Hebrews — Chapter 2

Loading ESV text...

1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

2For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

5For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

6But 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?

7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away [from them].

2For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;

3how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard;

4God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

5For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak.

6But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, And didst set him over the works of thy hands:

8Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.

9But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, [even] Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every [man].

10For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise.

13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.

14Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.

17Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

1Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

2For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty,

3how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

4while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

5For he did not put the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels.

6Instead someone testified somewhere: “What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?

7You made him lower than the angels for a little while. You crowned him with glory and honor.

8You put all things under his control.” For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control,

9but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.

10For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

12saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”

13Again he says, “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given me.”

14Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil),

15and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.

16For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants.

17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.

18For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

1Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away.

2For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;

3how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;

4God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?

5For he didn’t subject the world to come, of which we speak, to angels.

6But one has somewhere testified, saying, “What is man, that you think of him? Or the son of man, that you care for him?

7You made him a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honor.

8You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we don’t see all things subjected to him, yet.

9But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone.

10For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

12saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.”

14Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham.

17Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.

18For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The author warns against drifting from so great a salvation, explains why Christ became fully human — to destroy the devil who held the power of death, to make atonement as a merciful high priest, and to help those who are tempted.

Authorship & Background

Author: Unknown (see Chapter 1 notes for full discussion).
Historical Context: Chapter 2 contains the first of five warning passages in Hebrews (v.1-4), then explains WHY Christ became human (vv.5-18). If Christ is superior to angels (ch.1), then His message demands greater attention than the Law (which was mediated by angels, v.2). The chapter answers the question: Why did the Son of God become a man? Answer: to die for us, destroy the devil, deliver us from fear, and become our merciful High Priest.
Warning #1: Don't Drift (vv.1-4): If the Law (given through angels) carried strict penalties, how much more serious is neglecting salvation spoken by the Lord Himself? The danger: not active rebellion but passive drifting — "lest we should let them slip" (v.1).
Why Christ Became Human (vv.5-18): The world to come is subject to man, not angels (vv.5-8). Jesus was made "a little lower than the angels" to taste death for everyone (v.9). He brings "many sons unto glory" through suffering (v.10). He calls us "brethren" (v.11). He took on flesh and blood to destroy the devil and deliver us from death's fear (vv.14-15). He became like us to be a merciful, faithful High Priest (v.17). He was tempted so He can help the tempted (v.18).

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the drift warning, Psalm 8's fulfillment in Christ, the reasons for the Incarnation, and Christ as merciful High Priest.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "How Shall We Escape?" on v.3 (MTP Vol. 7, No. 399) "How shall we escape if we NEGLECT? Not reject — neglect. Not fight against — simply ignore. The most dangerous response to the gospel is not active opposition but passive indifference. You don't have to blaspheme to be lost — you just have to neglect. Neglect is the sin of doing nothing. And there is no escape for those who do nothing with so great a salvation." Sermon: "The Tenderness of Jesus" on v.18 (MTP Vol. 36, No. 2148) "He himself hath suffered being tempted — therefore He is ABLE to succour. Not just willing — able. His ability comes from His experience. He knows what temptation feels like from the inside. He doesn't sympathize from a distance but from personal experience. When you are tempted, you have a High Priest who has been there — and who can help."

Videos

The Bible Project — Hebrews Overview

Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)

Reflection

  • 1. "Lest at any time we should let them slip" (v.1). Are you drifting? Not running from God but slowly, imperceptibly floating away? What anchors keep you from drifting?
  • 2. "How shall we escape, if we neglect?" (v.3). Neglect is the most common sin — not doing anything with what you know. Where are you neglecting "so great salvation"? What are you doing nothing about?
  • 3. "We see Jesus" (v.9). In a world of confusion, the answer is always: look at Jesus. Where are you looking? What has your attention? Can you redirect your gaze to Christ?
  • 4. "Through death he might destroy him that had the power of death" (v.14). Christ destroyed death by dying. Do you still fear death? How does Christ's victory change your relationship with mortality?
  • 5. "He is able to succour them that are tempted" (v.18). When you're tempted, do you run to Christ for help? He understands from personal experience. He's not distant — He runs to help you.