College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Hebrews 2:5-9
D.
He is superior to angels in recovering man's dominion of the earth: Hebrews 2:5-18
1)
Original dominion of the earth by God's people, lost through sin, to be restored through Christ: Hebrews 2:5-9.
Text
Hebrews 2:5 For not unto angels did He subject the world to come, whereof we speak. Hebrews 2:6 But one hath somewhere testified, saying,
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?
Or the Son of man, that Thou visitest him?
Hebrews 2:7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels;
Thou crownedst him with glory and honor,
And didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He subjected all things unto him, He left nothing that is not subjected to him, But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. 9 But we behold Him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He should taste of death for every man.
Paraphrase
Hebrews 2:5 For although the angel (Exodus 23:20.) who conducted the Israelites had Canaan subjected to him, to the angels God hath not subjected the world which is to come, the possession of which is the salvation of which we speak.
Hebrews 2:6 Now, that the Son of God was to be made flesh, and, in the flesh, was to be appointed King universal, David in a certain place, Psalms 8:4, plainly testified, saying, What is the first man that Thou shouldst remember him; or the posterity of the first man, that Thou shouldst take such care of them?
Hebrews 2:7 For, to save them from perishing, thou wilt make Him, who is thy Son, for a little while less than angels, by clothing Him with flesh, and subjecting Him to death: After that, Thou wilt crown Him with glory and honor, by raising Him from the dead, and wilt set Him over the works of Thy hands, as Ruler and Lord of all.
Hebrews 2:8 Thou wilt put all things under His feet. See Ephesians 1:22. Wherefore, by subjecting all things to Him, God will leave nothing unsubjected; consequently, there is nothing over which His power will not at length finally prevail. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to Him; for evil angels and wicked men are still unsubdued by Him:
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made less than angels, by appearing in the flesh, that, through the gracious appointment of God, He might die, not for the Jews only, but on account of everyone: Him we see, for the suffering, of death, crowned with glory and honour, by His resurrection and ascension. And these are sufficient proofs, that all His enemies shall finally be subdued by Him.
Comment
1.
The Catholic Bible (revision of the Challoner Rheims version) states it this way:
for He has not subjected to angels the world to come.
C.B. footnote: To come here means the Christian dispensation, not the future life.
2.
Footnote to American Standard version: The inhabited earth. However, observe that it is the inhabited earth to come.
3.
Was this world subjected to man?
Yes:
See Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
4.
Was it ever lost by man?
a.
Yes, says Calvin: As soon then as Adam alienated himself from God through sin, he was justly deprived of the good things which he had receivedThe wild beasts ferociously attack us, those who ought to be awed by our presence are dreaded by us, some never obey us, others can hardly be trained to submit, and they do us harm in various ways; the earth answers not our expectations in cultivating it; the sky, the air, the sea and other things are often adverse to us, (P. 57)
b.
Yes, says Milligan: But in consequence of sin, man has in a great measure lost his dominion. See Genesis 3:15-24. (p. 82)
5.
Was it lost to everyone? Did someone take over when man lost the dominion?
Milligan believes this is what occurred, For a time Satan got possession of this world. (p. 82)
a.
Psalms 68:18: Thou hast ascended on high; Thou has led away captives.
b.
John 12:31: Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
c.
John 14:30: I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh and he hath nothing in Me.
d.
John 16:11: The prince of this world hath been judged.
e.
2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them.
f.
g.
h.
the world to come
What is the world to come?
a.
Observe the footnotethe inhabited earth.
b.
Observe the Catholic Bible comment, which says that it means the Christian Dispensation, not the future life.
c.
Milligan: The world to come is not that which we hope for after the resurrection, but that which began at the beginning of Christ's kingdom; but it will no doubt have its full accomplishment in our final redemption. (p. 58)
d.
Newell: The thought of the world to come pervades the book of Hebrews, and cannot here refer to present things. (p. 43)
e.
Thayer defines world to come: That consummate state of all things which will exist after Christ's return from heaven.
f.
Connybeare: The world to come here corresponds with the city to come of Hebrews 13:14.
what is man that thou art mindful of him
This is an interesting question. What is man?
a.
He is very little, physically.
1.
For labor in China, India, Tibet, he receives a few cents a day.
2.
For length of life, very little.
a)
James 4:14: life is a vapor.
b)
Animals and trees outlive man. Some turtles are centuries old.
3.
His strength is very little:
a)
A human baby is the most helpless of creatures.
b)
Animals are faster and stronger.
4.
Yet, man gives great significance to the flesh as he lives for its gratification.
b.
Mentally, he is worth more.
1.
He is able to rule the animals of the earth.
2.
He can alter nature itself.
a)
Harness the waterfalls to make power.
b)
Capture the rivers to turn dynamos.
c)
Improve upon plants, making hybrids.
3.
He can discover the secrets of the world.
a)
With the telescope, he scans the heavens.
b)
With the microscope, he examines the unseen.
c)
He combats disease.
d)
He combines elements to build machines for man's own good.
4.
Although man's mental attainments are temporary, people live as though they were of prime importance.
c.
Spiritually, his worth is immeasurable:
1.
God is interested in each person individually.
a)
Physically, yes:
1)
Matthew 10:30: hairs of your head are numbered.
2)
Luke 12:27: consider the lilies
3)
Malachi 3:10: open you the windows of heaven
b)
Mentally, yes:
1)
Man is made in the intellectual likeness of God. Hebrews 2:7-8.
2)
Genesis 1:26: In Our image.
c)
Spiritually, more so;
(1)
Matthew 10:32; shall confess Me before man
(2)
John 3:16. God so loved the worldthat He gaveHis Son.
(3)
James 4:14: What is your life? It is even a vapor.
2.
The giving of Jesus is God's attempt to show man's greatness;
a)
He did not send an angel or offer an animal.
b)
His Son's pain, sorrow, and death is proof of God's love. Historically, what is man?
a.
Man as God made him:
1.
Genesis 2:7: He made him as dust.
a)
Scientifically, man is: 10 gallons of water, 24 pounds of carbon, 7pounds of lime, 1¼ pounds of phosphorous, ½ teaspoonful of sugar, 4½teaspoonfuls of salt, some oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, enough iron for 1 large nail.
b)
If this is all of which man consists, a man could be purchased for .79c (before inflation).
c)
A scientist, curator of Northwestern Department of Chemistry, once valued man's body at .98c. Now, in 1960, it is worth $31.04.
d)
An estimate of your day: Your heart beats 103,689 times a day. Your blood travels 168,000,000 miles. You give off 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit in heat, which means you generate 450 foot tons of energy. You exercise 7,000,000 brain cells.
b.
Hebrews 2:7-8: Crowned him with glory and honor.
c.
Made him a trinity:
1.
1 Thessalonians 5:23: May your spirit, soul, and body be preserved.
2.
JesusMatthew 22:37: Love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart. thy mind and. thy soul.
What is man as sin makes him?
a.
Sin makes him brutal.
1.
Cain slew Abel.
2.
The wealthy live in luxury, while the poor starve.
3.
The powerful plunge men into war.
4.
A man can kidnap babies for gold.
5.
A man can live on an animal level, which will bring him to destruction. 2 Peter 2:10-12.
b.
Sin makes him dirty and diseased.
c.
Sin makes him rebellious toward God.
1.
1 John 3:4: Sin is transgression of God's law.
d.
Sin makes him purposeless. Dr. Shirley once told of a certain youth who was seven days in New York. He saw eighteen shows, but was oblivious to the libraries, scenic, and historic spots there to see. He spent the last day reading a true story.
Man as Christ remakes him.
a.
See how Christ can change people:
1.
Woman of SamariaJohn 4:6: five husbands, but she came to Christ and became a soul-winner.
2.
Paul, a cruel persecutor of church, was transformed.
3.
Begbies, in Twice Born Men, proves His power. Get this book and read it!
b.
He gives people a purpose in life.
1.
Soul winning.
2.
Helping the needy.
3.
Working for the eternal, in place of the temporal.
c.
He makes them rise above the temporal.
1.
Richestreasures laid up in heaven.
2.
Emphasis is placed upon the eternal.
Son of Man
Who is referred to here, man or Christ?
a.
Arguments for Christ being referred to:
1.
Similar expressions are made in reference to Christ:
a)
Matthew 21:16quotes from Psalms 8:2: Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou has perfected praise.
b)
Ephesians 1:22: And He put all things in subjection under his feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church.
c)
1 Corinthians 15:27: For, He put all things in subjection under His feet, but when He saith all things are put in subjection, it is evident that He is excepted who did subject all things unto Him.
1)
The translator has noted in the margin that this is a quotation from Psalms 8:6.
2)
This passage in Corinthians, some say, refers to Christ.
2.
Much is made of the alternate reading of Hebrews 2:7! A little while lower.
a)
Even Calvin, who holds that Psalms 8 refers to man, feels that Paul turns here from David and designates the abasement of Christ's humiliation. (p. 58.)
b)
Some insist that since the Logos could not die, a body was prepared for Him so that He could die, b. Arguments for man in general being referred to:
1.
Because it is a visitation of God from generation to generation.
2.
When did God visit Jesus? God was with Jesus all the time; on the cross would be an exception.
3.
Because we know what Christ is, who He is, It would not be necessary to raise such a question about the Lord.
4.
Because God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.
5.
Because the writer later calls specific attention to Christ, cf. Hebrews 2:9.
6.
God didn-'t visit His Son, but visited man through His Son.
7.
The 8th Psalm is a discussion of man.
8.
Man is lower than the angels, 2 Peter 2:11: Whereas angels though greater in might and power bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord.
9.
Authorities who say Psalms 8 does not refer to Christ:
a)
Milligan says: That this has reference to mankind in general and not to Jesus Christ personally considered, as some have alleged, is evident from the Psalm itself, as well as from the scope of the apostle's argument. (p. 85)
b)
John Calvin: It seems to be unfitly applied to Christ. The Psalm speaks not of any particular person, but of all mankindThis affords no reason why the words should not be applied to the person of Christ. (p. 56)
that thou visitest him
What is the difference between mindful and visitest
a.
Visit is the effect of God's mindfulness.
b.
Since God recognized man, He visits man with blessings out of His loving heart.
God's visiting is twofold:
a.
He visits for good to bring blessings.
1.
Joseph said to his brethren: God will visit you and bring you out of the land.
2.
Luke 1:68: For He hath visited and wrought redemption for His people.
a)
This is the most important visitation, although dozens of verses can be quoted to show God's physical blessings such as named by Joseph.
b)
How grateful lonely people are when guests visit them, but here is named the greatest Visitor.
b.
He visits man to punish him:
1.
He has in the past:
a)
Exodus 32:34: I will visit their sin upon them
b)
Psalms 89:32: Then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.
c)
Jeremiah 10:15: In the time of visitation they shall perish.
d)
Exodus 20:5: Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children for the third and fourth generations.
e)
Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9.
2.
He will in the future:
Thou madest him a little lower
Observe that the footnote in the A.S. version says, For a little while lower.
Milligan says, It is still a question with the critics whether the word little is expressive of time or degree.
Who holds for the time element?
a.
Those who say Son of Man refers to Christ.
1.
They say it means a little while, and designates the abasement of Christ's humiliation.
2.
Since Christ the Logos would not die, a body was prepared for Him so that He could die.
If we do not try to push this theory, we have man a little lower than the angels:
a.
Christ was praised by angels at His birth: Glory to God in the highest, not because He was made lower than the angels.
b.
Man is ministered to by angels (Hebrews 1:14); so we may conclude that, in some sense at least, we are lower.
Is man lower than the angels according to other scriptures? Yes: 2 Peter 2:11: Whereas angels though greater in might and power bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord.
Thou crownedst him with glory and honor
This was true of Adam in his pre-sin state.
a.
Genesis 1: He was given dominion over fish, birds, cattle, over all the earth and every creeping thing.
b.
Milligan states that glory and honor are nearly synonymous in both Hebrew and Greek, and they are used for the sake of emphasis, (p. 86) If this verse applies to Christ, it would apply after His resurrection.
and didst set him over the works of Thy hands
Critics reject this passage, but it occurs frequently in manuscripts:
a.
Milligan says, It is found in the original Hebrew, in the Septuagint and in several manuscripts. I am therefore inclined to retain it(p. 86)
b.
It is in harmony with other scriptures.
Note man's responsibility over the creation:
a.
Genesis 2:15: dress it and keep it
b.
Genesis 1:28: have dominion
under Ids feet
The scriptures quoted above verify this:
a.
After Adam's sin things become different for man.
b.
The earth brought forth weeds and animals turned upon him, so that they are now called wild beasts and domesticated beasts.
Man was the crowning glory of God, but sin caused him to lose much of his dominion.
subjected to him
This fits man perfectly:
a.
Once everything in the sea, air, and earth was beneath man.
b.
Now it is a different picture. Who would dare to go unarmed into a jungle?
c.
Man's lost estate is described. Some make it apply to Christ.
a.
When was everything subjected to Christ? When was it taken away?
b.
1 Corinthians 15:25-27, is quoted by those who hold this theory.
1.
They do show similarity, but that is not proof.
2.
Hebrews 2:8, does not fit Jesus, although a stretching of points can make it fit.
The verse's purpose is to show that man is no longer king.
a little lower than the angels, even Jesus
Christ was lower only as He took upon himself the role of man:
a.
In this way He was lowerin suffering.
b.
In his flesh, He was lower than the heavenly bodies of angels. The author picks out the one Person lower than angels Who will be able to restore man to a place of glory and honor.
crowned with glory and honor
On earth, Jesus became a wise being, humiliated and crucified. This He came to do, and His obedience brought Him to God's right hand. Without suffering, He could not have died; without dying He could not have made atonement; without the atonement man would yet be in his sins:
1)
Matthew 26:28: shed for the remission of sins
2)
Hebrews 9:22: without the shedding of blood there is no remission
When was this glory and honor given?
a.
Not on earth, for here He had to suffer.
b.
Peter preached this after Christ's ascension.
that by the grace of God He should taste of death for every man.
This shows the impelling motivegrace:
a.
Man rebels, but God seeks man.
b.
Man is ungracious, but God is gracious, This states the importance of Christ's death:
a.
Matthew 20:28: a ransom.
b.
1 Peter 1:18-19: redeemed with precious blood.
Why is blood used for man's redemption?
a.
Let the scriptures speak:
Genesis 2:17: Life was lost.
Genesis 9:4: Life is in the blood. Compare Leviticus 17:14.
Life being lost, blood which has life is the price of redemption.
Study Questions
202.
What is man, according to James 4:14?
203.
Where does man rate physically? cf. Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:27.
204.
Where does man rate mentally? cf. Hebrews 2:7-8; Genesis 1:26.
205.
Where does man rate spiritually?
206.
Where does man rate as a ruler?
207.
What is man, according to Genesis?
208.
What is he according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Matthew 22:37?
209.
What is man as sin makes him?
210.
Give illustrations of people made over by Christ.
211.
Who is referred to as Son of Man, Christ or man?
212.
Where does the scripture concerning the Son of man appear originally?
213.
Is it prophetic?
214.
Does Paul in Corinthians throw any light on this subject? cf. 1 Corinthians 15:27.
215.
Why do some think the 8th Psalm is referred to here?
216.
Give arguments to show that the 8th Psalm refers only to man.
217.
If we are uncertain at this point, is the total teaching lost? What is being taught?
218.
For what purposes has God visited man?
219.
Are such visits all over, or will they be repeated? cf. 2 Peter 3:8-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
220.
Give an exegesis of Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels.
221.
If Christ is referred to, how long was He a little lower than the angels?
222.
Is man lower than angels? cf. Hebrews 1:14; 2 Peter 2:11.
223.
Does the term little refer to time or degree? Give reasons.
224.
If Christ is crowned with glory and honor, when was He crowned?
225.
Did man ever rule over the creation of God's hands? cf. Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:15.
226.
Does Hebrews 2:8 describe a lost dominion of man?
227.
What is meant by under His feet?
228.
Does the term domesticated animals indicate that all is not subject to Him?
229.
What proof is there that man does not rule everything now?
230.
What rebels against man?
231.
What seems to be the purpose of Hebrews 2:8?
232.
Who is beheld in Hebrews 2:9?
233.
How was Christ lower than the angels?
234.
Is there any doubt over Hebrews 2:9 as there is over Hebrews 2:8?
235.
When was He crowned with glory and honor?
236.
What is the difference between glory and honor?
237.
What is meant by the grace of God?
238.
Define the meaning of, taste of death.
239.
Why were death and blood used as the means of redemption? cf. Genesis 2:17; Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:14.
240.
Who is the one Person able to restore man to his dominion and power?
241.
Was the thought expressed in Hebrews 2:9 preached on Pentecost?
242.
What does Hebrews 2:10 say was becoming to God?
243.
What about His nature would constrain Him?
244.
Does it carry the idea of expediency?
245.
What is meant by for Whom are all things?
246.
Does Christ have all things now?
247.
What does 1 Corinthians 15:24 have to say in this regard?
248.
Does through Whom are all things refer to God, Christ, or both?
249.
Discuss Acts 17:28; John 1:3; John 1:10; Colossians 1:16-17.