Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ,
{many times} and {many ways} {of old} the God spoke {to the} fathers by the prophets, in last the days these {He has spoken} {to us} in {a son},
Oh my goodness, what a grand statement! But you know, if you read your Bible correctly, that there is way more to this statement than it seems at first glance. It is filled with meaty bits. It is a meaty bit, a meaty bite and a meety byte all at the same time. The opening statement is so deep it is staggering in its scope. If you read your Bible regularly you know that the statement is unfinished as it appears above. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with the first analytical Gem in the series on Hebrews. So I backed off doing what my normal inclination tells me to do. That is to give you the first sentence at the beginning. I started work on laying out the first sentence in a Greek – English interlinear format and realised I would scare you off. So I have just given you the first line (the first two verses) in the interlinearisation above. You can see the Greek portion ends with a comma after “son,”. In the English translations below I have given you the whole sentence. Notice the ASV and the Literal Version use only one sentence for the complete Greek sentence. Whereas the other three translations, NLT, MSG and The Living Bible translate the complete Greek sentence by using six English sentences.
Here is the first sentence in all its glory:
God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. [ASV] (1)
Heb 1:1-4
In many ways and in various ways of old, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets; in these last days He spoke to us in the Son, whom He appointed heir of all; through whom He indeed made the ages; who being the shining splendour of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, having made purification of our sins through Himself, He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high, [Psa. 110:1] having become so much better than the angels, He has inherited a name more excellent than they. [LITV] (1)
Heb 1:1-4
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. [NLT] (6)
Heb 1:1-4
Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honoured place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. [MSG] (6)
Heb 1:1-4
Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets, in visions, dreams, and even face to face, telling them little by little about his plans. But now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything and through whom he made the world and everything there is. God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honour beside the great God of heaven. Thus he became far greater than the angels, as proved by the fact that his name “Son of God,” which was passed on to him from his Father, is far greater than the names and titles of the angels. [TLB] (6)
Heb 1:1-4
I have given you the first sentence in five different versions in English. Why would I do that? To demonstrate two things.
- The complicated nature of the opening statement of Hebrews.
- The benefit of reading in multiple versions.
You can see with each of the versions above I have given you in the final bracket the number of sentences used to translate the first four verses. By now you will realise the first four verses are one single Greek sentence which unfolds in layers. So in the first opening statement there is an astounding declaration which is then explained in what follows. Of course it is also the opening statement for the Letter to the Hebrews and like any good opening statement, sets the scene for all of what follows. Oh there are some meaty bits in that. I will explain the meaty bit, meaty bite and meety byte comment in the following Gem.
I have spent the last week or so, after completing my review of Philippians, reading through Hebrews multiple times in different translations.. It took me around 40 minutes to read the whole letter in one different translation a day. It has been a revelation. The purpose, pattern and power of the Letter to the Hebrews has unfolded itself in ways I have not seen before. When I tell you that it is a good thing to read over and over multiple times a Bible book that we are going to study, it is true. I do what I recommend you to do. The clarity that comes from doing that is invaluable.
I have realised that I need to begin Hebrews with a Gems Series to capture what is going on in this letter. I am calling it The First Four Verses of Hebrews. In reality, this will set the scene for the whole of the Letter to the Hebrews or the Book of Hebrews if you prefer. The things I have realised makes this opening statement of the letter remarkable. Some scholars consider the first sentence of Hebrews as the best Greek of the New Testament. Some see a problem in this opening statement and some see the personification of perfection. See what you think after reading the first Greek sentence in five English translations.
- Do you see a problem or do you see the perfection?
- Do you see the perfect way it introduces what the writer has to say in the rest of the letter?
Don’t worry, I will explain as we go. I am getting excited already and we have hardly started.
You may not have read the whole letter in one sitting as many times as I have but I have given you multiple versions of the first four verses above. Take the time to read through the five translations of the first sentence as I did for the whole letter. Send me your thoughts, reactions and questions on the website in the comments section or in an email to [email protected].
He who never ventures beyond actuality will never win the prize of truth.
Friedrich Schiller
We tend to judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. So we condemn others and excuse ourselves.
A R Bernard
God will not rewrite the Bible for this easily offended generation! His Word remains the same always!
Bruce Grayden
If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped.
Evelyn Underhill
Goodmorning.My favourite is the last TLB. It flows beautifully and really puts in perspective what Jesus did where he came from. It’s really the whole ball of wax.
I don’t really have any questions its all there. Sorry not very deep aye. But I do love it.
Kev
Yes Kev, you are right the TLB sums it up well, as do most of the others. The issue is the need to address the JW claim that the text in Greek literally has ‘a son’ and then way they interpret that.
As for Kev, I also like the TLB version. I have been and am impressed with the simple words: “All that God’s Son is and does marks him as God.” Profound. Mind-boggling.