And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God 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.
- BSB And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
- NKJV But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “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 97:7Let all them be shamed who serve engraved images, who boast in their idols. Worship him, all you gods!
- 1 Pet 3:22who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.
- Deut 32:43Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and will make atonement for his land and for his people.
- Col 1:18He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- Col 1:15who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Rev 5:9–12They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
- Rev 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
- Rom 8:29For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
- Prov 8:24–25When there were no depths, I was born, when there were no springs abounding with water.
- Luke 2:9–14Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- Heb 1:5For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?”
- 1 Jn 4:9By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
- Heb 10:5Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me.
- John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- John 1:18No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
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.