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And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
Hebrews 2:4 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?
  • KJV God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
  • BSB and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
  • NKJV God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
  • NASB God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

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

God Himself confirmed the gospel message through signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit. The witness to salvation rests on God's own testimony.

Overview

The apostolic message was authenticated not merely by human witnesses but by God's accompanying acts of power and the distribution of the Holy Spirit's gifts. This divine corroboration removes any excuse for treating the gospel lightly. The phrase 'according to his own will' grounds these gifts in God's sovereign purpose rather than human merit.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Acts 14:3Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
  • Mark 16:20They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
  • Eph 1:5having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
  • Eph 4:8–11Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
  • 1 Cor 12:4–11Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
  • Rom 15:18–19For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,
  • Dan 4:35All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stop his hand, or ask him, What are you doing?
  • Acts 19:11–12God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,
  • John 4:48Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.”
  • Acts 3:15–16and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.
  • John 15:26“When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
  • Acts 2:32–33This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
  • Eph 1:9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
  • Acts 4:10be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 2:4YouTube · 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 2:4 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.