Hebreus 2

ARC · Chapter 2/13

1Portanto convem-nos attentar com mais diligencia para as coisas que já temos ouvido, para que em tempo algum nos venhamos a esquecer.

2Porque, se a palavra pronunciada pelos anjos permaneceu firme, e toda a transgressão e desobediencia recebeu a justa retribuição,

3Como escaparemos nós, se não attentarmos para uma tão grande salvação, a qual, começando a ser annunciada pelo Senhor, foi-nos depois confirmada pelos que a ouviram;

4Testificando tambem Deus com signaes, e milagres, e varias maravilhas e distribuições do Espirito Sancto segundo a sua vontade?

5Porque não sujeitou aos anjos o mundo futuro, de que agora fallamos.

6Porém em certo logar, testificou alguem, dizendo: Que é o homem, para que d'elle te lembres? ou o filho do homem, para que o visites?

7Tu o fizeste um pouco menor do que os anjos; o coroaste de gloria e de honra, e o constituiste sobre as obras de tuas mãos:

8Todas as coisas lhe sujeitaste debaixo dos pés. Porque, visto que lhe sujeitou todas as coisas, nada deixou que lhe não fosse sujeito. Porém agora ainda não vemos que todas as coisas lhe estejam sujeitas;

9Porém vemos coroado de gloria e de honra aquelle Jesus que fôra feito um pouco menor do que os anjos, por causa da paixão da morte, para que, pela graça de Deus, provasse a morte por todos.

10Porque convinha que aquelle, por cuja causa são todas as coisas, e mediante o qual todas as coisas existem, trazendo muitos filhos á gloria, consagrasse pelas afflicções o principe da salvação d'elles.

11Porque, assim o que sanctifica, como os que são sanctificados, todos são de um; por cuja causa não se envergonha de lhes chamar irmãos,

12Dizendo: Annunciarei o teu nome a meus irmãos, cantar-te-hei louvores no meio da congregação.

13E outra vez: Porei n'elle a minha confiança. E outra vez: Eis-me aqui a mim e aos filhos que Deus me deu.

14E, porquanto os filhos participam da carne e do sangue, tambem elle participou do mesmo, para que pela morte aniquilasse o que tinha o imperio da morte, isto é, o diabo:

15E livrasse todos os que, com medo da morte, estavam por toda a vida sujeitos á servidão,

16Porque, na verdade, não tomou os anjos, mas tomou a descendencia de Abrahão.

17Pelo que convinha que em tudo fosse similhante aos irmãos, para ser misericordioso e fiel summo sacerdote nas coisas que são para com Deus, para expiar os peccados do povo.

18Porque n'aquillo que elle mesmo, sendo tentado, padeceu, pode soccorrer aos que são tentados.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The author warns against neglecting the great salvation announced by Jesus, and explains why the Son of God had to become human: to conquer death and become a compassionate high priest. He quotes Psalm 8 to show the place that humanity and Christ occupy in God's plan.

Explanation

The chapter's logic follows a 'greater to lesser' argument: if the message delivered by angels already demanded serious obedience in the Old Testament, how much more the message of salvation brought by the Son of God himself. Jesus' incarnation — becoming fully human, subject to death — is explained as necessary so that he could free humanity from the fear of death and become a high priest who understands human weaknesses from personal experience. Today's practical application is that Jesus does not observe human suffering from a distance, but understands it because he lived it too.

Fun facts

  • The quotation of Psalm 8 about man being made 'a little lower than the angels' (2:7) is reinterpreted here specifically about Jesus, showing how the New Testament often reads the Psalms in light of Christ's life.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Hebreus 2:1Having shown that Jesus is superior to the angels, the letter makes the first of several practical pauses: since the message is so great, it's necessary to pay closer attention to it, so as not to let it slip away.
  2. Hebreus 2:2The letter recalls that, according to Jewish tradition, the law had been delivered through angels, and even so every act of disobedience to it already carried a serious consequence.
  3. Hebreus 2:3If disobeying a lesser message, delivered by angels, already brought punishment, the question is: how can anyone escape after ignoring so much greater a salvation, announced by the Lord Himself and confirmed by those who heard Him?
  4. Hebreus 2:4The letter recalls that God confirmed this message with signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His own will, reinforcing the authenticity of what had been announced.
  5. Hebreus 2:5The letter picks the main argument back up: it isn't the angels who will govern the world that is still to come — that's what the rest of the chapter goes on to discuss.
  6. Hebreus 2:6A quotation from Psalm 8 is used here, a question that originally refers to any human being: why would God care so much about so small a creature?
  7. Hebreus 2:7It's a quotation from Psalm 8, which originally speaks of humanity in general — made “a little lower” than the heavenly beings, yet crowned with glory and honor. The letter uses this psalm about humanity and, in the next verse, applies it specifically to Jesus, showing how He became human to represent everyone.
  8. Hebreus 2:8The citation continues, saying that everything was placed under humanity's feet, but the letter observes: in the real world, we don't yet see that fully fulfilled, which sets up the next argument about Jesus.
  9. Hebreus 2:9Here it becomes clear that “a little lower than the angels” describes Jesus taking on the human condition, including the possibility of dying — something angels normally don't face. He goes through this “by the grace of God,” to taste death on behalf of everyone, not as a defeat, but as part of the mission.
  10. Hebreus 2:10The letter explains why it made sense for the “captain of their salvation,” Jesus, to go through suffering: He was bringing many sons to glory, and that required this path.
  11. Hebreus 2:11Calling Jesus and those He saves “all of one,” of the same origin, is what allows Him, according to the letter, to call them brothers without any shame.
  12. Hebreus 2:12The letter quotes another psalm, placed in Jesus' mouth, announcing God's name among His brothers, as if He were singing along with the congregation.
  13. Hebreus 2:13Two short quotations follow, reinforcing Jesus' trust in God and His identification with those the letter calls “the children which God hath given me,” further proof of the bond between Him and humanity.
  14. Hebreus 2:14Calling the devil the one who “had the power of death” doesn't mean he decides who dies, but that the fear of death kept people in a kind of slavery. Jesus, by taking on human flesh and blood and dying, strips that power from fear, freeing those who had lived dominated by it.
  15. Hebreus 2:15The purpose of Jesus facing death, according to the letter, was to free those who had lived their whole lives enslaved by the fear of it, a fear that held people captive even without their realizing it.
  16. Hebreus 2:16Saying that Jesus “took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham” means He didn't come to rescue heavenly beings, but took on the human condition, tied to Abraham's lineage — He became one of us, not a disguised angel. It's this closeness that allows Him, in the next verse, to act as a merciful high priest.
  17. Hebreus 2:17In Judaism, the high priest was the only person authorized to enter the temple's most sacred space to deal with the people's sins before God. The letter calls Jesus this for the first time here, saying that He carries out this role with mercy because He too suffered as a human being — a theme that dominates the rest of the book.
  18. Hebreus 2:18Closing the chapter, the letter explains why Jesus is able to help those being tempted: because He Himself has already gone through temptation and suffering, and knows from experience what it costs.

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