Paragraph 2:14–18

The final paragraph of chapter 2 explains in more detail why God’s Son had to become a human being like us. He came to defeat the devil, and stop people from being afraid to die. He also became human so that he could become the high priest for his people. In these ways, he is greater than the angels, because none of them was able to become human, defeat the devil, and free his people from fearing death.

The author briefly introduces the topic of Jesus as our high priest, which he will discuss more fully in 4:14–5:10 and 7:1–8:1.

2:14–15

In Greek, 2:14–15 is one long sentence. In many languages it is more natural to break it into two or three sentences. For examples of how this can be translated as three sentences, see the General Comment on 2:14–15 at the end of 2:15.

2:14a

Now since: This verse begins with the two Greek conjunctions that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now since The word translated as Now is usually translated as “therefore” and introduces the connection between this paragraph and the OT quotations in 2:12–13. The word since indicates the connection between 2:14a and 2:14b. It is important to consider each of these connections and how to translate them in a natural way in your language.

Some other ways to translate the connections are:

So then, because the children…
-or-
The children have flesh and blood, so/therefore

Some versions leave the connection with the previous paragraph implicit and translate only the connection between the clauses (2:14a and 2:14b). For example:

Since all of these sons and daughters…

the children have flesh and blood: The clause the children have flesh and blood means that God’s children are human beings. The phrase flesh and blood refers to being human, and it implies the weakness of human beings. Some ways to translate this clause are:

those children being referred to are people/humans
-or-
these children are people with physical bodies (New Century Version)
-or-
the children of God that it is talking about here are people who have bodies that die

the children: The phrase the children repeats the phrase from the quotation in 2:13b. It refers to the children of God, whom Jesus said were his “brothers and sisters” in 2:12a. Indicate clearly that the author referred back to the same children that he mentioned in 2:13b. Some ways to do this in English are:

these children (New Century Version)
-or-
God’s children (New Living Translation (2004))

Refer back to them in a natural way in your language.

flesh and blood: The Greek phrase flesh and blood is literally “blood and flesh.” It is an idiom that usually refers to human bodies. It indicates that the children of God he referred to here are human beings. Use the natural way in your language to refer to humans.

2:14b

He too shared in their humanity: The clause He too shared in their humanity means that Jesus also had “flesh and blood.” It indicates that he became a human being and had a human body like the children of God whom he was leading to salvation.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

he also became a human being, (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. (God’s Word)

their humanity: The phrase their humanity refers back to “flesh and blood” in 2:14a. Refer back to it in a natural way in your language.

2:14c–d

so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil: This clause tells the purpose for which Christ became a human being (2:14a–b). He came to destroy the devil’s power. The clause indicates that when Christ died, he defeated the devil and took away the devil’s power of death.

In some languages it may be more natural to make 2:14c–d a separate sentence. For example:

⌊ He/Jesus did this⌋so that by dying himself, he might destroy the devil who has power over death.

He might destroy: In this context the verb destroy means “to make powerless.” The phrase He might destroy indicates that Jesus’ purpose in dying was to take away the devil’s power. The context indicates that by dying Jesus was successful in destroying the devil’s power. The word might does not imply any doubt about that.

Some ways to translate He might destroy are:

in order that he would spoil the power of
-or-
to completely take away the power of
-or-
he would totally defeat

him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil: Scholars have different views about what the power of death refers to here:

(1) It indicates that the devil has power to tempt people to sin, which causes spiritual death (separation from God). For example:

who works to cause ⌊spiritual⌋ death

(2) It indicates that the devil brought sin and death into the world. For example:

Satan, who is the origin of death

(3) It refers to the power that the devil has to cause people’s physical death. For example:

the devil, who causes people to die

English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) or (2). These interpretations fit the context of Hebrews and are supported by various Bible scholars. Interpretation (3) is not recommended, because the Scriptures indicate that God is the one who has power to decide when a person will die.

Some ways to translate interpretation (1) or (2) are:

his control over people, that being what leads them to death which is unending punishment
-or-
the devil’s power that causes people to die ⌊eternally⌋

the devil: The phrase the devil refers to the chief of all evil spirits. His name is Satan. In Hebrew this name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people. The terms the devil and “Satan” refer to the same spiritual enemy. In some languages, you may want to use one term for both terms in your translation.

Here are some ways to translate the devil :

• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

the leader of the evil spirits
-or-
the spirit enemy of God

• Transliterate the name “Satan.” If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:

Satan, the ruler of demons

If you transliterate “Satan” or borrow a word from another language, be sure that it communicates the biblical meaning to people in your culture. It is important to check this in each biblical context.

Try to use a term that is acceptable to churches in the area. It is suggested that you also add a footnote or glossary entry that further explains who the devil is. For example:

The devil is the leader of all the evil spirits or demons. Once he was an angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God. God expelled him from heaven, and now he tempts people on earth. Other names for him in the Bible are “Beelzebul,” “Satan,” “the Evil One,” “the Enemy,” and “the Tempter.”

If you have translated the Gospels, you may use the same term as you used there. For more information, see Satan, “other expressions” in Key Biblical Terms.

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