Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.”
- KJV And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame 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 the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
- Heb 1:14Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- 2 Kgs 6:17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
- 2 Kgs 2:11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
- Ezek 1:13–14In the midst of the living creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
- Zech 6:5And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
- Dan 7:10A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
- Isa 6:2Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
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.