Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
- BSB Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
- NKJV And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”
- NASB And regarding the angels He says, “He makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.”
- NLT Regarding the angels, he says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.”
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
Of angels, Scripture speaks of them as God's servants, likened to winds and flames of fire. Their role is to serve, not to reign.
Overview
Quoting Psalm 104:4, the author characterizes angels as created servants, mutable and dispatched to do God's bidding. The imagery of winds and fire highlights their function as agents rather than rulers. This stands in deliberate contrast to the enduring, royal status the next verses ascribe to the Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 104:4He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.
- Heb 1:14Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
- 2 Kgs 6:17Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
- 2 Kgs 2:11As they continued on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- Ezek 1:13–14As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and lightning went out of the fire.
- Zech 6:5The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the sky, which go out from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
- 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.
- Isa 6:2Above 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.
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 1:7 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.