And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
- KJV And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
- NKJV But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
- NASB And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
- NLT And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
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
When God brings His firstborn into the world, even the angels are commanded to worship Him. The one angels worship is plainly greater than they are.
Overview
The author cites Scripture to show that angels are summoned to worship the Son, decisively settling the question of rank. 'Firstborn' here denotes supreme status and inheritance rights, not a beginning in time. Since worship belongs to God alone, this verse underscores the Son's full deity and His worthiness of the praise that creatures owe their Creator.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 97:7All worshipers of images are put to shame—those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!
- 1 Pet 3:22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
- Deut 32:43Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.
- Col 1:18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
- Col 1:15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Rev 5:9–12And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
- Rev 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
- Rom 8:29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
- Prov 8:24–25When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water.
- Luke 2:9–14Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- Heb 1:5For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”?
- 1 Jn 4:9This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
- Heb 10:5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.
- John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 1:18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 1:6 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.