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Fourthly and conclusively, the Messiah is not spoken of nor alluded to in that song. We
must look, then, for its original in no other place than Psalm 97:7."
To this comment we reply: The Septuagint version is quoted by Paul as authoritative
Scripture, and forms part of an argument that would be destroyed, could the Scriptural
authority for it be challenged. Notice the way in which the undoubted texts of Old
Testament Scriptures are introduced in this chapter. "He saith", and with these words the
quotation from Deut. 32: is introduced. The fact which stares us in the face is this,
that the Hebrew of Deut. 32: 43 has been tampered with, and we owe it to the
despised and neglected Greek version that this most important text has been preserved to
us.
A | Heb. 1: 5-7. Unto which of the angels . . . My Son . . .
Angels are "spirits" and "ministers".
B | 1: 8, 9. Christ is addressed as God. "Throne." "Sceptre."
B | 1: 10-12. Christ is addressed as Lord. "Earth." "Heavens."
A | 1: 13, 14. To which of the angels . . . . . Sit on My right hand . . .
Angels are "ministering spirits".
Before proceeding we must make sure that every reader will be able to follow the
references we must make to the presence of "conjunctions of antithesis". Conjunctions
are particles which denote:
(1)
Annexation, like kai "and";
(2)
Comparison, like hos "as";
(3)
Disjunction, like etoi . . . e "either" . . . "or";
(4)
Antithesis, like alla "but";
(5)
Condition, like ei "if";
(6)
Cause, like gar "for";
(7)
Inference, like oun "therefore" and
(8)
Result, like hina "in order that".
For the moment we are concerned with the conjunctions of antithesis--the Greek
men . . . de. These words often occur in distribution, men occurring in one sentence, de
in the sentence that follows, and may be rendered "on the one hand" and "on the other
hand". In Heb. 1: 7 we read "And regarding (men) on the one hand, the angels He
saith" and in Heb. 1: 8 we read "Regarding (de) on the other hand the Son He saith". A
similar antithesis and with the same object is found in Heb. 3: 5, 6, where Moses on the
one hand was faithful as a servant, but Christ on the other hand was Son over His own
house. There are about twenty instances of this antithetical conjunction in Hebrews,
which we may note as we reach them. An intended contrast therefore with the angels is
found in verse 8:
"But unto (pros regarding) the Son (He saith), Thy throne, O God, is unto the age of
the age (eis ton aiona tou aionos)" (Heb. 1: 8).