Kingdom Ready

by Chuck LaMattina of Grace Ministry International.

13.

Hebrews 1:10

“And:
‘You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

I feel compelled to address this verse in relation to the question of Jesus not being God, because they follow immediately after Hebrews 1:8, 9. And there are a number of questions that come to mind. Is verse 10, addressed to Jesus as were verses 8 and 9? If this is addressed to Jesus what does it mean? Or is it addressed to God?

First, the quotation in Hebrews 1:10-12 is from Psalm 102:25-27. In Psalm 102, the one being addressed is God/Yahweh. Psalm 102:25, says,

“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.”

You will notice right away that there is a difference in the quote as it reads in the Psalms and as it is in the book of Hebrews. The Hebrew manuscript of Psalm 102:25 states, Of old You…” and does not use the word “LORD.” However, the Septuagint (the Greek version) reads, “At the beginning it was you, O Lord, who founded the earth…”

Another interesting difference is that the New King James Version, in quoting Psalm 102:25 in Hebrews 1:10, spells “LORD” with all capital letters. This is normally the designation of the personal name for God, which is Yahweh. But the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) has “Lord” with a capital “L” and then small letters, translating the Greek word “kurios.” This is not a name but a title that can be applied to both God and man. The Greek New Testament text also has “kurios.” It is strange that the NKJV spells “LORD” with all capital letters. I see no reason to do this except perhaps to mislead the reader into thinking Jesus is Yahweh. By the way, that would be wrong in trinitarian thinking because you are not supposed to confound the “persons” within the Trinity, i.e. Jesus cannot be Yahweh, he cannot be both the Father and the Son.

As to whom Hebrews 1:10-12, is addressed, there are some Bible scholars, both Trinitarian and Unitarian, who think it is a continuation of Hebrews 1:8, and thus addressed to Jesus. Other scholars, both Trinitarian and Unitarian, believe that it is addressed to God, the Father of Jesus.

If verses 10-12, are addressed to Jesus, we have a little problem, because it was Yahweh and not Jesus (who did not exist before his birth) who created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1; Isaiah 37:16; 45:12). This problem could be solved if we apply Hebrews 1:10, not to the past creation of this heavens and earth, but to the new creation in the future. And this is what some scholars do because of the context in Hebrews 2:5, that says, “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels…” This verse is clearly in reference to the new creation that is to come rather than the present one

At this time in my studies, however, I think that the quotation in Hebrews 1:10-12, is addressed to God rather than to Jesus. Here is my reason. Verse 10, starts with the word “And” in the Greek text, therefore verses 9 and 10, are joined together. Verse 9, ends with a reference to God (“Therefore God, Your God…”), therefore the word “Lord” in verse 10, is a reference back to the one true God in verse 9. Understood in this manner, the author of Hebrews simply breaks forth into praising God’s awesome power. The God who promised His Son such a glorious throne is the one who created the heavens and the earth. And because He is the powerful Creator He has the power to establish His Son’s throne forever and ever.