Exegesis of Hebrews 2:16, 17
Summary
Hebrews 2:16 and 17 continues the concept of the celebrityship of Jesus Christ; He is greater than all the angels, Hebrews 1:13. God the Son is glorified by becoming an inferior creature and through the resurrection, becoming superior to the angels in every way. In this passage, we have the choice that God sovereignly made that Christ would become a man and not an angel, verse 16. Then we see that one of the purposes of the incarnation was to establish Christ as High Priest of the Church, verse 17. When was Christ appointed High Priest? While on the cross, making a propitiatory offering to God for our sins.
Hebrews 2:16
For obviously, He [Christ] did not assume the nature of angels, but He [Christ] did assume the seed of Abraham, Expanded Translation.
Hebrews 2:16
16a] οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται - For obviously, He [Christ] did not assume the nature of angels.
THE DIVINE PLAN: Christ Was To Become A Man.
We start the sentence with the postpositive conjunction GAR [γὰρ - #1063]. GAR has four main uses: cause, continuance, inference, and explanation. This is the explanatory use in this passage, “FOR YOU SEE.” Then the adverb DEPOU [δήπου - #1222] meaning OBVIOUSLY. It is obvious that Jesus did not take on the nature of angels. Next is the present middle indicative from the verb EPILAMBANO [ἐπιλαμβάνεται - #1949], which means TO TAKE HOLD OF, TO LAY HOLD OF. 1 We believe TO ASSUME better translates the writer’s intent. There is also a negative with the verb, OUK [οὐ - #3756], HE DID NOT ASSUME. The present tense is a dramatic present. When God became a man, it was a special moment in history. How dramatic? What do the abbreviations B.C and A.D. represent? Anno Domini (A.D.) is Latin for "in the year of the Lord," referring to the birth of Jesus Christ. B.C. means "before Christ." History is divided into two, before and after the incarnation. That is dramatic! However, the Father’s decision to bypass the super race was sovereignly made in the eternal past. The indicative mood is a fact of the incarnation. Next, we have the genitive of source of the noun ANGELOS [ ἀγγέλων - #32], meaning FROM THE SOURCE OF ANGELS or the sense is THE NATURE OF ANGELS.
16b] ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται - but He [Christ] did assume the seed of Abraham.
We start this sentence with a conjunction of contrast ALLA [ἀλλὰ - #235] meaning BUT. The verb EPILAMBANO follows the same morphology of the previous sentence, “HE DID ASSUME.” This is followed by the genitive of source from the noun SPERMATOS [πέρματος - # 4690] meaning SEED plus the proper name ABRAHAM, “THE SEED OF ABRAHAM.”
Abraham is an important person to the Jew. He is the founder of the Jewish race and the pattern for Old Testament salvation, Genesis 15:6. Jesus’ lineage, according to Matthew’s genealogy, is Abraham to Judah, Judah to David, David to Christ, Matthew 1:1-17. Jesus Christ was born in the Jewish line to fulfill the four unconditional covenants to Israel. As we take our stand today, these are yet future. At the Second Advent, Jesus will establish His kingdom on the earth and fulfill these covenants: Abrahamic (Genesis 12:1–3; 13:14–17; 15:1–18; 17:1–8), Davidic (2 Sam. 7: 5-19; Ps. 89:1–37), Palestinian (Deuteronomy 30:1–10), and a New Covenant for Israel (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8:7–12). These will all be realized in the Millennium.
Hebrews 2:17
For this reason, He [Christ] was obligated to be made like His brethren in all things so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things face to face with God when He made propitiation for the sinning of the people. Expanded Translation
THE DIVINE PURPOSE
17a] ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι, - “For this reason, He (Christ) was obligated to be made like His brethren in all thing.”
We begin the sentence with the relative adverb HOTHEN [ὅθεν - #3606]. This relative adverb emphasizes the logical inference drawn from the facts given in the previous verse, Jesus became a man and not an angel, FOR THIS REASON or THEREFORE, as in Hebrews 3:1.
Next, we have the imperfect active indicative third-person singular of the main verb OPHEILO [ὤφειλεν - #3784], which means TO BE OBLIGATED. The imperfect tense is a progressive imperfect connoting continuous action or progress in past time. He was obligated is the translation.
Explanation
In the eternal past, God the Father, who is the author of the Plan of Grace, sovereignly decided to send the Son to earth, bypassing the angels. In Genesis 3:15, God promises to send the SEED of the woman who will break the devil’s back (Hebrews 2:14). What God has promised, He is obligated to fulfill. This obligation existed all during the Old Testament period until the Virgin Birth, Matthew 2:1. God was obligated to keep His word by virtue of His own divine nature. God, who is eternal, always truthful and immutable, and who never goes back on His Word. The incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled this promise as well as the many others regarding the coming of the Messiah.
Some verbs are called helper verbs; that is, they need another word to complete their thought. This is what we have here. A complimentary infinitive is used to complete the thought of the helper verb obligated. This is the duty of the aorist passive infinitive from HOMOIOO [ὁμοιωθῆναι - #3666], meaning TO BE LIKE, TO RESEMBLE, TO BE SIMILAR TO. The aorist tense is culminative, gathering up in its entirety the progress of the Plan of Grace and viewing the end of an action. The aorist tense indicates the completion of God's plan at the point of the incarnation. In the passive voice, Christ received humanity at the Virgin Birth. The infinitive expresses the Father's purpose for the incarnation to provide eternal salvation for the human race at the same time resolve the angelic conflict 2, and to give the universe in the form of the God-man, it’s only true celebrity. So we have HE WAS OBLIGATED TO BE MADE LIKE.
Explanation
It became clear at the incarnation the angelic conflict was not going to be solved in the angelic realm. When Jesus Christ became a man, that settled it. It was evident that when God became man at the Virgin Birth that God would use Him to solve two problems, the angelic revolt and removing the barriers between God and man. God has a unique way of doing things. He would come into existence as a man, bypassing the angels. He would become a creature lower and weaker in species than the angels. Then through His victory on the cross and resurrection, He would become greater than angels in power and glory. In this verse, we have one of the five reasons why God’s plan called for the divine Son to become a man and not an angel. 3
1. To Become the Savior
1 John 4:14
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
2. To Be our Mediator
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God [God is one essence, three divine Personalities with identical essence], and one mediator also between God [party of the first part] and men [party of the second part], the man [emphasizing His humanity] Christ Jesus
3. To Become Our High Priest
Hebrews 2:17
For this reason, He [Christ] was obligated to be made like His brethren in all things so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things face to face with God when He made propitiation for the sins of the people. Expanded Translation
4. To Rule As King Of The Jews, Fulfilling The Davidic Covenant
Jeremiah 33:17
“For thus says the Lord, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
Matthew 25:31
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
5. To Destroy The Works of the Devil.
Hebrews 2:14
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
1 John 3:8
the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil.
Next is the articular dative plural indirect object of ADELPHOS [τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς - #80]. It is in the emphatic position before the infinitive, which it modifies, meaning BRETHREN. The article acts as a personal pronoun, HIS BROTHERS. The writer is going to great lengths to emphasize the humanity of Christ. He was not made an angel, but He was the seed of Abraham, a Jew. Following this is a prepositional phrase, which is also in the emphatic position, KATA [κατὰ - #2596] plus the accusative of PAS [πάντα - #3956]. The neuter gender is used meaning IN ALL THINGS [pertaining to His humanity].
Explanation
The Book of Hebrews was written when the false doctrine of Gnosticism 4 was attacking the true humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The emphatic position of the prepositional phrase places greater stress on the fact of the true humanity of Christ. He possessed a human body, a human soul, and a human spirit. He did not just appear as a man but was truly a man in every way:
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
17b] ἵνα ἐλεήμων γένηται καὶ πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν – so that he (Himself) might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things face to face with God.
We start the sentence with a purpose clause, HINA [ἵνα - #2433] plus the subjunctive mood translated SO THAT. Following this, we have the aorist middle subjunctive of GINOMAI [γένηται - #1096] “HE MIGHT BECOME.” It means to become something He was not before. The aorist is a gnomic aorist meaning what Christ became (true humanity) will never be changed. He is the God-man forever. The middle voice indicates our Lord’s participation with the Father in the plan of salvation. He was willing to go to the cross, Luke 22:42. Again, the subjunctive mood emphasizes the volition of the Lord. He chose to go to the cross. It was always His choice. What a wonderful Saviour!
His Character
Next, we have two predicate adjectives describing the attributes of His priestly work. The first nominative singular predicate adjective is ELEEMON [ἐλεήμων -#1655] meaning COMPASSION or MERCY. Mercy is grace in action. The second is the nominative singular predicate adjective PISTOS [πιστὸς - #4103], which means faithful, trustworthy, a picture of consistency and stability. This is followed by ARCHIEREUS [ἀρχιερεὺς - #749], which means A HIGH PRIEST, SO THAT HE [Christ] MIGHT BECOME A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST.
His Work
The last phrase of the purpose clause is an idiomatic expression [τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν] meaning IN THE THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD (see also Romans 15:17; Hebrews 5:1). TA is the definite article in the neuter, and it means THE THINGS. PROS is a preposition of contact, meaning face-to-face. Literally, “in the things face to face with God.”
Explanation
Since a priest must be a man, Jesus Christ had to become a man to be a High Priest. Christ was not born a priest. He was born in the wrong tribe, Judah and not Levi. Only a priest from the tribe of Levi can be a high priest. God appointed the first high priest, that was Aaron. After that, the high priests were selected from the family of Aaron, chosen by birth. The eldest son was selected to be the high priest. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ, not receiving his high priest role by physical birth, but by divine appointment.
The phrase τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, the things face to face with God, explains the difference between members of the priesthood and the high priest. The high priest must be face to face with God. This was the issue on the Day of Atonement when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies with the animal's blood. He would go into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. Above the mercy seat and between the cherubim was the Shekinah glory, signifying the presence of God. So, our High Priest is now in heaven seated at the right hand of God fulfilling this principle.
17c] εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ - in order to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
We start this segment with the prepositional phrase, εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι. The preposition EIS is used to denote purpose, IN ORDER TO. Then the object of the preposition, the present middle infinitive from HILASKOMAI [ἱλάσκεσθαι - #2433] meaning TO MAKE A PROPITIATION. The Old King James Version was wrong to translate this word reconciliation. It has been corrected in the New King James Version. The present tense is a dramatic present. It was a dramatic moment when Jesus Christ was on the cross. The middle voice is reflexive and indicates He alone was making a propitiatory sacrifice to God the Father. The infinitive of purpose explains it was the purpose of God the Father to appoint the Lord Jesus Christ High Priest when Christ successfully propitiated the Father.
Explanation
When did Jesus become a High Priest? The answer is while He was on the cross when He was making a propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means satisfaction. What was satisfied? God cannot love a sinner without offending His perfect righteousness and justice. God's love must be consistent with all His attributes. So, while Jesus Christ was bearing our sins, He was perfect. His personal righteousness and the impeccability of his humanity satisfy the righteousness of God. Then because He was qualified to be the Savior, the Justice of God was free to judge Him for our sins, satisfying the Justice of God. It is at this time that Jesus Christ was appointed the last High Priest forever. So, while our Lord was on the cross, He was propitiating the Father and providing salvation for all. This was when the Father appointed Him as a High Priest, not of Israel, but the Church. Dr. Newell says:
We are amazed that some have said that His high priesthood did not begin until He presented His blood in Heaven. Some have even pointed to our Lord’s words to Mary Magdalene, “Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father”: declaring that He was on His way on that day of resurrection, to fulfill the type of the high priest in placing His blood before God, as the Levitical high priest sprinkled the blood in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, quoting: “There shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement” (Lev. 16:14–17). I would ask, What then mean our Lord’s words on the Cross, “It is finished”? If the sprinkling of His blood before God in Heaven was necessary to complete the work of atonement, what mean the words, “It is finished”? What was finished? Atonement! The putting away of sin (before God) by the sacrifice of Himself! 5
Why was propitiation necessary? Our final phase explains, τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ. This is an objective genitive construction. We start with the articular accusative plural of HARMARTIA [τὰς ἁμαρτίας - # 266] meaning THE SINS. Then the articular genitive singular of LAOS [τοῦ λαοῦ - #2992] meaning THE PEOPLE. The people possess the sins; Christ had no sins of His own, 2 Corinthians 5:21. This is an objective genitive construction. We translate an objective genitive by talking the head noun [τὰς ἁμαρτίας] in which the genitive is related and turn it into a verbal form [THE SINNING], and the genitive [τοῦ λαοῦ`] serves as its direct object. We translate it in this manner, “for the sinning of the people.”
Explanation:
When Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, He had no sin; it was the sins of the people that were poured out upon him, “for the sinning of the people.” When God the Father decided sovereignty to save man, He must do it in a way not to compromise His character. He chose a grace way to do it. Why, because righteousness and justice are compromised unless grace can find a way to keep them from being compromised. This is the work of propitiation. Christ satisfied the righteousness and justice of God on the cross so that God can offer to all an eternal and glorious salvation. What a wonderful Saviour!
ENDNOTES
1 Regarding the translation TO ASSUME, we want to acknowledge that many of the modern translations depart from this rendering of the Greek, which is similar to the KJV. Wuest opposes this translation saying,
The words in the Authorized Version “him the nature of” are in italics indicating that they are not in the Greek text but are supplied by the translators in an effort to translate the passage. They are superfluous and give the reader the wrong interpretation of the passage, in view of the meaning of epilambano (ἐπιλαμβανο) here. (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 10, p. 64). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).
Vincent concurs, writing:
The nature is not in the Greek, and does not need to be supplied if ἐπιλαμβάνεται is properly translated. Rend. not of angels doth he take hold. It is not angels who receive his help. (Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 4, p. 406). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
It seems that all the modern translation, NASB, NIV, ESV, NRSV, all treat the verb as laying hold of in the sense of rescuing someone from peril or coming to someone’s aid or help. Yet, in this context, when the incarnation is the topic and when the humanity of the Lord is the focus, He did not assume the nature of angels captures precisely what the writer is saying.
2 The angelic conflict refers to the Fall of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14) and the revolt of 1/3 of all the angels (Revelation 12:3,4) who followed Satan to establish a kingdom independent of God. The key combatants are unseen, although very real. It encompasses Satan, the god of this world, struggling against the God of all creation, His Word, The Redeemer, and His people, Ephesians 6:10-12.
3 This is a versified list of reasons, for a fuller treatment of each turn to the “Reason For The Humanity of Christ,” Click Here. Dr. Chafer catalogs several other reasons why Jesus needed to become a man; that He might manifest God to man; that He might manifest man to God; that He might be head over the new creation; and that He might be a kinsman-redeemer. Chafer, L. S. (1993). Systematic theology (Vol. 1, p. 355). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
4 See the study of Gnosticism done in 1 John, especially “Topics #1-4, “Introduction and Fighting Against Gnosticism.”
5 Newell, W. R. (1947). Hebrews: Verse by Verse (p. 68). Chicago: Moody Press.