“For by him all other things were created.” (see note Colossians 1:15)

There is no manuscript support which would warrant the heretical insertion of the word other into the original Greek text. In addition to the example of Esau and Jacob mentioned above, the OT records several instances where the son who is designated the firstborn was not the one chronologically born first. For example, Ishmael was thirteen years older than Isaac, but it is Isaac who is designated as the firstborn. In addition, when Jacob transfers  the right of the firstborn  to one of Joseph's two sons, he makes the younger son Ephraim the firstborn. over the chronologically firstborn Manasseh.

HE SAYS AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM: Legei (3SPAI) Kai proskunesatosan (3PAAM) auto pantes aggeloi theou: (Dt 32:43 Ps 97:7; Lk 2:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; 1Pe 3:22; Rev 5:9, 10, 11, 12)

He saith, 'And let them bow before him -- all messengers of God;' (YLT)

He - refers to God the Father. Notice that He says is  in the present tense so that God the Father is saying continually "Worship Him", Him referring to God the Son.

Although some scholars believe this quote is from the LXX of (Dt 32:43) it is more likely from Psalm 97:7 which (Ps 97:7) at first glance does not seem to be the case for the English translation of the Hebrew reads "Worship Him, all you gods." The problem is the word gods which is the Hebrew word elohim. But remember that the author takes his Old Testament quotes, not from the Hebrews text, but almost exclusively from the Greek text, specifically the Septuagint (LXX). Compare the English translations of the Hebrew and the Septuagint ...

HEBREW - Psalm 97:7 Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods (Hebrew = elohim). (English translated from the Hebrew manuscript)

GREEK - Psalm 97:7 Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship (Lxx = proskuneo; aorist imperative) him, all ye his angels (Greek = aggelos) (English translated from the Septuagint)

As noted above, some scholars favor this quotation as originating from Deut 32:43 which in the Greek (LXX) reads "Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him". Either quote would serve to substantiate the writer's main premise that the angels are to worship Jesus which clearly indicates that He is superior to the angels.

When Jesus Christ was taken into the world above, at His resurrection and ascension, He was attended and worshipped by angels (Acts 1:10f).

When Jesus Christ returns to this earth again, He shall be attended and worshipped by angels (Mt 13:41; Mt 16:27; Mt 24:31, 25:31).

All (pas) means just that - all without exception! Angels are examples of worship, not objects of worship. The angels are commanded to worship the Messiah because He is superior to them. John records that he

heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." (see notes Revelation 5:11; 5:12)

Mark records that

whenever the unclean spirits (fallen angels) beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, "You are the Son of God!" (Mk 3:11)

Worship (4352) (proskuneo from pros = before + kuneo = kiss or adore) means to prostrate oneself in homage before another in the full sense of worship, not mere reverence or courtesy. When Jesus Christ was born into this world, He was attended and worshipped by angels. (Lu 2:13f).

Proskuneo represents the most common Near Eastern act of adoration and reverence and also carries the idea of profound awe and respect. Some believe that the root word kuneo may be related to kuon which is the Greek word for dog and which then could be picturing a dog licking his master's hand.

The word proskuneo literally means to kiss toward someone, to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage, to prostrate oneself in homage, to do reverence to, to adore and so to worship and show respect. In the ancient Oriental (especially Persia) the mode of salutation between persons of equal rank was to kiss each other on the lips. When the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek. When one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, and as he was bowing down he would be throwing kisses toward the superior. It is this latter mode of salutation that is intended by the Greek writers in the use of the verb proskuneo .

Notice that proskuneo is a command (aorist imperative) meaning to carry this out effectively and fully. The angels are to do this now! (Worship).

TDNT notes that proskuneo...

 is an ancient term for reverent adoration of the gods, which in the case of chthonic deities would mean stooping to kiss the earth. The Greeks abandon the outward gesture but keep the term for the inner attitude. Later the word takes on a much more general sense expressing love and respect.

Wuest writes that proskuneo means...

to prostrate one’s self, to kiss the hand to (towards) one in token of reverence, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence (to make a salam), by kneeling or prostration to do homage to one or make obeisance, either in order to express respect or make supplication.” It is used of homage shown to men of superior rank, or of homage shown to God. Here (Mark 5:6 - see verse below) it speaks of homage to God, the act of worship, for the demon recognizes our Lord as the Son of God. Here we have a being, incorrigible in his nature, destined to be damned for all eternity, one of the cohorts of Satan, bending the knee to God the Son. This is that of which Paul was speaking when he referred to the universal adoration of the Lord Jesus, even by beings under the earth (Php 2:10-note). They are even now bending the knee to the Son of God. In the last analysis, it was not the demoniac who was prostrating himself before the Lord Jesus. He was under the control of the demon, and the latter was the source of the homage paid the Son of God. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

Detzler adds that originally proskuneo...

meant "to kiss reverently," which involved stooping down to kiss. Early Greek writers spoke of stooping to kiss the ground, as an expression of thanksgiving for a safe arrival. (This is the gesture Pope John Paul II makes on arriving in a foreign land.)

Later, proskuneo came to mean prostration, throwing oneself on the ground to show awe or respect before some deity. This was seen not only with regard to pagan gods or goddesses. It also was practiced when appearing before rulers, such as Alexander the Great. The idea was one of reverence, and this attitude of submission was signaled by falling prostrate on the ground.

In the Septuagint Greek Old Testament such worship was reserved for Jehovah God. In fact, it was considered sacrilege for a Jew to express worship toward any other pagan god or person. One recalls that Daniel's friends refused to bow to their ruler's idol (Da 3:1-12). (Detzler, Wayne E: New Testament Words in Today's Language. Victor. 1986)

The NIDNTT adds that...

The basic meaning of proskuneo, in the opinion of most scholars, is to kiss. The prefix indicates a connection with cultic practices going back beyond Greek history. On Egyptian reliefs worshippers are represented with outstretched hand throwing a kiss to (pros-) the deity. Among the Greeks the verb is a technical term for the adoration of the gods, meaning to fall down, prostrate oneself, adore on one’s knees. Probably it came to have this meaning because in order to kiss the earth (i.e. the earth deity) or the image of a god, one had to cast oneself on the ground. Later proskuneo was also used in connection with the deification of rulers and the Roman emperor cult. In addition to the external act of prostrating oneself in worship, proskuneo can denote the corresponding inward attitude of reverence and humility.  (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) 

Wayne Barber writes that...

We hear much today about worship. It is defined everywhere from emotions felt during a song to chill bumps when the preacher gives an illustration. But, what is true worship? How do we know we have worshipped? Well, there are three Greek words for worship in the NT. The first word is proskuneo, the word used when the "magi" came from the east to worship the Christ child. [Mt 2:2] This is the word that means to lie down prostrate before one that is worthy to be worshipped. It involves the attitude of humility of the person who is bowing. And on the other hand it involves an understanding and recognition that one is in the presence of the One that is worthy. It is a response word, not an emotion, but an immediate response in the presence of deity.

There are 59 uses of proskuneo in the NT (Mt. 2:2, 8, 11; 4:9, 10; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 20:20; 28:9, 17; Mk. 5:6; 15:19; Lk. 4:7f; 24:52; Jn. 4:20, 21, 22; 9:38; 12:20; Acts 7:43; 8:27; 10:25; 24:11; 1 Co. 14:25; Heb. 1:6; 11:21; Rev. 3:9; 4:10; 5:14; 7:11; 9:20; 11:1, 16; 13:4, 8, 12, 15; 14:7, 9, 11; 15:4; 16:2; 19:4, 10, 20; 20:4; 22:8, 9).

Note the preponderance of uses in the Revelation (24 times) - most refer to worship of God, but at least 6 refer to worship of the Antichrist. Here are some representative uses of proskuneo in the NT...

Matthew 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."

Matthew 2:8 And he (Herod the liar and murderer) sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him."

Matthew 2:11 And they ("Wise Men") came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 4:9 and he (Satan the liar and murderer) said to Him (Jesus), "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"

Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." (Comment: From the reverential nature of his request it seems that the leper addressed Jesus as Lord not simply in the sense of “Sir,” but as an acknowledgment of deity. What irony -- an unclean leper recognized something about Jesus that most of His own people, including the "religious" ones, were blinded to! Note also that Christ never refused to accept worship, for He knew Who He was still fully God and deserving of worship.)

Matthew 9:18  While He was saying these things to them, behold, there came a synagogue official, and bowed down before Him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live." (Comment: Here proskuneo describes the act of prostrating oneself before the honored person and kissing his feet, the hem of his garment, or the ground in front of him. Such acts of reverence were not, of course, always completely sincere, but everything Jairus did proved his humility and sincerity. Contrast his bowing down with that of James and John's mother in Mt 20:20 below)

Matthew 14:33 And those (Jesus' disciples) who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"

Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John) came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him. (Comment: Here proskuneo pictures the woman's seeming act of reverence but it entirely external and self-serving. She did not desire Jesus’ honor and glory but only that He would grant that “in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left” - Mt 20: 21)

Matthew 28:9 (After His resurrection) And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet (to take hold of His feet indicates they would have had to be on the ground) and worshiped Him....17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

Mark 5:6 And seeing Jesus from a distance, he (the Gadarene demoniac) ran up and bowed down before Him (Did reverence,’ ‘made obeisance, bowed down to, but not in the technical Christian sense of worshipping Jesus, but in the general sense of paying Him reverence)

John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Comment: Not only did Jesus accept worship, but He also taught the essentials of worship. The Samaritan woman was preoccupied with the place of worship, but Jesus taught her that true worship was spiritual, not spatial )

John 9:38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him. (The appropriate response when our eyes are opened is to fall down before Him as Lord).

Acts 7:43 'You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship them. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.'

Hebrews 11:21 (note) By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

Revelation 3:9 (note) 'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie-- behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

Revelation 4:10 (note) the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Revelation 5:14 (note) And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 7:11 (note) And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

Revelation 9:20 (note) And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

Revelation 11:1 (note)  And there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. (Note that this is one of the verses that indicates the Temple must be rebuilt on Temple Mount!)

Revelation 11:16 (note) And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,

Revelation 13:4 (note) and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast (Antichrist); and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"

Revelation 13:8 (note) And all who dwell on the earth will worship him (the beast = Antichrist), everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Revelation 13:12 (note) And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

Revelation 13:15 (note) And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (Comment: This is the source of martyrs in the Great Tribulation - those who refuse to bow down in perverted worship to the Antichrist or even his image).

Revelation 14:7 (note) (This is God's last warning at the midpoint of the Tribulation, just prior to the Great Tribulation. This is the proclamation of the Gospel to all the World - see note Revelation 14:6) and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

Revelation 14:9 (note)  And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand

Revelation 14:11 (note) "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Revelation 15:4 (note) "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For all the nations will come and worship before Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 16:2 (note)  And the first angel went and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

Revelation 19:4 (note) And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"

Revelation 19:10 (note) And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Revelation 19:20 (note) And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. (Comment: Worship in the New Testament is a two-edged sword. On one hand, those who worship the Lord will live forever in heaven. Those who submit to any other worship are doomed to eternal damnation. It is eternally important to watch what we worship.)

Revelation 20:4 (note)  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 22:8 (note) And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

Revelation 22:9 (note) And he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.

Proskuneo is used 177 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Gen. 18:2; 19:1; 22:5; 23:7, 12; 24:26, 48, 52; 27:29; 33:3, 6f; 37:7, 9f; 42:6; 43:26, 28; 47:31; 48:12; 49:8; Exod. 4:31; 11:8; 12:27; 18:7; 20:5; 23:24; 24:1; 32:8; 33:10; 34:8, 14; Lev. 26:1; Num. 22:31; 25:2; Deut. 4:19; 5:9; 8:19; 11:16; 17:3; 26:10; 29:26; 30:17; 32:43; Jos. 23:7, 16; Jdg. 2:2, 12, 17, 19; 7:15; Ruth 2:10; 1 Sam. 1:3, 19; 2:36; 15:25, 30f; 20:41; 24:8; 25:23, 41; 28:14; 2 Sam. 1:2; 9:6, 8; 12:20; 14:4, 22, 33; 15:5, 32; 16:4; 18:21, 28; 24:20; 1 Ki. 1:16, 23, 31, 47, 53; 2:13; 9:6, 9; 16:31; 19:18; 22:53; 2 Ki. 2:15; 4:37; 5:18; 17:16, 35f; 18:22; 19:37; 21:3, 21; 1 Chr. 16:29; 21:21; 29:20; 2 Chr. 7:3, 19, 22; 20:18; 24:17; 25:14; 29:28ff; 32:12; 33:3; Neh. 8:6; 9:3, 6; Est. 3:2, 5; 4:17; 8:12; Job 1:20; Ps. 5:7; 22:27, 29; 29:2; 45:11; 66:4; 72:11; 81:9; 86:9; 95:6; 96:9; 97:7; 99:5, 9; 106:19; 132:7; 138:2; Isa. 2:8, 20; 27:13; 37:38; 44:15, 17, 19; 45:14; 46:6; 49:7, 23; 66:23; Jer. 1:16; 8:2; 13:10; 16:11; 22:9; 25:6; 26:2; Ezek. 8:16; 46:2f, 9; Dan. 2:46; 3:5ff, 10ff, 14f, 18, 28; 6:26f; Mic. 5:13; Zeph. 1:5; 2:11; Zech. 14:16f). Study the following representative uses to give you a sense of how proskuneo was used in the Septuagint (LXX) ...

Genesis 18:2 (Context = verse 1 Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day) And when he (Abraham) lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men (one of those "Men" was a theophany, very likely the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus - see related study of  Angel of the LORD) were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo) himself to the earth

Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels (the third "Man" described above did not appear to Lot) came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo)  with his face to the ground.

Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo) and return to you."

Genesis 49:8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's sons shall bow down (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo) to you.

Ruth 2:10 (note) Then she fell on her face, bowing (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo) to the ground and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo)  before Thee.

Isaiah 66:23 "And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down (Hebrew = shachah = bow down; Lxx = proskuneo) before Me," says the LORD. (Comment: This event will occur when Christ establishes His Millennial Kingdom)

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
AND HEBREWS 1:6

It is interesting to read that the older editions of the Jehovah's Witness publication of their New World Translation translates Hebrews 1:6 as follows:

But when he again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels worship him.” (NWT, editions of 1953, 1960, 1961, and 1970) (Bolding added)

When the editions of the Watchtower Bible cited above were printed, somehow this reference to worshiping Jesus Christ managed to escape the censor’s knife (One of those providential "accidents"!). Every other mention of worshiping Jesus was removed from the New World Translation, except the one in Hebrews 1:6. However, beginning with the 1971 revision of the NWT, all future editions were changed to read as follows

and let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.

Obeisance is defined in our English dictionary as to give reverence to, to bow or to curtsy, so it takes away somewhat from the idea inherent in the stronger word "to worship".

Notice once again the importance of  interpreting Scripture in context. The entire first chapter of Hebrews is devoted to contrasting Jesus Christ with the angels—showing the superiority of the Son of God over the angelic creation. But the Jehovah's Witness Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus Christ is an angel. It is little wonder that they changed Hebrews 1:6, so that they might eliminate any thought of worshiping Him as the Creator rather than the creature! If you have an older edition of the New World Translation, turn to Hebrews 1 and let the Jehovah's Witness member read verse 6. If you don't have access to this out of print version you can still invite the Jehovah's Witness to turn to Re 22:8-note; Re 22:9-note in his own Kingdom Interlinear Translation, where the same word proskuneo is used in the original Greek. There the apostle John says,

“I fell down to worship [proskuneo] before the feet of the angel.… But he tells me: ‘Be careful! Do not do that! … Worship [proskuneo] God.’

You can point out that the worship the angel refused to accept, but told John to give to God, is the same Greek verb proskuneo used in Hebrews 1:6 where the Father commanded this act and action be given to His Son Jesus. Clearly, the Son is certainly not an angel but is superior to the angels (and not a "superior angel" but the Creator of the angels!). Would it be appropriate to give the Son the same worshipful honor that is given to the Father? Let John 5:23 answer that question:

in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (New World Translation) (Bolding added)

We know from Exodus 20:5 that only God is to be worshipped.

You shall not (absolute negation in the Septuagint) worship  (Septuagint  = same verb proskuneo) them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me (Exodus 20:5)

In spite of this strong OT warning to worship no one other than God, note that Jesus always accepted such worship (not just obeisance) when it was offered! For example in one of His post-resurrection appearances to His disciples Matthew records...

And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped (proskuneo) Him. (Mt 28:7) (See also Mt 14:33, Mark 14:3-9)

The blind man who had been healed by Jesus and subsequently was cast out of the presence of the Jewish religious leaders then encountered Jesus, John recording that...

Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered and said, "And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." 38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped (proskuneo) Him. (John 9:35-38 )

Finally compare two parallel passages in the Revelation which use the word proskuneo...

Revelation 4:10 (note) the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship (proskuneo) Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Revelation 5:14 (note) And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped. (proskuneo). (Comment: Read the context beginning in verse 11 and you will note that the Lamb that was slain and that in verse 13 the object of the worship of the elders is Him Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, so here in one verse Jesus the Lamb of God [John 1:29, 1 Cor 5:7] and the Father receive worship.)

Note that there is no justification for translating proskuneo as worship in contexts dealing with the Father and as obeisance in contexts dealing with Jesus. In both contexts worship is the clear and obvious meaning because Jesus is God! And He is better than the angels, who are called to worship Him as God!