HEB 2:6 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=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 Instead, someone somewhere testified, saying,
⇔  “What is man, that you remember him,
⇔  or a son of man, that you watch over him?

UST Someone confirmed what I have said when he wrote in the Scriptures,
⇔ “No humans are worthy enough for you to think about them, God!
⇔ No human beings are important enough for you to take care of them!

BLB but someone somewhere has testified, saying, "What is man, that You are mindful of him, or the son of man, that You care for him?

AICNT But someone has testified somewhere, saying, “What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him?

OEB No; a writer has declared somewhere –
⇔ “What are mere mortals that you should remember them?
⇔ Or human beings that you should care for them?

WEBBE But one has somewhere testified, saying,
⇔ “What is man, that you think of him?
⇔ Or the son of man, that you care for him?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Instead someone testified somewhere:
⇔ “ What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?

LSV and one in a certain place testified fully, saying, “What is man, that You are mindful of him,
Or a son of man, that You look after him?

FBV But as it's been said, “What are human beings that you should worry about them? What is a son of man[fn] that you should care about him?

2:6 “Son of man”: in normal use means just a human being; however Jesus applied this generic term to himself.

TCNT But in one place someone has testified:
⇔ “What is man that yoʋ are mindful of him,
⇔ or the son of man that yoʋ care for him?

T4T Someone spoke to God about this somewhere in the Scriptures, saying,
⇔ ◄No one is worthy enough for you to think about him!/Who is worthy enough for you to think about him?► [RHQ]
⇔ ◄No human is worthy enough for you to care for him!/Is any human worthy enough for you to care for him?► [RHQ]

LEB But someone testified somewhere, saying,
• “What is man, that you remember him,
• or the son of man, that you care for him?

BBE But a certain writer has given his witness, saying, What is man, that you keep him in mind? what is the son of man, that you take him into account?

Moff One writer, as we know, has affirmed,
⇔ What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
⇔ or the son of man, that thou carest for him?

Wymth But, as we know, a writer has solemnly said, "How poor a creature is man, and yet Thou dost remember him, and a son of man, and yet Thou dost come to him!

ASV But one hath somewhere testified, saying,
⇔ What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
⇔ Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

DRA But one in a certain place hath testified, saying: What is man, that thou art mindful of him: or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

YLT and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or a son of man, that Thou dost look after him?

Drby but one has testified somewhere, saying, What is man, that thou rememberest him, or son of man that thou visitest him?

RV But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
(But one hath/has somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou/you art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou/you visitest/visit him? )

SLT And somewhere a certain one testified, saying, What is man, that thou rememberest him? or the son of man, that thou reviewest him?

Wbstr But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

KJB-1769 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
(But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou/you art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou/you visitest/visit him? )

KJB-1611 But one in a certaine place testified, saying: What is man, that thou art mindfull of him: or the Sonne of man that thou visitest him?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps But one in a certayne place witnessed, saying: What is man, that thou arte myndeful of hym? Or the sonne of man, that thou wouldest loke vpon hym?
(But one in a certain place witnessed, saying: What is man, that thou/you art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou/you wouldest look upon him?)

Gnva But one in a certaine place witnessed, saying, What is man, that thou shouldest bee mindefull of him? or the sonne of man, that thou wouldest consider him?
(But one in a certain place witnessed, saying, What is man, that thou/you shouldest/should be mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou/you wouldest consider him? )

Cvdl But one in a certayne place witnesseth & sayeth: What is man, that thou art myndefull of him?or the sonne of man, that thou vysitest him?
(But one in a certain place witnesseth and saith/says: What is man, that thou/you art mindful of him?or the son of man, that thou/you vysitest him?)

TNT But one in a certayne place witnessed sayinge. What is man that thou arte myndfull of him?
(But one in a certain place witnessed saying. What is man that thou/you art mindful of him? )

Wycl But sum man witnesside in a place, and seide, What thing is man, that thou art myndeful of hym, or mannus sone, for thou visitist hym?
(But some man witnessed in a place, and said, What thing is man, that thou/you art mindful of him, or man’s son, for thou/you visitest/visit him?)

Luth Es bezeuget aber einer an einem Ort und spricht: Was ist der Mensch, daß du sein gedenkest, und des Menschen Sohn, daß du ihn heimsuchest?
(It witnessed but one/a at/to on place/location and speaks/says: What is the/of_the person, that you(sg) be remember, and the people son, that you(sg) him/it homesuchest?)

ClVg Testatus est autem in quodam loco quis, dicens: Quid est homo quod memor es ejus, aut filius hominis quoniam visitas eum?[fn]
(Testatus it_is however in/into/on a_certain instead who/any, saying: What it_is human that memory you_are his, or son of_man since/because visits him? )

2.6 Quid est homo. Potest hoc legi admirative, ut per hominem et Filium hominis intelligatur Christus homo. Cujus fuit memor Deus in conceptione, dando immunitatem a peccato. Et visitavit in resurrectione, dando gloriam immortalitatis. Potest etiam hoc legi, cum despectu, pro terreno: Adam enim homo fuit, sed non filius hominis, sicut homines dicuntur qui portant ejus imaginem. Qui autem portavit imaginem Christi dicuntur filii hominum potius. Et ille, vetus homo dicitur; iste, novus. Homo igitur hoc loco terrenus est; Filius autem hominis, cœlestis. Et ille longe sejunctus est Deo, hic autem præsens est. Et ideo illius est memor tanquam in longinquo positi. Hunc visitat quem vultu suo, id est, gratiæ suæ præsentia illustrat. Visitas eum: hominem per Filium hominis, quasi per medicum infirmum, visitavit Pater.

2.6 What it_is human. Can this I_read admirative, as through man and Son of_man be_understood Christ/Messiah human. Cuyus it_was memory God in/into/on conceptione, dando immunitatem from sin. And visitavit in/into/on resurrection, dando glory immortalitatis. Can also this I_read, when/with despectu, for on_the_ground: Adam because human it_was, but not/no son of_man, like people/men are_said who/which they_carry his image. Who however carried image of_Christ are_said children of_men potius. And he/that_one, old/aged human it_is_said; this, novus. Man therefore this instead terrenus it_is; Son however of_man, heavenly. And he/that_one far_away seyunctus it_is to_God, this/here however present it_is. And therefore/for_that_reason of_that it_is memory as_if in/into/on far_away placed. This_one visits which face his_own, that it_is, thanks his/her_own presence illustrates. Visitas him: man through Son of_man, as_if through doctor weak, visitavit Pater.

UGNT διεμαρτύρατο δέ πού τις λέγων, τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν?
(diemarturato de pou tis legōn, ti estin anthrōpos, hoti mimnaʸskaʸ autou, aʸ huios anthrōpou, hoti episkeptaʸ auton?)

SBL-GNT διεμαρτύρατο δέ πού τις λέγων· Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;
(diemarturato de pou tis legōn; Ti estin anthrōpos hoti mimnaʸskaʸ autou, aʸ huios anthrōpou hoti episkeptaʸ auton;)

RP-GNT Διεμαρτύρατο δέ πού τις λέγων, Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ; Ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;
(Diemarturato de pou tis legōn, Ti estin anthrōpos, hoti mimnaʸskaʸ autou; Aʸ huios anthrōpou, hoti episkeptaʸ auton;)

TC-GNT Διεμαρτύρατο δέ πού τις λέγων,
⇔ Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ;
⇔ Ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;
(Diemarturato de pou tis legōn,
⇔ Ti estin anthrōpos, hoti mimnaʸskaʸ autou;
⇔ Aʸ huios anthrōpou, hoti episkeptaʸ auton; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (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.

2:6a

But somewhere it is testified in these words:

Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures: (GNT)
We^(incl) can read in God’s book/writings that someone says to God,

But: The word But connects the preceding statement in 2:5 with a quotation (2:6b–8) from Scripture. This quotation agrees with what 2:5 says and supports it. In some languages a word like But may be confusing here. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate the connection between 2:5 and 2:6 are:

Use a word or phrase that introduces a supporting statement. For example:
For (NLT)
In fact
Do not use a conjunction. For example, the RSV begins 2:6 with the statement itself:
It has been testified somewhere (RSV)

Translate the connection between 2:5 and 2:6 in a natural way in your language.

somewhere it is testified: This clause refers to a quotation from the OT Scriptures. The verb is testified implies here that God inspired someone to write it, and that person affirmed that it is true.Lane (Hebrews 1–8, page 46) says, “Precisely because it is God who speaks in the OT, the identity of the person through whom he uttered his word is relatively unimportant. A vague allusion is sufficient.” The general term somewhere does not imply that the author did not know the particular book of the Scriptures where the quote is found.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

For somewhere in the Scriptures it says (NLT)

that is the meaning of what God caused to be written, which says:

Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God (CEV)

You may want to use the term for “Scriptures” that you have used in other verses in the NT.

somewhere: The word somewhere refers here to a part of the Scriptures. In some languages it is helpful to include your word or phrase for the Scriptures. For example:

in the Holy BookOtomi back translation on TW.

it is testified: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as it is testified means to solemnly declare the truth about something. The author used this verb to indicate the truth and importance of the part of Scripture that he was about to quote. It does not imply that it was used as a testimony in court.

Some other ways to translate the verb are:

has declared (GW)

There is…this solemn assurance (REB)

Verses 2:6b–8a are a quotation from Psalm 8:4–6. If you use footnotes in your translation, you can put the reference in a footnote.

2:6b–c

The words in 2:6b–c are a quotation from Psalm 8:5. In that psalm, 8:5 is part of a longer prayer to God. In 8:2 the psalmist addressed God directly as Lord. Here in Hebrews, it may be helpful to make explicit that the person is praying to God. For example:

Lord, what is man…

What are human beings, O God (GNT)

In the Greek text the word that the BSB translates as “man” is also singular.

What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him: The words in 2:6b–c are a quotation from Psalm 8, which is Hebrew poetry. The quotation begins with two rhetorical questions that have the same meaning. In the example below, the parts that are similar in meaning are marked in similar ways:

^6bWhat is man, that you are mindful of him,

^6cor the son of man, that you care for him?

The question in 2:6c has an ellipsis. The phrase What is from 2:6b is also implied in 2:6c. In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit in 2:6c. For example:

^6c what is a human being that you care for him?

In some languages it will be more natural to combine these two questions into one. For examples of how these quotations can be combined, see the General Comment on 2:6b–c at the end of 2:6c.

2:6b

“What is man that You are mindful of him,

“What makes you^(sing) so concerned about man?
“It is amazing that you^(sing) care about a human being.

What is man that You are mindful of him: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise that God should be concerned about a human being at all. Some ways to translate this surprise are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
What makes you care about a human being?
Does a man have any status/importance? No, so what causes you to care for him?
As a statement or exclamation. For example:
I cannot understand why a human being is important to you!

Translate this surprise in a way that is natural in your language.

man: The Greek word that the BSB translates as man means “human being.” The word is singular. It can refer to a single human being or to mankind in general (both male and female). Some scholars believe that the author used this singular form because he intended to be ambiguous. He wanted to use a word that could refer either to the Son of Man as Messiah (Jesus) or to human beings in general.

If it is possible in your language to be ambiguous in that way here, that is a good choice. In some languages that may not be natural or it may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may use a plural form like “human beings,” as in the NRSV. The form should include both the author and the readers. Use appropriate forms in 2:7–8 also.

that You are mindful of him: The Greek word that the BSB translates as mindful means “remember.” When it is used about God remembering a person or persons, it implies that he remembers them in order to help and care for them.

Some other ways to translate that You are mindful of him are:

that you think of him (NET)

that you are concerned for him

You: The pronoun You refers to God. The psalmist was speaking to God, so he used a singular form of You.

2:6c

or the son of man that You care for him?

What importance does a person have that you^(sing) take care of him?
I am amazed that you^(sing) show concern for him, since he is only human.

or the son of man that You care for him: In Greek this clause is more literally “or son of (a) human-being that you care for him.” Like 2:6b, it is also a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise and has the same meaning as 2:6b. Be sure that you have read the note on 2:6b–c before you read the rest of this note.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
What is a mortal that you should remember him… (GW)
As a statement. For example:
I am amazed that you are concerned about mankind
I do not know/understand why you care for a mere human being.

Translate the clause in 2:6c in the way that is natural in your language for expressing surprise. See the General Comment on 2:6b–c at the end of 2:6c for ways to combine the parts of this verse.

the son of man: In this context, the phrase that the BSB translates as the son of man can refer to any human being and it can refer specifically to the Messiah.Some Bible scholars believe that the phrase “son of man” refers here to Christ as the Son of Man. In the context of the quotation from Psalm 8, it probably referred to mankind (to human beings in general). In the Greek text of 2:6c the phrase son of man is parallel to “man” in 2:6b. In the context of Hebrews, the author was applying this quotation not only to humanity in general but especially to the Messiah in particular. As Koester (page 215) says, “The use of language from Psalm 8 for Jesus (e.g., Matthew 21:16) does not suggest that the psalm had come to have an exclusively messianic sense by the time Hebrews was written, and Hebrews uses the psalm both for humanity and for Jesus.” It indicates that the author wondered why God concerned himself with a human being. A human seems unimportant compared to God. In some languages it is possible to use the same key term for son of man here that you used in the Gospels.

Other ways to translate the son of man here are:

human being

person

that You care for him: The Greek word that the BSB translates as care for means “be concerned about, show concern for.” Other ways to translate the clause are:

that you notice him

that you take good care of him

General Comment on 2:6b–c

The two questions in 2:6b and 2:6c are quoted from Hebrew poetry. It is common in Hebrew poetry for an author to use similar statements to emphasize his meaning. The rhetorical questions in 2:6b and 2:6c are very similar in meaning. In some languages it will be more natural to combine these two questions into one.

Some ways that you can combine these two questions are:

Why do you think about or care about a human being?

What is a human being that you should be concerned about him?

Why should you care about a human being?

However, the author probably interprets Psalm 8 to be speaking of the Messiah, as well as of human beings.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-quotations

διεμαρτύρατο & πού τις λέγων

testified & somewhere (Some words not found in SR-GNT: διεμαρτύρατο Δέ πού τὶς λέγων Τί ἐστίν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ ἤ υἱός ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν)

Here and in the next two verses, the author quotes from the Old Testament. He intentionally uses vague words to introduce the quotation, and he does not identify who wrote the words or where they could be found. The quotation comes from [Psalm 8:4–6](../../psa/08/04.md). Since the author intentionally avoids giving information about where the quotation comes from, you should not include such information in your translation. If your readers would not know where the quote comes from, you could include the reference in a footnote. Alternate translation: [you can read these words in the Scriptures:]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: διεμαρτύρατο Δέ πού τὶς λέγων Τί ἐστίν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ ἤ υἱός ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν)

The author does not include this question because he is looking for information. Rather, he includes it to involve the audience in what he is arguing. The question assumes that the answer is “nothing,” for nothing about man or a son of man is significant enough for God to remember or watch over him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a strong negation. Alternate translation: [Man has nothing that should make you remember him, and a son of man has nothing that should make you watch over him.]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν

The quotation includes two questions that mean almost the same thing. This was considered good poetry in the author’s culture. If this would not be good poetry in your culture, and if the repetition would be confusing, you could combine the two statements. Alternate translation: [What is man, that you care about him] or [What is a son of man, that you remember him]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἄνθρωπος & αὐτοῦ & υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου & αὐτόν

mankind & ˱of˲_him & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: διεμαρτύρατο Δέ πού τὶς λέγων Τί ἐστίν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ ἤ υἱός ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν)

The quotation refers to man and son of man, which are both singular and masculine. The author could intend these words primarily to identify: (1) humans in general. While he goes on to identify Jesus as the only human who currently fulfills these words (See: [2:9](../02/09.md)), he intends the words first of all to refer to humans in general. Alternate translation: [a human … him or her … a child of a human … him or her] (2) Jesus, who calls himself a son of man. In this case, you should preserve the singular and masculine language. Alternate translation: [Man … him … the Son of Man … him]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

μιμνῄσκῃ & ἐπισκέπτῃ

Since the author of the quotation is speaking to God, the word you in this verse is singular.

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου

In the culture of the quotation’s author, the phrase son of man was a way to refer to a person who was descended from other humans. In other words, it is another way to say man or “human.” Jesus used this phrase to refer to himself during his earthly life, so it is possible that the author of Hebrews intended son of man to refer to Jesus directly. However, the author never uses son of man to refer to Jesus anywhere else. If it would be helpful in your language, you could: (1) use a word or phrase that refers to humans in general. Alternate translation: [a human being] (2) use the same phrase that Jesus used to refer to himself. Alternate translation: [the Son of Man]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis