Hebrews 2
01 Sep 2026 - Theology
Fully God and Fully Human
Hebrews 2 continues the conversation from the previous chapter:
Hebrews 2:1 - “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
The use of therefore makes us pay attention to a point of application after the writer develops a principle. The fact of Jesus’ superiority over the angels (as seen in Hebrews 1) must now be considered. It is important to remember what we have heard so that we do not drift away from the faith.
Remember, the audience of Hebrews is Jewish Christians, those who believe in Jesus.
Hebrews 2:2 - “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;”
The “word spoken by angels” refers to the Mosaic Law. The idea is that the law was delivered in some way to Moses by the hands of angels.
Acts 7:53 - “Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”
Galatians 3:19 - “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
If we believe the word of the angels, then we must believe the word that came by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Son is proven to be superior to the angels, so His message should be regarded as greater.
Hebrews 2:3-4 - “How 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; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
This word was spoken by Jesus and confirmed by those who heard Him (eyewitnesses). It was then confirmed with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit given by God.
The writer then begins to show the humanity of Jesus Christ. The writer identifies a problem, and then reveals the solution.
It is man, not angels, who have been given dominion over the earth by God (5-8). The writer of Hebrews is quoting here from Psalm 8:
Psalm 8:4-6 - “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:”
The writer emphasizes the point that God put all things under the dominion of human beings. But by all appearance, the promise of Psalm 8:4-6 seems to be unfulfilled. We do not see that all things are subjected to man.
Hebrews 2:9 - “But 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.”
Significantly, the first false teaching about Jesus in the days of the early church did not deny that He was God, but it denied that He was really human. The heresy was called Docetism, coming from the ancient Greek word “to seem”, which said that Jesus only seemed to be human.
In Hebrews 1, the author demonstrated the deity of Jesus and His superiority over all angels. Now the author demonstrates the humanity of Jesus from the Scriptures and applies the implications of His humanity.
Here the writer is showing the humanity of Jesus: God gave dominion to humans, and Jesus exercises this authority. Through Jesus, man can regain the dominion originally intended for him.
Matthew 25:21 - “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
The writer then continues on regarding the humanity of Jesus:
Hebrews 2:10-11 - “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain [Jesus] of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,”
Other translations, such as the ESV and NIV, say that it “was fitting” for Jesus to save us at the cost of His own death. Conceivably, God could have come up with a way to save us that did not require the suffering of the Son of God. However, God’s real love for us had to show itself in sacrifice, and God could not sacrifice unless He became human and suffered on our behalf.
“To make perfect does not imply moral imperfection in Jesus, but only the consummation of that human experience of sorrow and pain through which he must pass in order to become the leader of his people’s salvation.” - Marvin Vincent
“We know that had he only been God yet still he would not have been fitted for a perfect Savior, unless he had become man. Man had sinned; man must suffer. It was man in whom God’s purposes had been for a while defeated; it must be in man that God must triumph over his great enemy.” - Charles Spurgeon
Isaiah 53:10 - “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”
Verse 11 says that we become one with Jesus through our sanctification, therefore Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. He would not consider us brethren unless He was also human like us. The author then quotes three verses that show Jesus (the Lord) calling people His brethren, and also willing to associate Himself with us.
Psalm 22:2 - “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”
Christ added humanity to His deity and became flesh and blood, so that He could make reconciliation for the sins of the people through His death. By His death, He defeated the devil, who had the power of death, delivering humans who through fear of death were subject to bondage. (14-17)
Hebrews 2:17 - “Wherefore 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.”
Just as the High Priest of physical Israel would make an offering to atone for the sin of the people on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16), so also Christ made an atonement at one time for the sin of all who believe in Him (spiritual Israel). If Jesus was not human like us, He could not be our High Priest.
Christ suffered temptations as a human on earth, just as we suffer temptations today. Therefore, He is now able to comfort us in our suffering because it is something He has conquered Himself. (18)
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- Hebrews 2 - Enduring Word Commentary