Hebrews 2
Text
YHWH (God)
2 Because of this it behoveth [us] more abundantly to take heed to the things heard, lest we may glide aside,
^2 ^for if the word being spoken through messengers did become stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience did receive a just recompense,
^3 ^how shall we escape, having neglected so great salvation? which a beginning receiving -- to be spoken through the Lord -- by those having heard was confirmed to us,
^4 ^God also bearing joint-witness both with signs and wonders, and manifold powers, and distributions of the Holy Spirit, according to His will.
^5 ^For not to messengers did He subject the coming world, concerning which we speak,
^6 ^and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, `What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or a son of man, that Thou dost look after him?
^7 ^Thou didst make him some little less than messengers, with glory and honour Thou didst crown him, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands,
^8 ^all things Thou didst put in subjection under his feet,' for in the subjecting to him the all things, nothing did He leave to him unsubjected, and now not yet do we see the all things subjected to him,
^9 ^and him who was made some little less than messengers we see -- Jesus -- because of the suffering of the death, with glory and honour having been crowned, that by the grace of God for every one he might taste of death.
^10 ^For it was becoming to Him, because of whom [are] the all things, and through whom [are] the all things, many sons to glory bringing, the author of their salvation through sufferings to make perfect,
^11 ^for both he who is sanctifying and those sanctified [are] all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
^12 ^saying, I will declare Thy name to my brethren, in the midst of an assembly I will sing praise to Thee;' and again, I will be trusting on Him;'
^13 ^and again, `Behold I and the children that God did give to me.'
^14 ^Seeing, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself also in like manner did take part of the same, that through death he might destroy him having the power of death -- that is, the devil --
^15 ^and might deliver those, whoever, with fear of death, throughout all their life, were subjects of bondage,
^16 ^for, doubtless, of messengers it doth not lay hold, but of seed of Abraham it layeth hold,
^17 ^wherefore it did behove him in all things to be made like to the brethren, that he might become a kind //merciful// and stedfast chief-priest in the things with God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people,
^18 ^for in that he suffered, himself being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
NOTES
Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (p. 362). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.
Hebrews 2 builds on the superiority of Christ and its implications for believers.
Paul saw the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost as the fulfillment of the defeat of Bashan—symbolic of the forces of darkness (Eph 4:8–10).
The Old Testament text quoted in Hebrews 2:6–8 is Psalm 8:4–6. The Hebrew reads that humankind was created “a little lower than the elohim.” And this is how it was in Eden. Humans were lesser than elohim—but God’s plan was to elevate humanity to be included in his family, and take charge of God’s new earthly domain.
Verse 10 speaks of Jesus as God’s cocreator, yet he became human. This same Jesus brought many sons into the divine family. Far from being embarrassed before the elohim of his own council at becoming human—becoming lesser for a short time—Jesus revels in it. Standing in the council (“in the midst of the assembly”) he presents us: Behold—look at me, and the children Yahweh has given me. We are all together now—forever. And that was the plan from the beginning:
Joining God’s divine family is inextricably linked to the New Testament concept of becoming like Jesus—becoming divine. The academic term describing this point of biblical theology is “theosis.”5 As one evangelical theologian laments: The idea of divinization, of redeemed human nature somehow participating in the very life of God, is found to a surprising extent throughout Christian
The concept of “theosis” has strong biblical roots, and extends from the divine council worldview, specifically the aspect of the original Edenic goal of having humans join the divine family.7 In the beginning, God made humans to image him, to be like him, to dwell with him. He made us like his heavenly imagers and came to earth to unite his families, elevating humanity to share in divine life in a new world. The message of “theosis” is that, in Christ, we are being transformed into his likeness—the perfect imager of God. The Spirit—who, as we saw earlier in our study, “is but isn’t” Jesus—conforms us to Jesus’ own image.