For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (Hebrews 01:05-09, NKJV).
Not surprisingly, the Book of Hebrews uses many allusions to the Hebrew Old Testament to present its overriding theme of the supremacy of Christ.
In continuing the specific argument regarding the inferiority of angels as compared to the Son, the writer cites seven Old Testament passages (Ps 2:7; 2Sa 7:14; De 32:43; Ps 97:7; 104:4; 45:6,7), sometimes with unexpected surgical precision, selecting only part of a phrase or sentence (2Sa 7:14; De 32:43). The primary purpose is to reemphasize the Son's superiority, and also to demonstrate conclusively that there is nothing about the Messiah that was not first foreshadowed long before Jesus' Incarnation, and then exactly and uniquely fulfilled by His life and words. In addition, there is another, more subtle, teaching as well - that God's Word, every jot or tittle, noun, pronoun, verb and adverb can have prophetic or doctrinal significance. Therefore, the closer we get to the literal translation of the original languages, the more precise will be our interpretation and understanding.
The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 3:16, provides another interesting example of this premise, when he stipulates the exactness of the promises to Abraham in Ge 12:7, 13:15, and 24:7, regarding his singular descendant:
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16, NKJV).
These, and other profound teachings, are treasures hidden in Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit for the edification and encouragement of the saints in Christ; rewards for those who lovingly study and meditate upon His Word, as it is written:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29, NKJV).
Does this mean that you need years of training in ancient languages to fully understand God's redemptive plan? Or that you cannot know fully what He requires of you, O' man?
No, because overwhelmingly, the main doctrines in the Bible concerning sin, salvation, Christ, the nations, Israel, and prophetic history are plainly understandable if you take a reliable translation in the plain sense in which it was intended. As declared long ago, "the main things are the plain things", so that "we are without excuse." And by reliable, I mean those translations made by believing scholars, who are willing to sign a written declaration of faith in Christ, and in the inerrancy of the original Scriptural texts. Modern translations that meet that criteria include the NKJV and the NASB. These attempt to be literal word-for-word translations, with the NIV of the mid-1980's purporting to be an accurate thought-for-thought translation.
Other translations, particularly those comprised primarily of paraphrases (current human words substituted for God's words), while perhaps of devotional value, cannot be used for deep word studies, nor can they be considered as authoritative in terms of doctrine and prophecy. And certainly, these versions are disqualified for unveiling the hidden treasures mentioned above, as they are merely human transliterations of divine truth.
In fact, it is because of the proliferation of modern translations that skeptics argue that the Bible can't be considered other than man-made since "there are so many contradictory translations." While this is superficially true regarding less rigorous works, it is completely untrue as it pertains to those following the traditions of the "authorized versions", like the KJV, NKJV and NASB.
Are there variant readings in the roughly 5000 oldest manuscripts of the New Testament? Yes. But in every case, these variations do not alter any of the foundational tenets of the faith, and (and this is very interesting), these variations serve as the major vehicle by which translators arrive statistically, through textual criticism and analysis, at the original words. This is so because the volume of manuscripts, some chronologically very close to the events recorded, enable scholars to analyze the variations with the understanding that no two copyists, separated geographically and/or historically, were likely to make the same error in the same place.
Incidentally, compared to other ancient manuscripts, the Old and New Testaments have more, and older, ancient texts than any other ancient manuscript - exponentially more.
Returning tone of the main points here, it is this: Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7, NKJV). This is especially true regarding His Son, about whom all of the Old Testament pointed, and all of the New Testament revealed, including the focus passages above.
The Book of Hebrews is remarkable in its unveiling of the supreme excellence of Christ, virtually from its first verse onward. As such it paints a portrait of Messiah's magnificence, nobility, deity, integrity, power and faithfulness. It refutes any mistaken beliefs past, present or future about Him being other than coequal with God the Father, proclaiming emphatically that He is alike in essence, character, and nature, and differing only in redemptive role - and that through loving filial subservience to the Father.
Perhaps nowhere else in Scripture do we find Him explicitly compared to angels or humans, with each incidence resulting in the resounding proclamation, as here, that He is as far above creaturehood of any kind, including vaunted angelic beings, as it is possible to get. He is Lord of All, unveiled in all His intrinsic glory and substance.
God, Creator, King, Lord, and Savior, to whom be glory and blessing and honor and strength forever and ever. Amen.