Hebrews 1 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

• The object is to prove an immense change of His dealing: God speaking in a Son, after having spoken to the fathers in the prophets; also Christ no longer connected with the earth, but in heavenly glory. (“Hebrews 1:1-2” by W. Kelly)

• [The] last of these days is the literal and true force, the close of these days of the age under the law, when the Messiah comes. (“Hebrews 1:1-2” by W. Kelly)

• Does not present the person as an object before the mind, but brings character into prominence. The prophets were, like Moses, only servants; He in Whom God spoke at the end of these days was Son. (“Hebrews 1:1-2” by W. Kelly)

• Where is meant predicatively that character of intimate relationship to God which is proper to Him only in eternal title and right. (“Hebrews 1:2-4” by W. Kelly)

• {by whom also He made} All the vast system of this universe, those unknown worlds that trace their paths in the vast regions of space in divine order to manifest the glory of a Creator-God, are the work of His hand who has spoken to us, of the divine Christ. (“Hebrews 1” by J.N. Darby)

• As writing to Hebrews and as one among them, he addresses them, that is to say, Christians and believing Israelites. This is the force of the word “us” in the epistle; we must bear it in mind, and that the Hebrew believers always form the word “us,” of which the writer is also a part. (“Hebrews 3” by J.N. Darby)

• The Son came “at the end of these days”—the close of the days of the prophets. (“The Glory of the Son: Hebrews 1” by H. Smith)

• "Heir of all things." Sonship and heirship are always connected in Scripture. (“The Glory of the Son: Hebrews 1” by H. Smith)

• We look on and see that He is the appointed Heir of all things: we look back and see that He is the maker of all things, great and small. The impress of the Son is upon the whole creation. (“The Glory of the Son: Hebrews 1” by H. Smith)

• When the Son spoke it was God speaking, for the simple reason that the Son was God. (“Hebrews 1” by F.B. Hole)

• We should then read straight from the word “Son” to the beginning of chapter 2. and find the sense complete. “God... hath... spoken unto us in His Son... therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed.” (“Hebrews 1” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

at the endh of these days has spoken to us in the person of thei Son, whom he has established heir of all things, by whom also he made the worldsa;

JND Translation Notes

See Isa. 2.2. A Hebrew expression, as several here, for the end of the period of law, when Messiah was to be introduced.

Lit. "in Son." The absence of the Greek article here is important, though difficult to render in English; the result is, that God, speaking in the prophets, and using them as his mouth, is clearly distinct. "in Son" is not exactly "as Son," because that would be the character of the speaking, yet is perhaps the nearest to an adequate expression. It is God himself who speaks; not by another; not as the Father nor in the person of the Father; not merely by the Holy Spirit using a person not divine, but as himself a divine person, and that person the Son.

A Jewish expression, meaning "the universe."

W. Kelly Translation

at [the] enda of these days spoke to us in ab Son, whom he constituted heir of all things, by whom also he made the worldsc;

WK Translation Notes

"In these last years" is too vague a rendering. "At the end," or (the) last of these days is the literal and true force, the close of these days of the age under the law, when the Messiah comes.

Or, "[the] Son." The omission of the article has to do neither with the preposition going before nor with emphatic position. The phrase is anarthrous and does not present the person as an object before the mind, but brings character into prominence. Our language does not so well bear the absence of the article; but it is regular in Greek, and is the most forcible and the most accurate form of expressing character, which is precisely what was wanted here. The true idea is as Son, or in the person of Him who is Son, contrasted with His servants the prophets. Our tongue, however, does not admit of this characterizing style of speech, like the Greek, after a preposition, but only in the nominative; and hence we must insert our article or even paraphrase it.

The word in general means "the ages," but also beyond just dispute used by Hellenistic Jews for the universe (perhaps as the theatre of the divine dispensations or ages) as here and in 11:3.