Bible Questions and Answers

Can you explain Hebrew 1:8?

Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."

Using Strong’s Concordance: God <2316> θεός theos; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate;

The Greek word is not restricted to a description of one that is God, it can also be applied to a magistrate or one with a special status. Jesus clarifies this in John 10:34-36.

This is a quotation from Psalm 82:6 Here the Hebrew word is ‘elohim’ which has a similar range of meaning to the Greek ‘theos’. From this we see that both the Hebrew and the Greek can be used to describe those who have a special status in relation to God himself without actually being ‘God’ themselves. Therefore, Jesus is not 'God' - he is the Son of God as he says himself.

I hope you find this helpful,

God bless,
Glenn