Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. New Living Translation We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. English Standard Version For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Berean Standard Bible For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham. Berean Literal Bible For surely He helps not the angels, but He helps the seed of Abraham. King James Bible For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. New King James Version For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. New American Standard Bible For clearly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. NASB 1995 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. NASB 1977 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Legacy Standard Bible For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. Amplified Bible For, as we all know, He (Christ) does not take hold of [the fallen] angels [to give them a helping hand], but He does take hold of [the fallen] descendants of Abraham [extending to them His hand of deliverance]. Christian Standard Bible For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Holman Christian Standard Bible For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. American Standard Version For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. Aramaic Bible in Plain English For death was not authorized over the Angels, but death was authorized over the seed of Abraham. Contemporary English Version Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants. Douay-Rheims Bible For no where doth he take hold of the angels: but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold. English Revised Version For verily not of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham. GOD'S WORD® Translation So Jesus helps Abraham's descendants rather than helping angels. Good News Translation For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. International Standard Version For it is clear that he did not come to help angels. No, he came to help Abraham's descendants, Literal Standard Version for doubtless, He does not lay hold of messengers, but He lays hold of [the] seed of Abraham, Majority Standard Bible For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham. New American Bible Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; NET Bible For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham's descendants. New Revised Standard Version For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. New Heart English Bible For, truly, he did not come to help the angels, but to help the offspring of Abraham. Webster's Bible Translation For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Weymouth New Testament For assuredly it is not to angels that He is continually reaching a helping hand, but it is to the descendants of Abraham. World English Bible For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham. Young's Literal Translation for, doubtless, of messengers it doth not lay hold, but of seed of Abraham it layeth hold, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jesus Like His Brothers…15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham. 17For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.… Cross References Hebrews 2:15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:17 For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. Treasury of Scripture For truly he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. verily. Hebrews 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Hebrews 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Romans 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. took not, etc. Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, Jump to Previous Abraham Abraham's Angels Assuredly Concerned Continually Descendant Descendants Doubtless Gives Hand Help Helping Helps Hold Indeed Life Messengers Nature Reaching Seed Surely VerilyJump to Next Abraham Abraham's Angels Assuredly Concerned Continually Descendant Descendants Doubtless Gives Hand Help Helping Helps Hold Indeed Life Messengers Nature Reaching Seed Surely VerilyHebrews 2 1. We ought to be obedient to Christ Jesus;5. and that because he condescended to take our nature upon himself; 14. as it was necessary. (16) He took not on him the nature of angels.--The rendering of the margin approaches very nearly the true meaning of the verse; whereas the text (in which the Authorised version differs from all our earlier translations) introduces confusion into the argument. Having spoken in Hebrews 2:14 of our Lord's assumption of human nature, the writer in these words assigns the reason: "For surely it is not of angels that He taketh hold, but He taketh hold of the seed of Abraham." Though the words "take hold," which occur twice in the verse, probably cannot directly signify "help" (as is often maintained), they distinctly suggest laying hold for the sake of giving help; and a beautiful illustration may be found in some of the Gospel narratives of our Lord's works of healing (Mark 8:23; Luke 14:4). It is probable that the language used here is derived from the Old Testament. In Hebrews 8:9, a quotation from Jeremiah 31, we read, "In the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt." Isaiah 41:8-9, however, is perhaps a still closer parallel (for the word used in the Greek version is very similar, and no doubt expresses the same meaning): "Thou Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend; thou of whom I have taken hold from the ends of the earth." If the writer had these verses in his thought, it is hardly necessary to inquire why he chooses the expression "seed of Abraham," instead of one of (apparently) wider meaning, such as Hebrews 2:7-8, might seem to require. But even apart from this passage of Isaiah, and the natural fitness of such a phrase in words addressed to Jews, we may doubt if any other language would have been equally expressive. For as to the means, it was by becoming a child of Abraham that the Saviour "took hold of" our race to raise it up; and as to the purpose, St. Paul teaches us that "the seed of Abraham" includes all who inherit Abraham's faith. . . . Verses 16, 17. - For verily, etc. The A.V. (following the ancient interpreters) takes this verse as referring to the Incarnation. But (1) ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι σπέρματος and, still more, ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι ἀγγέλων, seems an awkward way of expressing "to assume the nature of." The usual sense of the verb, followed by a genitive, is "to take hold of," as ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι χειρός (Acts 23:19; Mark 8:23); and especially in the sense of "succouring" (cf. Matthew 14:31; Hebrews 8:9; Isaiah 31:32, Ἐν ἡμέρα ἐπιλᾶμβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν; and Ecclus. 4:11, Ἡ σοφία ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῶν ζητούντων αὐτήν. (2) The present tense of the verb is inappropriate to the past act of the Incarnation, which has, moreover, been sufficiently declared in ver. 14. (3) The sequence of though+, in the following verse is not easily intelligible if the Incarnation be the subject of this:" Whence it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren;" - this does not follow from his having become incarnate; we should rather say that his incarnation was the means of his being made like them. Translate, therefore, observing the position of the substantives before the verbs, For not, I ween, angels cloth he lay hold of (to succor them), but the seed of Abraham he doth lay hold of. The allusion is to its being the human "children of promise," and not angels, that are denoted in prophecy as being, and acknowledged to be, the object of the Messianic redemption. The expression, "the seed of Abraham," is, of course, not intended to exclude the Gentiles: it is appropriately used in reference to the Messianic promises of the Old Testament (cf. Genesis 23:18; Isaiah 41:8): and the extension of its meaning to "all them that believe" would be as familiar to the first readers of the Epistle as to us (cf. Matthew 3:9; John 8:39; Romans 4:11, 16). The conclusion of ver. 17 (which repeats virtually what has been alleged before, after reason given) now naturally follows: Whence it behooved him in all things to be assimilated to his brethren; i.e. to the race which was the object of his redemptive succor. But, further, why the need of this entire assimilation, to the extent of participation in suffering unto death? That he might become a merciful (or, compassionate) high priest, in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. It was that he might be fully constituted as the High Priest of humanity. Here, according to the manner of the Epistle, the view of priesthood, to be afterwards set forth at length, is briefly hinted. It is taken up in Hebrews 5, after the conclusion that Christ is man's High Priest has been reached by another line of argument (see preceding summary). In Hebrews 5. one of the essentials of a true high priest (whose office is to mediate for man in things pertaining to God) is set forth as being that he should be of the same race and nature with those for whom he mediates, and able in all respects to sympathize with them: and this view is here foreshadowed. Greek Forγὰρ (gar) Conjunction Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason. surely δή‿ (dē) Particle Strong's 1211: Probably akin to de; a particle of emphasis or explicitness; now, then, etc. [it is] not Οὐ (Ou) Adverb Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not. [the] angels ἀγγέλων (angelōn) Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor. He helps, ἐπιλαμβάνεται (epilambanetai) Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1949: To lay hold of, take hold of, seize (sometimes with beneficent, sometimes with hostile, intent). but ἀλλὰ (alla) Conjunction Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise. [the] descendants σπέρματος (spermatos) Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular Strong's 4690: From speiro; something sown, i.e. Seed; by implication, offspring; specially, a remnant. of Abraham. Ἀβραὰμ (Abraam) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 11: Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch. Links Hebrews 2:16 NIVHebrews 2:16 NLT Hebrews 2:16 ESV Hebrews 2:16 NASB Hebrews 2:16 KJV Hebrews 2:16 BibleApps.com Hebrews 2:16 Biblia Paralela Hebrews 2:16 Chinese Bible Hebrews 2:16 French Bible Hebrews 2:16 Catholic Bible NT Letters: Hebrews 2:16 For most certainly he doesn't give help (Heb. He. Hb) |
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