Notice that this group of translations favor
again translated in such a
way as to not favor this as a reference to the Second Coming --
And again, when he brings the firstborn
(NRSV)
And again, when he bringeth
in the firstbegotten into the world (KJV)
And again, when God brings his firstborn
into the world (NIV)
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world (DNT)
And again, when he brings his firstborn
into the world (ISV)
And again, when he leads the first-born
into the world, (NAB)
And again, when he brings the firstborn
into the world (ESV)
But when God was about to send his
first-born Son into the world (TEV)
Further, when he brings his first-born into
this world of men, (Phillips)
And again, when God brings his Firstborn into the world (JNT)
and further when introducing the firstborn
into the world (Moffatt)
Now again when He brings the Firstborn
[fig., the Pre-existent One] into the inhabited earth (ALT)
And again, when he is sending his only Son
into the world (BBE)
Notice that the following translations
favor again
translated in such a way as to favor this as a reference to the Second
Coming --
But speaking of the time when He once more
brings His Firstborn (WNT)
And when he again bringeth in the firstborn
into the world (ASV)
And whenever He shall have brought again
the first-begotten into the inhabited earth (Wuest)
Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son
again into the habitable world (Amp)
When He again brings His firstborn into the
world, (Adds a note: Or And again, when He brings His firstborn into the
world..." ) (Holman Christian Std Bible)
But when he again brings his firstborn into
the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” (NET Bible is
similar to Holman above adding an explanatory note but stating that they favor
the rendering that "looks forward to Christ's Second Coming to earth")
and when he re-introduces the
first-begotten into the world (Mace NT)
But speaking of the time when He once more
brings His Firstborn into the world (WNT)
But when He again brings the firstborn
(NKJV)
and when again He may bring in the
first-born to the world (YLT)
If again
the Greek adverb palin is taken as modifying the verb (brings...into)
that it immediately precedes in the Greek construction, one would interpret
this as a reference is to Second Coming (He 9:28-note;
He 10:37-note)
- see also
Second Coming - Table comparing
Rapture vs Second Coming)
Charles Ryrie, Vincent, Wuest, Expositor’s Commentary, and Alford interpret
this as a reference to the Second Coming. John MacArthur notes that that one
can interpret it either way and A T Robertson adds that
There is no way to decide certainly about it.
First-born (firstborn)
(4416)
(prototokos
= protos = first, + tíkto
=bear, bring forth) (Click
study of
prototokos) can mean first-born chronologically (Lk 2:7) but refers
primarily to position, or rank.
In both Greek and Jewish
culture, the first-born was the son who had the right of inheritance.
He was not necessarily the first one born. Although Esau was born first
chronologically, it was Jacob who was the “first-born” and received the
inheritance. Jesus is the One with the right to the inheritance of all
creation. In Ps 89:27, God says of the Messiah,
“I also shall make him My
first-born,” then defines what He means—“the highest of the kings of
the earth.”
In Rev 1:5 (note), Jesus is called “the first-born of the dead,”
even though He was not the first person to be resurrected chronologically. Of
all ever raised, He is the preeminent One.
Ro 8:29(note) refers to Him as the
first-born in relation to the church. In all the above cases, first-born
clearly means highest in rank, not first created.
TWISTING
THE SCRIPTURE
HEBREWS 1:6
BY JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
Jehovah's Witnesses claim that the title “firstborn of all creation” (Col
1:15-note) means that
Jesus is the first created being, based on the analogy of a human family where
the first-born child is younger than his parents. To support this they must
insert the word other into their translation called the New
World Translation so that it reads
“For by him all
other things were
created.” (Col 1:15-note)
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!
