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Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:14 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
  • BSB Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
  • NKJV Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
  • NASB Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
  • NLT Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. Their dignity is real but subordinate, in the service of God's redeemed people.

Overview

The chapter closes by defining the angels' role: they are servants commissioned for the benefit of believers. Far from being objects of worship or rivals to the Son, they minister to those Christ saves. This both honors angels properly and magnifies the greatness of the salvation that the Son has secured.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 40

  • Ps 34:7Yahweh’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
  • Ps 103:20–21Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
  • Ps 91:11–12For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
  • Matt 18:10See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
  • Dan 6:22My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, I have done no hurt.
  • Acts 5:19But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night, and brought them out, and said,
  • Acts 27:23For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve,
  • Acts 10:3–4At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
  • Luke 1:19The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
  • Acts 12:7And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off from his hands.
  • Matt 1:20But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
  • Dan 3:28Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
  • Luke 16:22The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.
  • Acts 12:23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
  • Gen 32:1–2Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
  • Luke 2:13Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
  • Luke 2:9Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
  • Ps 104:4He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.
  • Dan 10:11–12He said to me, Daniel, you man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright; for am I now sent to you. When he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.
  • Matt 13:49–50So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous,
  • Dan 9:21–23yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering.
  • Matt 2:13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
  • Gen 19:15–16When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife, and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”
  • 1 Pet 1:12To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.
  • Matt 24:31He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
  • Matt 13:41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,
  • Titus 3:7that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
  • Isa 6:2–3Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.
  • Jude 1:14About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
  • Matt 25:34Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
  • Dan 7:10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
  • Job 1:6Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan also came among them.
  • 2 Th 1:7and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
  • Gen 32:24Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
  • 1 Kgs 22:19Micaiah said, “Therefore hear Yahweh’s word. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
  • Rev 5:6I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
  • 2 Cor 9:12For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through many givings of thanks to God;
  • Phil 2:25But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;
  • Acts 13:2As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”
  • Rom 13:6For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, attending continually on this very thing.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hebrews videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hebrews 1:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HebrewsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.

How Hebrews 1:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.