2:9
In the Greek text this verse is one long sentence. It may be more natural in some languages to use more than one sentence to translate the verse.
The clauses in the Greek text are in a slightly different order from most English versions. In some languages it is more natural to follow the order of the English versions and begin with the clause “we see Jesus.” See the General Comment on 2:9a–e at the end of 2:9e for examples.
2:9a
But we see Jesus: The clause But we see Jesus introduces a contrast between what we saw in the past and what we see now that Jesus has come. In the past, people did not see that everything was subject to them. But now in the present time, people understand that Jesus fulfilled what the writer of Psalm 8 predicted.
Some other ways to introduce the contrast are:
But what do we see also/now? Jesus became for some time lower than angels, but now…
-or-
But we know that this was fulfilled because of Jesus. Because he is the one who was made a little lower than the angels when he became a person. However, we see that Jesus was…
-or-
But what really happened was this: For a little while Jesus also was made more humble/unimportant than the angels…
Translate this contrast in a natural way in your language. See the next note and also the General Comment on 2:9a–e at the end of 2:9e for examples of other ways to translate it.
Jesus: Here the author used the name Jesus for the first time in Hebrews. In chapter 1 he referred to him as the “Son” of God (for, example, 1:2) and God’s “firstborn” (1:6).
2:9b–c
who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor: The phrases was made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor were taken from the OT quotation given in 2:7a. You may want to use quotation marks or bold italics to indicate that these phrases are quotations. For example:
He was made a little lower than the angels but he is now crowned with glory and honor
For the phrase a little, be sure to follow the same interpretation as you followed in 2:7. For more information, see the notes there.
was made a little lower: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was made a little lower is passive. The context indicates that God is the one who made Jesus lower than the angels so that he could die on behalf of all people. In some languages a passive verb may not be natural here or may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may indicate God as the subject or cause of the action. For example:
God caused Jesus’ respect/glory to become a little less than the angels’ respect/glory
-or-
God caused Jesus to be a little smaller ⌊in status⌋ than the angels
2:9c–d
now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death: The clause because He suffered death gives the reason why Jesus was crowned with glory and honor. Jesus suffered death (2:9d), and that is why God crowned him with glory and honor (2:9c).
In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 2:9c and 2:9d so that the reason comes before the result. For example:
9d Jesus suffered death. 9c That is why he is now crowned with glory and honor.
2:9c
now crowned with glory and honor: Here the author used the phrase that applied to people in 2:7b to refer to Jesus. The verb crowned is used in a figurative way. It refers to the custom of honoring someone by placing a wreath (“crown”) of leaves on his head. Here the figure of speech indicates that God honored Jesus by giving him great authority and respect. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:
he has been made big and given an honored position/seat
-or-
God has honored him like the honor of a king
glory and honor: See the note on glory and honor in 2:7b. In this context the phrase refers to the glory and honor that God gave Jesus. In some languages it is helpful to make the translation more emphatic here than in 2:7. For example:
God caused that…Jesus Christ is supremely respected.
2:9d
He suffered death: The phrase He suffered death means that Jesus experienced death. The word suffered refers to his death. It does not refer here to the pain that he suffered during the process of dying. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
he suffered by dying
-or-
he died
-or-
he experienced death
2:9e
so that…He might taste death for everyone: This clause tells the purpose for Jesus’ death (2:9d). The word might helps to indicate that it was God’s purpose for Jesus to die. It does not indicate any doubt about the fact that Jesus died. God decided that Jesus should die so that everyone else would not have to die. Jesus died as a substitute for every other person. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
to die for everyone
-or-
in order that his death would replace the death of every person
-or-
so that he would die substituting for mankind
taste death: The phrase taste death is a figure of speech. It means “die.” It does not indicate that Jesus just seemed to die. When Jesus died, he was truly dead, and he remained dead until his resurrection.
In many languages, it will give a wrong meaning to translate this idiom literally. If that is true in your language, you can use the normal way in your language to say that he died. For example:
died (New Century Version)
-or-
experience death (Revised English Bible)
However, if you have a different idiom in your language that means “died,” you may be able to use it here.
for everyone: The phrase for everyone indicates here that Jesus was a substitute for all human beings. If Jesus had not died, every other person would have to die as punishment for his or her own sins. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
to be the substitute/redemption for all mankind.
-or-
so that everyone else ⌊could be spared/saved⌋
-or-
on behalf of everyone (God’s Word)
In some languages there may be a figure of speech to express this meaning.
by the grace of God: The phrase by the grace of God means “as the result of God’s grace” or “because of God’s grace.” It indicates that the reason that Christ died on behalf of people was because God was very gracious to people. Because God is so gracious and kind, he caused Jesus to die for all people. It was not because the people deserved his kindness.
Some ways to translate by the grace of God are:
through the greatness of God’s mercy
-or-
because of God’s wonderful kindness (Contemporary English Version)
In some languages there is a figurative way to translate this meaning. For example:
because of the whiteness/bigness of God’s heart
grace of God: The phrase grace of God refers here to the kindness that God freely shows to people because he is good and generous. It implies that the people have not done anything to deserve his kindness. Some other ways to translate the phrase grace of God in this context are:
God is kind/generous
-or-
God’s merciful goodness
The word grace also occurs in 4:16, 10:29, 12:15, and 13:9. For more information, see grace, sense A2(a), in Key Biblical Terms.
General Comment on 2:9a–e
In Greek, 2:9 is one long sentence. In some languages it is more natural to use more than one sentence to translate it. For example:
What we do see is Jesus. For he was “made a little lower than the angels,” but now he is “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death for us. By God’s grace, Jesus died as a substitute for all other people.
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