HEB 2:5 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For it was not to angels that God subjected the world that is coming, about which we are speaking.

UST Now God has not put the spiritual beings in charge of the heavenly world that he will bring to earth. It is that world about which I am talking.

BLB For not to angels did He subject the world that is coming, of which we are speaking,

AICNT For it is not to angels that he subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

OEB ¶ God has not given to angels the control of that future world of which we are speaking!

WEBBE For he didn’t subject the world to come, of which we speak, to angels.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For he did not put the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels.

LSV For He did not subject the coming world to messengers, concerning which we speak,

FBV It's not angels who will be in charge of the world to come that we're talking about.

TCNT For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

T4T God has determined that the angels will not rule over everything. Instead, he has determined that Christ will rule in the new world that God will create. That is the new world about which I am writing.

LEB ¶ For he did not subject to angels the world to come, about which we are speaking.

BBE For he did not make the angels rulers over the world to come, of which I am writing.

Moff For the world to come, of which I am speaking, was not put under the control of angels.

Wymth It is not to angels that God has assigned the sovereignty of that coming world, of which we speak.

ASV For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak.

DRA For God hath not subjected unto angels the world to come, whereof we speak.

YLT For not to messengers did He subject the coming world, concerning which we speak,

Drby For he has not subjected to angels the habitable world which is to come, of which we speak;

RV For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak.

SLT For not to the angels has he subjected the habitable globe about to be, of which we speak.

Wbstr For to the angels he hath not put in subjection the world to come, concerning which we speak.

KJB-1769 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
(For unto the angels hath/has he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. )

KJB-1611 For vnto the Angels hath he not put in subiection the world to come, whereof we speake.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps For vnto the Anges hath he not put in subiection the worlde to come, wherof we speake.
(For unto the Anges hath/has he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.)

Gnva For he hath not put in subiection vnto the Angels the world to come, whereof we speake.
(For he hath/has not put in subjection unto the Angels the world to come, whereof we speak. )

Cvdl For vnto the angels hath he not subdued the worlde to come, wherof we speake.
(For unto the angels hath/has he not subdued the world to come, whereof we speak.)

TNT He hath not vnto the angels put in subieccion the worlde to come where of we speake.
(He hath/has not unto the angels put in subjection the world to come where of we speak. )

Wycl But not to aungels God sugetide the world that is to comynge, of which we speken.
(But not to angels God subjectide the world that is to coming, of which we speaking.)

Luth Denn er hat nicht den Engeln untertan die zukünftige Welt, davon wir reden.
(Because he has not the angels subject/subservient the zukünftige world, of_that we/us talk.)

ClVg Non enim angelis subjecit Deus orbem terræ futurum, de quo loquimur.
(Not/No because to/by/with_the_messengers/angels subyecit God the_world of_the_earth/land future, from/about where to_speakmur. )

UGNT οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν;
(ou gar angelois hupetaxen taʸn oikoumenaʸn taʸn mellousan, peri haʸs laloumen;)

SBL-GNT Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν·
(Ou gar angelois hupetaxen taʸn oikoumenaʸn taʸn mellousan, peri haʸs laloumen;)

RP-GNT Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν.
(Ou gar angelois hupetaxen taʸn oikoumenaʸn taʸn mellousan, peri haʸs laloumen.)

TC-GNT Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξε τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν, περὶ ἧς λαλοῦμεν.
(Ou gar angelois hupetaxe taʸn oikoumenaʸn taʸn mellousan, peri haʸs laloumen. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:5–18: Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being

In the previous section, the author stated the seriousness of ignoring the Son’s message of salvation. In this section he gave more reasons why Jesus is greater than the angels and why we should take Jesus’ salvation more seriously than the law that was received through the angels. Some of these reasons are:

Jesus, not the angels, will control the future world (2:5)
Jesus humbled himself in order to make himself like us:
- In our lower position (2:7, 2:9)
- In our suffering and death (2:10, 2:14)
- As his brothers, God’s children (2:11–14, 2:17)
Jesus can:
- Bring us to glory (2:10)
- Bring us to salvation (2:10)
- Make us holy (2:11)
- Break the power of death (2:14)
- Sets us free from the fear of death (2:15)
- Help us (he did not come to help angels) (2:16)
- Be a merciful and faithful high priest before God (2:17)
- Take away the sins of people (2:17)
- Help us when we are tempted (2:18)
- [Angels cannot do this]

Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Son became human to save us

Christ Became like Humans (NCV)

Jesus Became One of Us to Help Us (GW)

Paragraph 2:5–9

There is an interpretation issue in 2:6–8. These verses contain a quote from Psalm 8:4–6. The psalm refers to “man” and “son of man,” and uses words like “him” and “his.” In the psalm these words refer to human beings (mankind) in general. However, there are two ways to interpret these forms when they are quoted here in Hebrews 2:

They refer to both humanity and to Jesus as the Messiah. For example:
What is a mortal that you should remember him, the Son of Man that you care for him? (GW) (BSB, NIV84, RSV, ESV, GW, REB, NASB, NET, NLT96, JBP, KJV)
They refer only to humanity. This interpretation is implied by English versions that use plural or collective forms. For example:
What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? (NRSV) (NIV, GNT, CEV, NRSV, NJB, NCV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The author of Hebrews often used verses from the OT as evidence that Jesus is the Messiah. A number of commentaries, including recent ones, also support this interpretation.There is a growing number of scholars supporting the Messianic tones of Hebrews 2:6–8: Koester (page 221) says, “A tension in the psalm enables it to bear two different lines of interpretation…. The psalm asks about God’s will for ‘man,’ which can be understood as a question about humankind generally so that Hebrews can deal with God’s design for people…. The psalm can also be taken as a statement about Jesus, who is God’s Son and heir of all things.” Lane (47) says that when the author of Hebrews quotes the statement in Psalm 8 “You put everything in subjection under his feet” (verse 8a), he “immediately adds, we do not yet…see everything subject to his control.” Lane sees this “not yet” as crucial, “for it indicates that the writer found in the quotation a prophecy that will eventually be fulfilled.” He continues (page 48) to explain that since the psalmist recognized that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, the author of Hebrews sees “that the promised subjection has reference not to humankind in general (verse 8), but to Jesus (verse 9), whom God has appointed ‘heir of everything.” See also O’Brien (pages 91–93) and Attridge (page 72). For a detailed article on this topic see Guthrie and Quinn (2006: pages 235–246).

In some languages it may not be possible to use a singular form to refer to human beings in general. If this is true in your language, you may want to include a footnote in your translation. For example:

Some scholars believe that “son of man” is used in the psalm to refer to humans in general. However, the author of Hebrews also used it to refer to Jesus as the Messiah who “leads many sons to glory” (2:10). Jesus is the one who fulfilled the psalm’s prophecy that God put all things under mankind’s control.

It is clear that in the OT the psalmist is praising God for choosing “human beings” to rule over creation. However, the author of Hebrews does not have only humanity in mind. He also uses the psalm to refer to the Messiah. He implies that the psalmist also spoke about Jesus becoming human and being crowned with glory and honor.

2:5

For it is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

¶ It was not angels whom God appointed to rule the future world that we^(incl) speak of.
¶ God did not give angels authority over the world/life that will soon begin, about which I speak to you^(plur).
¶ As for the future world that I am talking about, God did not say that angels will be its leaders.

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates literally as For is the same conjunction that it translated as “for” in 2:2. It introduces a second reason and explanation for saying that we must pay attention to what we have heard (2:1).Scholars have different opinions about the function of the Greek conjunction here. The Exegetical Summary on Hebrews (pages 52–53) lists the following: “1. It indicates the grounds for the argument of the preceding verses…. 2. It indicates the second grounds for the exhortation in 2:1…. 3. It indicates the grounds for 1:14…. 4. It indicates the grounds for the exhortation to dedication to salvation through the Son…. 5. It links the present discussion with the preceding discussion concerning the Son’s supremacy…. It is another reason to emphasize the Son’s superiority…. 6. It opens a new stage in the discussion….” These views are not mutually exclusive. The Notes follow the view expressed in option 2, interpreting the word “Now” as an introduction to the second grounds for the exhortation in 2:1. Instead of the word “grounds,” the Notes uses the words “reason and explanation,” as representing the same meaning but being perhaps easier for speakers of English as a second language to understand. Some versions use the English word “Now,” but it does not refer to time here.

Some English versions translate the Greek conjunction as “for” or “because.” Other versions do not have a conjunction here. Connect this paragraph to the preceding section in a natural way in your language.

it is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking: In Greek this clause is more literally “not…to angels he subordinated the coming world about which we speak.” The clause emphasizes that it was not angels whom God chose to rule the future world. It implies that he chose a different ruler (or rulers) for it.

Some other ways to translate the clause in English are:

God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. (NRSV)

For God did not say that angels will be the ones to control the coming world of which we speak.

As for the future world that we are telling about, it is not the angels whom God chose to rule it.

angels: The word angels here refers to the spirit beings that serve God. It first occurs in this book in 1:4. You should translate it in the same way here.

The word angels is in an emphatic position in the Greek sentence to show that the author was making a contrast. It is not angels who will rule over the world to come. Human beings will rule it with Jesus as the leader.

the world to come: The phrase the world to come refers to the world that will exist in the future. The word world refers mainly to the way of life in that future place. The word come refers especially to the time when Jesus will come again and rule everyone.

Some other ways to translate the world to come are:

the future world (CEV)

the life that will replace this present life

about which we are speaking: Here the pronoun we refers to the author. He often referred to himself in this way in the book of Hebrews. Another way to translate this phrase is:

about which I speak

However, when the author used the word we, he probably implied that his listeners were thinking with him about the truths that he was telling them. Use an appropriate pronoun in your language here.

The phrase about which we are speaking is an explanatory comment, so you will need to make that clear in a natural way in your language. For example:

the new world to come—the world of which we speak (GNT)

the future life. This is the life I am talking about.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τήν οἰκουμένην τήν μέλλουσαν περί ἧς λαλοῦμεν)

The word For primarily introduces a new topic into the discussion. However, it may also indicate that what the author says about this new topic supports or gives a basis for an earlier claim. If this is so, For could introduce support for the claim in [2:1](../02/01.md) about the need to “give attention,” or it could introduce support for the arguments in [1:5–14](../01/05.md) about how the Son is superior to the angels. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a new section, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Indeed,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τήν οἰκουμένην τήν μέλλουσαν περί ἧς λαλοῦμεν)

The word world is the same word that is translated “world” in [1:6](../01/06.md), and the author probably has the same world in mind here. He specifies that it is coming, which means that humans on earth do not yet experience this world but will experience it some day, when Jesus comes back. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in the same way you did in [1:6](../01/06.md) and include the idea that humans will someday experience this world. Alternate translation: [the new world that God will give us]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

λαλοῦμεν

˱we˲_˓are˒_speaking

The word we refers to the author, who is one who “speaks.” However, the author assumed that the audience was involved in the conversation by “hearing” what he “spoke,” so he uses we. If it would be helpful in your language, you could refer to just the speaker by using a pronoun such as “I.” Alternate translation: [I am speaking] or [I am telling you]

Parallel HEB 2:5

Section 2:5–18: Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being

Paragraph 2:5–9

2:5