Hebrews 2:6

{4} But one in a certain place testified, saying, {g} What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the {h} son of man, that thou visitest him? (4) He shows that the use of this kingly dignity exists in this, that men might not only in Christ recognise the dignity which they have lost, but also might be through him advanced above all things, which dignity of men David describes most excellently. (g) What is there in man that you should have such a great regard for him, and do him that honour? (h) He refers to all the citizens of the heavenly kingdom as they are considered to be, before God gives them the freedom of that city in Christ, man, and sons of man.

In a certain place (πού) Only here and Hebrews 4:4, signifying indefinite quotation. It does not mean that the writer is ignorant of the author or of the place, but assumes that the readers know it, and that it is a matter of no moment who said it or where it is written. Testified (διεμαρτυράτο) Mostly in Luke and Acts. Only here in Hebrews. In Paul only in 1st Thessalonians. See on 1 Thessalonians 2:12. It implies a solemn, earnest testimony. What is man The Hebrew interrogation, מָה, what, what kind of, implies "how small or insignificant" compared with the array of the heavenly bodies; not "how great is man." The son of man Hebrew son of Adam, with a reference to his earthly nature as formed out of the dust. Very often in Ezekiel as a form of address to the prophet, lxx, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου son of man. The direct reference of these words cannot be to the Messiah, yet one is reminded that the Son of man was Christ's own title for himself. Visitest (ἐπισκέπτῃ) The primary sense of the verb is to look upon; hence, to look after or inspect; to visit in order to inspect or help. Similarly the Latin visere means both to look at and to visit. An ἐπίσκοπος is an overlooker, and ἐπισκοπὴ is visitation. The verb only here in Hebrews, oP., very often in lxx. See on Matthew 25:36. Here in the sense of graciously and helpfully regarding; caring for.

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels (ἠλάττωσας) Rend. thou didst for some little time make him lower than the angels. Ἐλαττοῦν to make less or inferior, only here, Hebrews 2:9, and John 3:30. Often in lxx (principally Sirach).Βραχύ τι, the Hebrew as A.V. a little; of degree. The lxx translators interpreted it, apparently, of time, "for some little time." Although there is precedent for both meanings in both Class. and N.T., the idea of time better suits the whole line of thought, and would probably, as Robertson Smith observes, have appeared to a Greek reader the more natural interpretation. For this sense see Isaiah 57:17; Acts 5:34. He who has been described as superior to the angels, was, for a short time, on the same plane with man, and identified with an economy which was under the administration of angels. This temporary subordination to angels was followed by permanent elevation over them. Παρ' ἀγγέλους. The Hebrew is מֵאֱלֹהִים, than God. Elohim is used in a wide sense in O.T.: see, for instance, Psalm 82:6, where God addresses the judges by that titles and declares that he himself called them to their office and gave them their name and dignity. Comp. John 10:34 and Psalm 29:1, lxx υἱοὶ θεοῦ sons of God, A.V. mighty. The lxx translators understand it, not as representing the personal God, but that which is divine, in which sense it would be appropriate to angels as having divine qualities.

Hebrews 2:6 . But one in a certain place — Namely, David, Psalm 8:4 ; testified, saying, What is man — The Hebrew word אנושׁ , used in the Psalm, means weak, miserable, and mortal man; man in his fallen state; obnoxious to grief, sorrow, anxiety, pain, trouble, and death: that thou art mindful of him — What is he to the vast expanse of the heavens, to the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained? This Psalm seems to have been composed by David in a clear, moon-shiny, and star-light night, while he was contemplating the wonderful fabric of the heaven; because, in his magnificent description of its luminaries, he takes no notice of the sun, the most glorious of them all. The words here cited concerning dominion, were doubtless in some sense applicable to Adam; although, in their complete and highest sense, they belong to none but the second Adam. It has indeed been a great question among interpreters, whether the Psalm speaks of man in general, and of the honour which God put upon him in his creation, or only of the man Christ Jesus. But upon comparing the contents of it with this chapter, it seems evident that both are included. For the design of the Psalm appears plainly to have been to display and celebrate the great love and kindness of God to mankind: not only in their creation, but also in their redemption by Christ Jesus; whom, as he was man, God advanced to the honour here spoken of, that he might carry on that great and glorious work.

Some parts of the Psalm, however, relate more eminently to Christ than to man in general, and accordingly are so interpreted, both by our Lord and by his apostles, particularly Hebrews 2:2 ; Hebrews 2:6 . Or the Son of man — Hebrew, בן אדם , the son of Adam, of one made out of the earth; that thou visitest him — The sense rises: we are mindful of him that is absent; but to visit denotes the care of one present. And it is worthy of observation, that the Hebrew word occurring in the Psalm, and rendered visitest, though variously used, yet constantly denotes the action of a superior toward an inferior, and commonly expresses some act of God toward his people for good. And especially in the term visiting used to express the stupendous act of God in sending his Son to take our nature upon him, as Luke 1:68 ; Luke 1:78 . “He hath visited and redeemed his people;” and “The day-spring from on high hath visited us.” This was the ground of the psalmist’s admiration, and will be a cause of admiration to all believers through eternal ages.

Hebrews 2:6 . Διεμαρτύρατο δέ που τὶς , but one in a certain place testified ) one , viz. a witness . David did not here speak of himself; wherefore it was not necessary to introduce his name. Nor should we stop short with the intermediate messengers, but should look to the word of GOD, when it has testified once for all. David testified in Psalms 8, to which this chapter often refers, even from the tenth verse, as we shall see. Δὲ , but , forms an antithesis between the angels and Him to whom the psalm testifies that all things are subjected.— τί ὲστιν — ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ) So altogether the LXX., Psalm 8:5-7 . That clause, and Thou hast set Him over the works of Thy hands , the apostle does not assume, at least in his reasoning, but deduces the “all things” from what goes before and follows in the psalm.

There are mentioned in that clause the works of GOD’S hands, i.e. heaven, the moon and stars. (The sun is wanting, either because, as the slavery and deliverance of his seed was shown to Abraham in the night time , Genesis 15:12 ; so the humiliation and exaltation of the Messiah were shown to David and sung by him during the night; as also the word of the Lord seems to have come to Job by night, Job 38:7 ; Job 38:31-32 ; or because Messiah, when forsaken on the cross, saw the moon and stars after that the sun was darkened.) But the authority of Christ continues beyond the duration of these.— τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ) what is man with respect to the works of GOD, the heaven, etc.; but what is man with respect to God Himself? The expression is thus more humble than if he had said: Who am I? A man , ἄνθρωπος , without the article, as one of many, אנוש , a man, παθητὸς , subject to sufferings and death.— ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ , that Thou art mindful of him) Such is the description of the Messiah’s condition, in which He might seem to have passed away from the remembrance and care of God. Whence, with wonderful humilty, He is astonished Himself at this very thing, the remembrance of Him: how much more at so great glory prepared for Him? It could not be otherwise, Acts 2:24 ; but He prays as if it could scarcely be so.— ἢ , or) בן אדם , the son of man, in this passage, conveys the notion of something more insignificant than אדם , man.— υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ) בן אדם , comp.

6 . but one in a certain place testified ] The writer was of course perfectly well aware that the Psalm on which he proceeds to comment is the 8th Psalm. This indefinite mode of quotation (“some one, somewhere”) is common in Philo and the Rabbis. Scripture is often quoted by the words “It saith” or “He saith” or “God saith. Possibly the indefinite form (comp. Hebrews 4:4 )—which is not found in St Paul—is only here adopted because God is Himself addressed in the Psalm. (See Schöttgen, Nov. Hebr. p. 928.) What is man ] The Hebrew word— enosh —means man in his weakness and humiliation. The “what” expresses a double feeling—how mean in himself! how great in Thy love! The Psalm is only Messianic in so far as it implies man’s final exaltation through Christ’s incarnation. It applies, in the first instance, and directly, to man; and only in a secondary sense to Jesus as man. But St Paul had already ( 1 Corinthians 15:27 ; Ephesians 1:22 ) applied it in a Messianic sense, and “Son of man” was a Messianic title ( Daniel 7:13 ). Thus the Cabbalists regarded the name Adam as an anagram for Adam, David, Moses, and regarded the Messiah as combining the dignity of all three. David twice makes the exclamation—“What is man?”;—once when he is thinking of man’s frailty in connection with his exaltation by God (Psalms 8); and once ( Psalm 144:3 ) when he is thinking only of man’s emptiness and worthlessness, as being undeserving of God’s care, (comp. Job 7:17 ).

6. But—It is not to angels the Gospel kingdom is subject, BUT … one … testified—the usual way of quoting Scripture to readers familiar with it. Ps 8:5-7 praises Jehovah for exalting MAN, so as to subject all the works of God on earth to him: this dignity having been lost by the first Adam, is realized only in Christ the Son of man, the Representative Man and Head of our redeemed race. Thus Paul proves that it is to MAN, not to angels, that God has subjected the "world to come." In Heb 2:6-8, MAN is spoken of in general ("him … him … his); then at Heb 2:9, first Jesus is introduced as fulfilling, as man, all the conditions of the prophecy, and passing through death Himself; and so consequently bringing us men, His "brethren," to "glory and honor." What, &c.—How insignificant in himself, yet how exalted by God's grace! (Compare Ps 144:3). The Hebrew, "Enosh" and "Ben-Adam," express "man" and "Son of man" in his weakness: "Son of man" is here used of any and every child of man: unlike, seemingly, the lord of creation, such as he was originally (Ge 1:1-2:25), and such as he is designed to be (Ps 8:1-9), and such as he actually is by title and shall hereafter more fully be in the person of, and in union with, Jesus, pre-eminently the Son of man (Heb 2:9). art mindful—as of one absent. visitest—lookest after him, as one present.

(6) But one in a certain place. —Better, somewhere. The expression is perfectly indefinite (comp. Hebrews 4:4 ). As a rule, the words of Scripture are in this Epistle quoted as God’s own utterances; and though the nature of the quotation (which is an address to God) made this impossible here, the writer seems gladly to avoid the mention of the human prophet, perhaps as distracting the thought from the divine prophecy. This studious indefiniteness in citation is common in Philo, and sometimes occurs where he cannot possibly have been in doubt as to the source of his quotation. Testified.—That is, in Biblical usage, solemnly declared: the words are no light exclamation of wonder. The quotation which follows (from Psalm 8:4-6) agrees verbally with the LXX. version. The only point of doubt is whether the last clause of Hebrews 2:7 was included in the quotation, as in some very good ancient authorities it is absent from the text. The weight of external evidence is certainly in its favour; but it is easier to see how a scribe may have introduced the clause through his familiarity with the Psalm than to explain its omission if it stood in the original text of this Epistle. The Greek translation here faithfully represents the Hebrew, except in one point.

For “a little lower than the angels,” the Hebrew text has “a little less than God.” The change (which is similar to that noticed in Hebrews 1:6) was probably introduced by the translators on a principle which we may often trace in their work—a wish to tone down expressions relating to the Deity which seemed strong or bold. In quoting the passage the writer does not depart from the rendering most familiar to the readers of the Greek Bible; but, though the clause in its altered form accords well with what had preceded the quotation, and, so to speak, more completely interweaves the words of the Psalm with the context in which they are here placed, yet no stress is laid on “angels.” The argument of this section would not be affected materially if the true rendering of the Hebrew were restored. The eighth Psalm is an expression of amazement that God, who has “set His glory upon the heavens,” should deign to remember man. Not only is He “mindful of man,” but He has made him but “little less than God,” “crowned him with honour,” given him “dominion over” all His works. The original blessing pronounced on man (Genesis 1:28) is clearly in the Psalmist’s thought, and suggests his words.