HEB 1:14 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:5–14: Jesus is clearly greater than the angels since God calls him “Son”

In Section 1:5–14 there are seven quotations from the Old Testament, mostly from the Psalms. All the quotations are poetry and contain figurative language.

You will need to decide:

how to translate the figurative language in a clear and meaningful way.
whether to make paragraph breaks between these quotations. English versions differ in this.For example, the RSV begins a new paragraph only at 1:5. The GNT begins new paragraphs at 1:4, 1:7, and 1:14. The Notes begin a new paragraph wherever the author has a quote introduction.
how to format the quotations and whether to include an OT cross reference. English versions differ about this also. If you have made a decision about this for other NT books, you may follow that decision in Hebrews also. The quotations in this section are poetry, so many English versions format them in poetic lines.
how to introduce the quotations. Some English versions use past tense (“God said”) to introduce the quotations, since God spoke the words in the past. Other versions use present tense (“God says”), since the statements are written in the Scripture and the time when he said them is not in focus. Use an appropriate verb form in your language.

It is good to translate the section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other examples of headings for this section are:

The angels are servants of God but Jesus is his Son

God’s Son is Superior to the Angels (GW)

The Greatness of God’s Son (GNT)

Paragraph 1:13–14

In this paragraph the author concluded the chapter with a final contrast between the Son and the angels. It shows again that God’s Son is far greater than the angels.

1:14a–b

Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?: This verse ends the chapter with another rhetorical question. It contrasts the role of angels with the role of God’s Son. In 1:8–13 the author showed that God’s Son rules with God. Here in 1:14 he indicates that the angels are only servants. He uses a rhetorical question to make this contrast more emphatic.

Some ways to translate the rhetorical question are:

Use a question. For example:
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out in God’s service, for the sake of those destined to receive salvation? (REB)
Use a question and supply the answer. For example:
What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation. (GNT)
Use a statement. For example:
But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation. (NLT96)

Translate the rhetorical question in a way that will emphasize the contrast between the angels and the Son in your language.

1:14a

Are not the angels ministering spirits

What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God (GNT)
All angels are only/merely God’s servants.

the angels: The word angels refers to the spirit beings that serve God. It first occurs in this book in 1:4. Check to see how you have translated it there.

ministering spirits: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as ministering spirits refers to spirits who serve God. The Greek word that the BSB translates as ministering comes from the same word as “servants” in 1:7b. See the note there.

The word spirits is related to the same word that is translated as “winds” in 1:7, but here it has a different meaning. It refers to the spiritual nature of the angels. Angels are intelligent beings. When they appeared to people in the Bible, they had bodies that resembled human bodies. However, they are often invisible to people.

In some languages a word like spirits may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate ministering spirits are:

beings who serve

powerful-ones who serve

1:14b

sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation. (GNT)
He sends them to serve the people whom he will save from sin to receive life with him.

sent to serve: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as sent to serve indicates here that God tells the angels to go and help his people in certain ways. God is the one who sends them. The word that is translated as serve is different from the word “ministering” in 1:14a, so you may translate them differently. Some other ways to translate sent to serve here are:

are sent by him to help (GNT)

whom God tells/commands to care for…

those who will inherit salvation: The clause those who will inherit salvation refers to people who will be rescued from sin and given eternal life with God. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

those who will receive salvation (NCV)

the people who will be saved/rescued

those whom God will save

See also the note on salvation below. You may also want to refer to how you translated “inherited” in 1:4.

inherit: Often, the Greek word that the BSB translates as inherit refers to receiving a person’s possessions after he dies. However, in this context it means “obtain.”BDAG, page 547, lists “acquire, obtain, come into possession of” as the second meaning. It does not imply that God will die.

salvation: The word salvation refers to being rescued (saved) from something harmful or dangerous. A person may be saved from physical dangers like death or enemies or from spiritual dangers like sin and its punishment. In this context it refers to the spiritual sense of being saved from sin and from the punishment that a person deserves because of his sins. It also implies the blessings of being reconciled with God and being given eternal life with him.

In some languages it may be necessary to translate salvation with a verb or phrase. If that is true in your language, you may need to supply some implied information. For example:

the people who are rescued to live forever with God

The word salvation and the verb “to save” are among the most important words in the NT. For more information, see save, sense B in KBT.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶν λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα, διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐχί πάντες εἰσίν λειτουργικά πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διά τούς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν)

The author does not ask this question because he is looking for information. Rather, he asks it to involve the audience in what he is arguing. The question assumes that the answer is “yes, they are.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a strong affirmation. Alternate translation: [What is true is that they are all ministering spirits, being sent for service for the sake of those who are going to inherit salvation.]

Note 2 topic: writing-pronouns

εἰσὶν

Here, they refers to the “angels” in [1:13](../01/13.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could refer to the “angels” explicitly. Alternate translation: [Are the angels]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἀποστελλόμενα

˓being˒_sent_out

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The author uses the passive form here to focus on the angels who are sent rather than on the person doing the sending. If you must state who does the action, the author implies that God does it. Alternate translation: [those whom God sent]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν

˓to_be˒_inheriting salvation

The author speaks as if believers were children who would receive property that a parent passes on to their child when the parent dies. He speaks in this way to indicate that believers receive salvation from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to receive salvation from God] or [to be given salvation by God]

τοὺς μέλλοντας

Alternate translation: [those who are about] or [those who are destined]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν

˓to_be˒_inheriting salvation

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of salvation, you could express the idea by using a verb such as “save.” In this case, you may need to find another way to express the idea behind inherit. Alternate translation: [to be saved as a gift from God]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.