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OET (OET-LV) You_loved righteousness and you_hated lawlessness, because_of this, anointed you the god, the god of_you, with_the_olive_oil of_exultation beyond the companions of_you.
OET (OET-RV) You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness,
⇔ because of this, God, your god, honoured you
⇔ with gladness beyond what your companions received.’
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)
In this paragraph the author again quoted from the OT to show that the Son is greater than the angels. The quotation in 1:7 about the angels contrasts with the one in 1:8–9 about the Son. The author shows this contrast in the way he introduces the quotations. For example:
About the angels, he says…but about the Son he says…
Translate this contrast in a natural way in your language.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
You(sing) love justice and hate lawlessness/wrongdoing.
You(sing) are pleased with what is right in God’s eyes, and you are disgusted with what is evil.
You have loved righteousness: The clause You have loved righteousness indicates that God’s Son is devoted to what is right and just. He does what is right, and he is pleased when other people do what is right. In this context the clause probably refers to how God’s Son rules people justly in his kingdom. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
You love what is right (GNT)
All that is right is what you have valued
Every work/action which is good is what pleases you very much.Tagbanwa back translation on TW.
You have loved: The pronoun You is singular and refers to God’s Son, the Christ. The verb have loved refers to the attitude that God’s Son has always had and still has. He has always loved righteousness, and he continues to love it. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
you love
you have always loved
righteousness: The Greek word that the BSB translates as righteousness refers here to doing what is just and right according to a standard. In the Bible the standard of justice is determined by God.
In this context righteousness probably refers specifically to the way that God’s Son rules people with justice. This fits with 1:8 that speaks of his kingdom and way of ruling. Some ways to translate righteousness in this context are:
All that is goodOtomi back translation on TW.
what is right (GNT)
justice (CEV)
For more information, see just, sense C3, in KBT.
and hated wickedness: The phrase and hated wickedness indicates that God’s Son detests evil and rejects it. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
and you reject/detest actions that are lawless
You are disgusted with evil behavior.
wickedness: The Greek word that the BSB translates as wickedness is literally “lawlessness.” In the Bible it refers to not respecting or obeying God’s law. Some other ways to translate it are:
evil (CEV)
what is wrong (GW)
lawlessness (RSV)
For more information, see “lawlessness” under sin, other words to compare, in KBT.
In 1:9b–c God continued to speak directly to his Son. In some languages it is necessary to indicate this by using first person pronouns like “I.” For example:
I, your God, have chosen you. I appointed you…. (CEV)
God…has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy: The custom of anointing with oil is used here in a figurative way. When kings and priests were appointed, oil was poured on their heads to dedicate them to God for their work. It was a joyful occasion.For example, see 1 Kings 1:38–40. In this verse the emphasis is on the joy (joy) and honor that God gave to his Son.
Some other ways to translate the clause are:
Translate the figure of speech and indicate its meaning. For example:
God blessed you more than your companions and anointed you with oil, the symbol of joy.
God honored you more than your companions: he poured oil on you and made you glad.
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
God…has given you the joy of an honor far greater than he gave to your companions. (GNT)
Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.
therefore God, Your God,
Because of this, God, your(sing) God,
That is why God, the God whom you(sing) honor,
therefore: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as therefore means “because of this,” “for this reason.” It introduces what happened because God’s Son loved righteousness and hated wickedness (1:9a). Indicate this result in a natural way in your language.
God, Your God: In the phrase God, Your God, the word God is repeated for emphasis.Another way to interpret the phrase God, Your God is that the first occurrence of God is used to address God’s Son as God. The second occurrence refers to God the Father. This interpretation is followed by the REB and NLT. However, most English versions, including the BSB, NIV, GNT, RSV, ESV, NASB, NCV, JBP, GW, NLT96, CEV, NET, KJV, and the NJB, interpret both occurrences of God to refer to God the Father. The phrase Your God indicates that God is the One whom Christ the Son honors as God. The context also indicates that God has honored the Son.
The phrase Your God does not mean “the God you possess.” If a literal translation of Your God has a wrong meaning in your language, you may need to express the meaning in a different way. For example, in this context you may be able to say:
God who honors you
God whom you honor/obey
Your: The pronoun Your is singular and refers to Christ, the Son of God.
has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.”
has poured oil on you(sing) to show that he has appointed you above everyone else.”
made you glad by giving you(sing) a great honor/position that he did not give to your companions.”
companions: The Greek word that the BSB translates as companions means “those who share or participate together” in something. The word occurs five times in Hebrews, once in Luke, and six times in the Greek OT (LXX).Apart from Luke 5:7, where Peter shouts to their fishing “partners” to come and help with the big catch of fish, the author to Hebrews is the only New Testament author to use this word. It occurs here and in 3:1a, 3:14, 6:4c, and in 12:8, where the word describes believers. It is similar in meaning to the more common Greek word koinōno that can be translated as ‘partner.’ The author was probably referring here to the angels. In this whole section he was comparing Christ with the angels. Some ways to translate the word here are:
comrades
everyone else
(reordered) I am God, the God you serve. I have given you greater honor than all your friends because you love what is right and you hate what is wrong.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
ἠγάπησας & ἐμίσησας & σε & σου & σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καί ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διά τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σέ ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός σοῦ ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρά τούς μετόχους σοῦ)
Since the words You, your, you, and your refer to one person, the Son, all forms of you in this verse are singular.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
δικαιοσύνην & ἀνομίαν
righteousness & lawlessness
If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of righteousness and lawlessness, you could express the idea by using adjectives or adverbs. Alternate translation: [what is righteous … what is lawless] or [what people do righteously … what people do lawlessly]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
ἔχρισέν & ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καί ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διά τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σέ ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός σοῦ ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρά τούς μετόχους σοῦ)
Here the quotation repeats the word God in order to emphasize that God is the one who “anoints” and also to identify him as your God, which means that he is the God whom you serve. If the repetition would be confusing in your language, you could express the idea by using God once and emphasizing the phrase in another way. Alternate translation: [the God whom you serve has anointed]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
ἔχρισέν & ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καί ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διά τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σέ ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός σοῦ ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρά τούς μετόχους σοῦ)
Since God is the one speaking this quotation, he refers to himself in the third person here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person here to clarify that this is not another God. Alternate translation: [I, who am your God, have anointed]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἔχρισέν σε & ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καί ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διά τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σέ ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός σοῦ ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρά τούς μετόχους σοῦ)
In the author’s culture, people were often anointed with oil when they received special authority or power, including when a person became king. Here the author applies this “anointing” to the Son. In this situation, it refers to how God has exalted the Son and given him power and authority. The phrase oil of exultation refers to how the “anointing” leads to or results in exultation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [has honored and empowered you so that you exult]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως
˱with˲_˓the˒_olive_oil ˱of˲_exultation
Here the quotation uses the possessive form to show that the oil leads to exultation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a word or phrase that indicates result. Alternate translation: [with the oil that leads to exultation]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἀγαλλιάσεως
˱of˲_exultation
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of exultation, you could express the idea by using a verb such as “exult” or “rejoice.” Alternate translation: [that makes you rejoice] or [which causes you to exult]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / extrainfo
τοὺς μετόχους σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καί ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν διά τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σέ ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός σοῦ ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρά τούς μετόχους σοῦ)
Here the author does not clarify who the companions are. In the context of the quotation, they probably referred to other people in the royal family who did not become king. In the context of Hebrews, they probably refer to those who believe in Jesus. God saves them, but he does not seat them at his right hand like he does with Jesus. However, neither the quotation nor the author of Hebrews state explicitly who the companions are, so you should leave their identify unspecified if possible. Alternate translation: [those who are with you]
1:5-14 In these ten verses, the author uses a variety of Old Testament texts to show that Jesus is superior to the angels. Among ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters, Old Testament passages were strung together one after the other in “chain quotations” (called “pearl stringing”) to convince the hearers or readers of a certain theological point by presenting a lot of scriptural evidence together.
OET (OET-LV) You_loved righteousness and you_hated lawlessness, because_of this, anointed you the god, the god of_you, with_the_olive_oil of_exultation beyond the companions of_you.
OET (OET-RV) You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness,
⇔ because of this, God, your god, honoured you
⇔ with gladness beyond what your companions received.’
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.