Hebrews 2
The quotations of chapter 1 give way to the first ‘we’. If the word spoken through angels made every transgression and disobedience receive a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which took its beginning in being spoken through the Lord? God bore witness with it by signs, wonders, various powers and distributions of the Holy Spirit. The world to come was not subjected to angels — as someone somewhere testified, man and the son of man were made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honour, and had all things subjected under their feet. We do not yet see that; but we do see Jesus, made a little lower than the angels, crowned because of the suffering of death — so that apart from God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting, in bringing many sons to glory, to bring the originator of their salvation to completion through sufferings. Since the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, he is not ashamed to call them brothers. Since the children have shared in blood and flesh, he took a share of the same, that through death he might abolish the one who has the might of death, the slanderer, and set free those held in slavery by the fear of death. It is not angels he takes hold of but the seed of Abraham; and so he had to be made like his brothers in all things, to become a merciful and faithful high priest and to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Having suffered and been tested himself, he is able to help those who are tested.
Why this rendering
Heb.2.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως ⸂προσέχειν ἡμᾶς⸃ τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μήποτε παραρυῶμεν … συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασιν καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσιν καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν — “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away …” After a chapter of quotation, ‘we’ appears here for the first time — from now on the book alternates teaching and exhortation · παραρυῶμεν is once in the New Testament, the picture of water slipping past (‘be carried off course’ would import a boat) · εἰ γὰρ … πῶς ἡμεῖς argues from the lesser to the greater, a turn this book uses again and again · ὁ δι’ ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ‘the word spoken through angels’ — the angels of chapter 1 return as those who carried the law · παράβασις ‘transgression’ (Rom 2:23) · παρακοή ‘disobedience’ (Rom 5:19) · μισθαποδοσία ‘recompense’ stands only three times, all in Hebrews (2:2 · 10:35 · 11:26), and only here on the side of punishment · ἔνδικος ‘just’ (with Rom 3:8) · ἀμελήσαντες ‘neglect’ (1 Tim 4:14) · ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι ‘took its beginning in being spoken’ · ἐβεβαιώθη ‘was confirmed’ (as fixed at Mark 16:20) · συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος is once in the New Testament, with two prefixes stacked (συν- · ἐπι-) · μερισμός ‘distribution’ twice in Hebrews (2:4 · 4:12) · θέλησις ‘will’ is once in the New Testament, a different word from θέλημα.
Rendering options · 3
Basis παρά + ῥέω, ‘flow past’ — a ring slipping off, water running by · ‘be carried off course’ would import a boat the text does not have.
Basis The base text prints χωρὶς θεοῦ and marks the other reading (‘by the grace of God’) with ⸀ — nearly every version examined renders that other reading · this edition renders what the base text prints.
Basis The familiar reading, and that of other manuscripts.
Rejected Not what the base text prints.
Lost in translation
παραρυῶμεν (v.1) — the picture of flowing past. ‘Drift away’ keeps the movement but loses the water.
συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος (v.4) — two prefixes stacked. ‘Bearing witness with them’ carries only the first.
μισθαποδοσία (v.2) — wage and repayment inside one word. ‘Recompense’ carries the paying back, not the wage.
θέλησις (v.4) / θέλημα — two different words, both ‘will’.
εἰ γὰρ … πῶς ἡμεῖς (vv.2-3) — the argument from lesser to greater. Both limbs stand.
ἀκουσθεῖσιν (v.1) / ἀκουσάντων (v.3) — passive and active of one verb. ‘Things heard / those who heard’ keeps it.
Why this rendering
Heb.2.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλοις ὑπέταξεν τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν … ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ’ ἀγγέλους … πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ· ἐν ⸂τῷ γὰρ⸃ ⸀ὑποτάξαι τὰ πάντα οὐδὲν ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ ἀνυπότακτον. νῦν δὲ οὔπω ὁρῶμεν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ὑποτεταγμένα — The quotation is Ps 8:4-6 · it is introduced as ‘someone somewhere’ (πού τις): this book never names the human author of a quotation · υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ‘son of man’ pairs with ἄνθρωπος in the line above, the parallelism of Hebrew verse, and it is the same phrase as the title in the Gospels (with no article) · βραχύ τι ‘a little’ may be the measure of the lowering or the length of time; the text does not say · ἠλάττωσας ‘you made lower’ (ἐλαττόω stands three times: John 3:30 · Heb 2:7 · 2:9) · ἐστεφάνωσας active ‘you crowned’ ↔ ἐστεφανωμένον passive in v.9 ‘crowned’ — the same verb, the voice changing · ὑποτάσσω recurs five times (v.5 and four in v.8), and ἀνυπότακτον is its negation · ὑποκάτω ‘under the feet’ is the wording of the same quotation at 1 Cor 15:27 · ἀνυπότακτος ‘not subjected’ (four places with 1 Tim 1:9 · Titus 1:6·10) · νῦν δὲ οὔπω ὁρῶμεν … τὸν δὲ … βλέπομεν (vv.8-9) — what is not seen and what is seen stand against each other in two verbs.
Rendering options · 4
Basis This book never names a human author for its quotations — supplying ‘David’ would make it do what it never does.
Basis ‘For a little while’ closes it to time and ‘a little lower’ to degree — ‘a little’ leaves both.
Basis Reading it of time.
Rejected Closes what the text leaves open.
Basis v.7 is active second person, v.9 a passive participle — the same verb once in the psalm and once in its exposition, in different voices · 2 Tim 2:5 ‘be crowned’ is the passive side.
Lost in translation
ἄνθρωπος / υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου (v.6) — the parallelism of Hebrew verse. ‘Man / son of man’ keeps the pair.
βραχύ τι (vv.7 · 9) — degree or time. ‘A little’ leaves both open.
ὑποτάσσω five times and ἀνυπότακτον (vv.5 · 8) — one root repeated, then negated. ‘Subject / not subjected’ keeps it.
ὁρῶμεν (v.8) / βλέπομεν (v.9) — two verbs of seeing. English also has only ‘see’ here.
ἐστεφάνωσας / ἐστεφανωμένον (vv.7 · 9) — active and passive. ‘You crowned / crowned’ shows the change.
πού τις (v.6) — the source is left unnamed. ‘Someone somewhere’ keeps it so.
Why this rendering
Heb.2.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἔπρεπεν γὰρ αὐτῷ, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα, πολλοὺς υἱοὺς εἰς δόξαν ἀγαγόντα τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν διὰ παθημάτων τελειῶσαι — “For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to bring the originator of their salvation to completion through sufferings.” δι’ ὅν with the accusative and δι’ οὗ with the genitive are the same preposition in two cases, so ‘for whom / through whom’ · ἀρχηγός ‘originator’ and τελειόω ‘bring to completion’ stand in one sentence — ἀρχή and τέλος set opposite each other (Acts 3:15 ‘originator’) · τελειόω is one of this book’s signature words and is the same entry as ‘complete’ at John 17:4 and ‘be finished’ at John 19:28, but here the object is a person · ἀγαγόντα, accusative participle, does not agree with the dative αὐτῷ — a common slip which the base text does not mend · πάθημα ‘suffering’ (as fixed at Rom 8:18) · Ἔπρεπεν ‘it was fitting’ (as fixed at Matt 3:15) · ‘the suffering of death’ in v.9 and ‘through sufferings’ in v.10 are one word, and the two verses interlock on it.
Rendering options · 3
Basis With a person as object, ‘complete’ and ‘finish’ do not stand · ‘bring to completion’ keeps τέλος inside the rendering and interlocks with ‘originator’ just before it · ‘make perfect’ would erase the end in the root.
Basis The familiar reading.
Rejected Loses the root τέλος ‘end’ and cuts the link to John 17:4 and 19:28.
Basis One preposition in two cases, and the case makes the difference — rendering both ‘through’ would erase it.
Lost in translation
ἀρχηγός / τελειόω (v.10) — beginning and end face each other in one sentence. ‘Originator / bring to completion’ keeps the pair.
δι’ ὅν / δι’ οὗ (v.10) — one preposition, two cases. ‘For / through’ shows the difference.
τελειῶσαι (v.10) — the same entry as ‘complete’ at John 17:4, but with a person as object the wording changes. The single word is cut.
πάθημα (vv.9 · 10) — the two verses interlock on one word. ‘Suffering / sufferings’ keeps it.
ἀγαγόντα (v.10) — an accusative participle against a dative referent. Neither rendering has cases, so the slip is invisible.
χωρὶς θεοῦ (v.9) — the base text’s reading. ‘Apart from God’ renders it as it stands.
Why this rendering
Heb.2.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὅ τε γὰρ ἁγιάζων καὶ οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι ἐξ ἑνὸς πάντες· δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς καλεῖν, λέγων· Ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ’ αὐτῷ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός — ὁ ἁγιάζων / οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι — active and passive of one verb face each other in a single line · in ἐξ ἑνός ‘of one’, ἑνός may be masculine or neuter, so whether it is the Father or one stock the text does not say · three quotations follow — Ps 22:22, Isa 8:17, Isa 8:18 — the last two cut from one passage yet set apart as two by καὶ πάλιν · Ἀπαγγελῶ ‘I will report’ (as fixed at Acts 15:27) · ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ‘in the midst of the assembly’, no article · ὑμνήσω σε is ὑμνέω with an accusative object, rendered ‘I will sing hymns to you’ (Matt 26:30 ‘sing hymns’) · πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι is a perfect participle with a future of ‘to be’, a periphrasis which ‘I will be trusting’ only half carries · τὰ παιδία ‘the children’ is taken straight up again in v.14.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Masculine gives one Father, neuter one stock, and the text settles neither — ‘of one Father’ would add a word the text does not have.
Basis A reading that fills in the sense.
Rejected Adds a noun the text does not have.
Basis A perfect participle with a future copula; English can keep half of it with ‘will be trusting’ · following ‘trust in’ as fixed at Phil 1:14.
Lost in translation
ὁ ἁγιάζων / οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι (v.11) — active and passive of one verb. ‘The one who sanctifies / those who are sanctified’ keeps both.
ἐξ ἑνός (v.11) — masculine or neuter. ‘Of one’ leaves both open.
πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι (v.13) — perfect participle with a future, a periphrasis. ‘Will be trusting’ keeps half of it.
ὑμνήσω σε (v.12) — the verb takes a direct object. ‘Sing hymns to you’ turns it into a dative.
καὶ πάλιν twice (v.13) — two lines from one passage set apart as two quotations. ‘And again’ twice keeps the division.
τὰ παιδία (vv.13 · 14) — the quotation’s word taken straight up. ‘The children’ twice keeps it.
Why this rendering
Heb.2.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν ⸂αἵματος καὶ σαρκός⸃, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν αὐτῶν … ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι, ἵνα ἐλεήμων γένηται καὶ πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ · ⸂αἵματος καὶ σαρκός⸃ — the base text puts blood first and flesh second (the Received Text restores ‘flesh and blood’) · κοινωνέω ‘share in’ (Rom 12:13) and μετέχω ‘take a share of’ (1 Cor 9:10) stand side by side in one sentence, the first perfect and the second aorist — the children go on sharing; he took his share once · παραπλησίως ‘in like manner’ is once in the New Testament · καταργέω ‘abolish’ (as fixed at Rom 3:3) here takes a person as its object · κράτος ‘might’ (as fixed at Eph 1:19) · διάβολος ‘slanderer’ · ἀπαλλάξῃ ‘set free’ (three places with Luke 12:58 · Acts 19:12) · διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν ‘all their life long’ — an articular infinitive used as a noun · δήπου ‘surely’ is once in the New Testament · ἐπιλαμβάνεται twice in v.16 — ‘take hold of’ (as fixed at Mark 8:23) · ἀρχιερεύς ‘high priest’ appears here for the first time in this book and becomes its axis from chapter 3 · ἐλεήμων ‘merciful’ (with Matt 5:7) · ἱλάσκομαι is the same entry as ‘be propitiated’ at Luke 18:13, but here it takes sins as its object · πέπονθεν … πειρασθείς … πειραζομένοις — suffering and testing interlock in three forms.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text marks the place with ⸂⸃ and prints this order — restoring the familiar ‘flesh and blood’ would erase what it chose.
Basis κοινωνέω and μετέχω are different entries, already kept apart at Rom 12:13 and 1 Cor 9:10 · they stand side by side here, so merging them would undo the distinction.
Basis The same entry as ‘be propitiated’ at Luke 18:13 · with sins as the object English must change the shape, recorded as a site-bound rendering · ‘reconcile’ is the site of καταλλάσσω.
Lost in translation
κεκοινώνηκεν / μετέσχεν (v.14) — perfect and aorist. ‘Have shared / took a share’ keeps the difference.
αἵματος καὶ σαρκός (v.14) — the base text’s order. ‘Blood and flesh’ keeps it.
ἱλάσκεσθαι (v.17) — the same entry as Luke 18:13, but with sins as object the shape changes.
πέπονθεν · πειρασθείς · πειραζομένοις (v.18) — one suffering and two testings interlock. All three show.
ἐπιλαμβάνεται twice (v.16) — the same verb twice in one verse. ‘Takes hold of … takes hold of’ keeps the repetition.
διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν (v.15) — an articular infinitive standing as a noun. ‘All their life long’ does not carry the form.