Hebrews 1:4

1:4 Thus he became ¹  so far better than the angels as ²  he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

Hebrews 2:2

2:2 For if the message spoken through angels ³  proved to be so firm that every violation ⁴  or disobedience received its just penalty,

Hebrews 3:17

3:17 And against whom was God ⁵  provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? ⁶ 

Hebrews 6:19

6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, ⁷ 

Hebrews 10:19

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ⁸  since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,

Hebrews 11:22

11:22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, ⁹  mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel ¹⁰  and gave instructions about his burial. ¹¹ 

Hebrews 12:8

12:8 But if you do not experience discipline, ¹²  something all sons ¹³  have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons.

Hebrews 12:11

12:11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. ¹⁴  But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness ¹⁵  for those trained by it.

Hebrews 12:24

12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator ¹⁶  of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does. ¹⁷ 

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¹ tn Grk “having become.” This is part of the same sentence that extends from v. 1 through v. 4 in the Greek text.

² tn Most modern English translations attempt to make the comparison somewhat smoother by treating “name” as if it were the subject of the second element: “as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, CEV). However, the Son is the subject of both the first and second elements: “he became so far better”; “he has inherited a name.” The present translation maintains this parallelism even though it results in a somewhat more awkward rendering.

sn This comparison is somewhat awkward to express in English, but it reflects an important element in the argument of Hebrews: the superiority of Jesus Christ.

³ sn The message spoken through angels refers to the OT law, which according to Jewish tradition was mediated to Moses through angels (cf. Deut 33:2; Ps 68:17-18; Acts 7:38, 53; Gal 3:19; and Jub. 1:27, 29; Josephus, Ant. 15.5.3 [15.136]).

⁴ tn Grk “through angels became valid and every violation.”

⁵ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

⁶ sn An allusion to God’s judgment pronounced in Num 14:29, 32.

⁷ sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.

⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

⁹ tn Grk “coming to an end,” “dying.”

¹⁰ sn Joseph’s prophecy about the exodus of the sons of Israel is found in Gen 50:24.

¹¹ tn Grk “about his bones,” which refers by metonymy to the disposition of his bones, i.e., his burial.

sn The instructions about his burial are recorded in Gen 50:25.

¹² tn Grk “you are without discipline.”

¹³ tn Grk “all”; “sons” is implied by the context.

¹⁴ tn Grk “all discipline at the time does not seem to be of joy, but of sorrow.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

¹⁶ tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesith", “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.

¹⁷ sn Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).