This verse confirms that the writer is more concerned with the continuity between the first Christians and his readers than with any contrast between them. How did God add his witness to those of earlier Christians? Verse 4 gives four answers (although Good News Translation combines the first two into one): (a) by signs, (b) by wonders, (c) by all kinds of powerful acts, and (d) by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When the first three terms are used separately, (a) emphasizes the significance of the events, (b) their effect in astonishing those who see them, and (c) the power behind them. However, in this verse, as often in the New Testament (for example, Mark 13.22; John 4.48; Acts 4.30; 15.12), (a) and (b) are closely connected and similar in meaning, and so Good News Translation is right to combine them and even link all kinds of with (a) and (b), as well as with (c).
At the same time may be expressed by a clause, “While this was happening.”
Added his witness translates a Greek present participle implying continuous action: “went on adding his witness.” The translation of added his witness to theirs must be rendered in such a way as to reflect the previous rendering of proved to us. For example, if proved to us is rendered “showed to us” or “made it clear to us,” then added his witness may be expressed as “also made it clear to us” or “also showed clearly to us.”
By performing all kinds of miracles and wonders may be expressed as “by doing all kinds of miracles and wonders.” In some languages miracles are spoken of simply as “great deeds” or “unusual deeds,” but sometimes more idiomatic expressions are used, for example, “open-mouth things” (something which is so astonishing that people open their mouths in wonder) or even “long-necked things” (events that are so marvelous that people stretch their necks in order to see). In order to suggest something of the meaning of the Greek, which clearly indicates the power which is necessary in the performing of such unusual deeds, one may speak of “powerful deeds” or “deeds which show God’s power.”
It is not clear whether according to his will is linked only with distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit or with the whole of (a)-(d). 1 Corinthians 12.11 similarly speaks of the one Holy Spirit “distributing” different gifts as he wishes, suggesting that according to his will may relate to (d) alone. The parallel with 1 Corinthians 12.11 also suggests that his will may mean “the Holy Spirit’s” rather than “God’s” will, but this is not certain. Many cases will be noted in this Handbook where the writer of Hebrews does not clearly state whether “his” and similar pronouns refer to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.
Most translations, like Good News Translation, refer to gifts of the Holy Spirit although gifts is implicit; the text is literally “distributions of the Holy Spirit” (compare Moffatt “distributing the Holy Spirit as it pleased him,” Bijbel in Gewone Taal “Moreover he dealt out the Holy Spirit as he wished,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “by means of the Holy Spirit which he has given us in different ways, according to his will”). Stress is on the origin of the gifts (the Spirit) rather than on the individual gifts themselves.
By distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit may be expressed as a type of causative, since the distribution is basically causative while the gifts are that which comes from the Holy Spirit. Therefore by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit may be expressed as “by causing people to have what the Holy Spirit gives.”
Will implies a settled purpose rather than a series of separate decisions. It is generally impossible to preserve the ambiguity in the phrase according to his will, and the translator will have to specify whether this is a reference to the will of the Holy Spirit or to the will of God. In the first case one may translate the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will as “what the Holy Spirit gives as he wants to.” In the second case the translation would be “the gifts which the Holy Spirit gives according to what God desires.” If, however, one wishes to emphasize that it is not the gifts which come from the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit who is the gift, it may be necessary to translate “by God distributing or giving to people the Holy Spirit according as he wanted to.”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .