

The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten, the Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.

The words of Psalm 2:7 could have been fulfilled by neither David nor Solomon but only by Jesus Christ.

Or again. The writer uses a second selection from the Old Testament to show that God has never been called Father of angels and that no angel ever addressed God as Father. Archangels, including Michael and Gabriel, never experienced that honor.

2. II Samuel 7:14

1:5

I will be his Father, and he will be my Son. The context of the quotation reflects David's desire to build a house for the Lord God. The word of the Lord is given to Nathan the prophet, who informs David that not he but his son is to build God's house. Declares the Lord, "He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son" (II Sam. 7:13-14; I Chron. 17:12-13). The words of the Lord were directed to David's son Solomon, who indeed built the temple in Jerusalem. But through his mediatorial work the Son of God completely overshadowed Solomon.

The author of Hebrews evidently chose this Old Testament passage because of its messianic significance. The allusions to II Samuel 7 in the New Testament (especially in Luke 1:32-33; and in John 7:42) indicate that the passage was applied to the Messiah.

3. Deuteronomy 32:43

1:6

6. And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

From a well-known messianic psalm and a similar passage from a historical book the writer of Hebrews turns to the Hymn of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 32 and used in temple services and local synagogues. The Jews considered the concluding verses of this hymn to be messianic.

This quotation is introduced by the phrase and again, which is followed by the clause "when God brings his firstborn into the world." The subject is God the Father, who brings his Son into the world. But when did or will this take place? The question remains: should the translation from the Greek read, "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world" or "But when God shall bring again his firstborn into the world"?

The first translation is a reference to the birth of Jesus, when a multitude of the heavenly host praised God in the fields near Bethlehem (Luke 2:13). The second translation is an amplification of Jesus' discourse on the end of the age. At the end of time "he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call" (Matt. 24:31); that is, the angels of God will worship the Son when he returns at the close of this age. However, why does the writer of Hebrews speak of a second coming of Jesus when he has not said anything in the immediate context about Christ's first coming? It seems more appropriate to prefer the first translation, for it logically follows the quotations in verses 5 and 6.

The word firstborn in verse 6 (see also Luke 2:7; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 11:28; 12:23; Rev. 1:5) qualifies the word Son and is a title given to Jesus. We cannot determine when that title was given, because the writers who use the term apply it to creation, resurrection, dignity, and honor. The psalmist records a blessing upon David when God said, "I will also appoint him my firstborn" (Ps. 89:27). The Son, as the firstborn, enters the inhabited world of men. The word world is Hellenic and was used in ordinary speech to refer to the populated world.

a. The quotation itself shows that "not only is the Son greater than angels, but He is worshipped by angels." The Son is the Creator of the angels, and God orders these creatures to show homage to his Son. The angels, because they are created, must serve the Son and "those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14).

b. The origin of the quotation seems to be a Greek translation of the Hymn of Moses (Deut. 32:43). The translation based on the Hebrew text is rendered:

Rejoice, O nations, with his people,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants;

he will take vengeance on his enemies

and make atonement for his land and people.

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls show an addition to the first line of the verse.

Rejoice, O nations, with his people,

and let all the angels worship him,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants.

In the Septuagint version of Psalm 97:7 (Ps. 96:7, LXX) we read the exhortation: "Worship him[,] all you his angels." The translation based on the Hebrew text reads, "Worship him, all you gods!"

c. The Hymn of Moses is quoted and alluded to more than any other portion from the Book of Deuteronomy. The writer of Hebrews quotes twice from this hymn (Heb. 1:6; 10:30). In his letter to the Romans, Paul cites the hymn three times (Rom. 10:19; 12:19; 15:10). Allusions to this hymn are found in Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Ephesians, Hebrews, I John, and Revelation. John records in Revelation 15 that the victorious saints were given harps by God and "sang the song of Moses the servant of God" (Rev. 15:3). This reference to the heavenly use of the Hymn of Moses reflects its liturgical use in the church on earth. And in the church on earth the hymn was sung in languages other than Hebrew. The Jews living in dispersion used the Greek rendition of this song, from which the author of Hebrews quoted a line that describes the superiority of the Son over the angels.

The addressee in Deuteronomy 32:43 is the Lord God, who must be worshiped by his angels. This homage the writer of Hebrews (having clearly established the divinity of Jesus) transfers to the Son. The quotation reinforces the author's teaching about the deity of Christ.

Doctrinal Considerations in 1:5-6

Angels do not share in God's promises; they have no part in the inheritance that is accorded to believers ("we are heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ"; Rom. 8:17). Scripture does not say that any angel is God's Son; therefore an angel, although exalted by being in the presence of God, is in no way equal to, nor can in any way be compared to, the Son of God.

The writer of Hebrews quotes from the Hymn of Moses as it was rendered in the Septuagint. The Greek translation of Deuteronomy 32 was well known to him and his audience because in the dispersion the Jews used the Septuagint in the synagogues. The early Christians adopted the liturgy with variations to express the Christian emphasis.

The author's use of a quote from the Septuagint that is without an exact equivalent in the Hebrew text in our possession does not mean that the doctrine of inspiration has been undermined. The Holy Spirit, who is the primary author of Scripture and inspired every human writer, directed the author of Hebrews to select a quote from the Hymn of Moses in the Greek. When the author incorporated the line into his epistle, that line became inspired Scripture.

The word today (v. 5) is not limited to designating a specific time but ought to be understood in a broader sense. For example, the declaration of Christ's sonship was effective not only on the day of his resurrection, but also on the day of his ascension and his session at the right hand of God the Father (Heb. 1:4).

Baker New Testament Commentary - Baker New Testament Commentary – Exposition of Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Hebrews.