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*Scripture verses covered in this section's commentary are noted in italics

Hebrews 1:6-7 meaning

Verses covered in this passage:

  • Hebrews 1:6
  • Hebrews 1:7

The Son is greater than the angels because the angels have been commanded to worship Him and they serve Him.

These verses contrast the greatness of the Son with the service of the angels. Throughout the Bible angels worship Christ. When He [God] again brings the firstborn [Christ] into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him” (v 6). And when Jesus returns, the angels will worship Him (Psalm 97:7). The angels know exactly who Jesus was and is, and they worship Him. The point is that Christ is greater than the angels, which is shown by the reverence they pay to Him.

Verse 7 quotes Psalm 104:4, which points out that God sends the angels to do as He wishes; they are servants of God. And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.” God sends the angels out in whichever way He desires as winds and as flames of fire. This could mean, among other things, that angels can be sent with characteristics similar to wind and fire: power, force, and speed. The point is the contrast between the Son and the angels. The angels are servants of God and in contrast, Christ is the firstborn, the inheritor who is and will be on the throne forever and ever (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:6-10; Revelation 3:21).

The Pauline Author will soon make the point that since Jesus is superior to the angels, through whom Jewish tradition says the law came, the letter’s recipients should be all the more diligent to heed His voice.

Biblical Text

6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And of the angels He says,
“Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”




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