UTN uW Translation Notes:

Hebrews 2 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

2. The Son and the angels (1:5–2:18) * Exhortation: Listen to the message! (2:1–4) * Teaching: The Son becomes lower than the angels to help his brothers (2:5–18)Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 2:6–8, 12–13, which are quotations from the Old Testament.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Angels

In this chapter, the author continues to speak about angels. In 2:2, he refers to a tradition that says that God gave the law to Moses through angels. Then, in 2:5–9, he shows that Jesus, not angels, is the one who rules the “world that is coming.” In fact, Jesus came for the sake of humans, not for angels (2:16). Again, the author is not attacking angels. Instead, he uses angels, whom everyone knows are powerful and important, to show how much more important are Jesus and the salvation he offers. Translate “angels” the way you did in the previous chapter. (See: angel)

Jesus as high priest

In 2:17, the author first refers to Jesus as a “priest,” here specifically a “high priest.” This is an important theme in Hebrews. In much of the rest of the letter, the author argues that Jesus is a high priest who offers a sacrifice in the heavenly sanctuary. The author simply introduces the title “high priest” here, but he will develop the idea later. So, do not include any extra information here, but carefully consider how to translate “high priest” so that it fits with what the author later says about Jesus as a high priest. (See: highpriest)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Kinship language

Throughout this chapter, the author uses kinship language to describe those who believe in Jesus. They are God’s “sons” or “children” (2:10, 13–14), Jesus’ “brothers” (2:11–12, 17), and each is a “descendant of Abraham” (2:16). As God’s children, they are Jesus’ brothers and part of the family of Abraham, who is Jesus’ ancestor. The idea that believers are part of God’s family is important in Hebrews and in the Bible in general, so, if possible, preserve this language in your translation. Consider using words that refer to adopted family members. (See: son, children, and brother)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Who is the “man” in the quotation from Psalm 8?

In 2:6–8, the author quotes from Psalm 8:4–6. The psalm refers to “man” and “son of man.” In the context of the psalm itself, these words use the masculine singular form to refer to humans in general. However, Jesus used the phrase “Son of Man” to refer to himself during his earthly ministry. Some scholars argue that the author of Hebrews quotes “son of man” from Psalm 8 because he is using it to refer to Jesus directly. Others argue that the author uses “son of man” and “man” in the psalm quotation to refer to humans in general but then applies what the psalm says is true about humans to Jesus, who is the only human who is now “crowned with honor and glory” (2:9). Since the author never refers to Jesus as “Son of Man,” this second option is probably correct. Consider how you can translate “man” and “son of man” in the psalm quotation so that they can apply first to humans in general and then to Jesus in particular.