We, that is, the writer and his first readers, know that God was the speaker in Deuteronomy 32.35-36 (compare Psa 135.14 and Rom 12.19). However, some present-day receptors may not know this, or at least may be puzzled for a moment. To make the meaning plain for modern readers, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “We know that the Lord (God) has said….”

In other places where the writer divides a quotation taken from the Old Testament, the result is to emphasize the last part of the quotation. This may be the case here. If so, the implied meaning will be “God will take revenge, not only on his adversaries in other nations (see verse 27), but also, indeed especially, on his own people.” This would fit the context well, since the rest of the chapter is concerned with the Christian community. It is likely that the existing Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 32.35, and followed in Hebrews and Romans 12.19, is an abbreviation of the original “in the day of judgment,” preserved in the Septuagint and other witnesses.

If this explanation is correct, translators will need to find some way of emphasizing the second part of the quotation, perhaps by expanding the words which introduce it (literally “And again” [Revised Standard Version], as for example in the Greek of 1.5). The translation of the introductions to the quotations in 5.5, 6 may serve as a model; there the meaning is “God calls Christ not only his Son, but also a priest….”

The introductions to both parts of the quotation in 10.30 may need expansion for other reasons also. We know who said may be rendered “we know who it was who said,” “we know that it was the Lord who said,” or “… that it was God who said.” The word for know suggests knowledge of facts, not in this context knowledge of people. Similarly, and who also said may be translated “We also know who it was who said.”

The meaning of the first quotation may need expansion; for example, “I will pay you back for the wrong you have done,” or if there is any danger of “pay back” being misunderstood as referring to compensation or reward, “I will certainly make you suffer for the evil you have done.”

In its Old Testament context, the second quotation means “The Lord will prove his people right,” but The Lord will judge his people is certainly how the writer of Hebrews understands the Old Testament text. In some languages this must be adjusted to “I will judge my people,” since God is the assumed speaker.

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 .

See Exodus 12.12-42, especially verses 21-30. It is implied that Moses showed his trust in God, and therefore his belief in Israel’s future, by obeying God’s instructions. Here, as usual, faith is forward-looking and is expressed in active obedience to God.

The clause so that the Angel of Death would not kill the first-born sons of the Israelites is related only to order the blood to be sprinkled on the doors, not to establish the Passover.

The word for establish suggests the beginning of something which continues to the writer’s time. This applies strictly only to the Passover, not to the sprinkling of blood on the doors.

Passover has a glossary note in some translations, including Good News Bible fourth edition.

The initial statement of this verse, namely, It was faith that made him establish the Passover, may need to be somewhat restructured and amplified; for example, “Because Moses trusted God, he instituted the Passover Festival,” “… he caused the people to celebrate the festival for remembering the angel’s passing over,” or “… the festival called ‘the passing over of the angel.’ ”

If it is necessary to expand the reference to the Passover, it may be best to end the sentence after the reference to the Passover Festival and to begin a new sentence as “He also ordered blood to be sprinkled on the doors” or “He also ordered the people to sprinkle blood on their doors.” In this way the purpose of sprinkling the doors, namely, to avoid death from the angel, is made quite specific.

The Angel of Death (New English Bible and New American Bible “destroying angel”) is literally “the Destroyer” (Revised Standard Version). The first readers would probably understand Exodus 12 to speak of an angel, but some modern readers will need to be given this information. The phrase the Angel of Death may be rendered as “the angel who brings death,” “the angel who causes people to die,” or “the angel who kills.” The fundamental difficulty is that people’s ideas about supernatural beings vary so much from one culture to another. The main elements in “the Destroyer,” here as in Exodus 12, are (a) a supernatural power, (b) sent by God, (c) to destroy God’s enemies (in this case the Egyptians). There is also (d) a suggestion of military activity. To convey this in translation raises problems. In Western cultures, angels are often thought of as sweet, peaceful, and usually feminine. Non-Western cultures may lack the idea of a secondary supernatural power completely under the control of the one God. It may be better to avoid the traditional term for “angel,” which in any case is not in the Greek text, and expand “the Destroyer” to something like “a spirit sent by God to destroy his enemies.” The Greek has “the destroyer,” which assumes that this figure was well known to the original readers. “A destroyer,” expanded if necessary, may be better for modern readers.

On the doors is made explicit on the basis of Exodus 12, and of the Israelites expands the Greek “of them,” for the sake of clarity. Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation does not make it clear that “the first-born” and “them” are the same group of people. Good News Translation makes the meaning plain.

The first-born sons of the Israelites may be expressed as “the first sons in the families of the Israelites,” or more specifically “the first-born son in each of the families of the Israelites.”

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 .

The fourth item in the list is the joyful gathering, the “assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven” (Revised Standard Version). Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation show the two possibilities for translating “in festal gathering” (see RSV footnote) or joyful gathering. The choice is related to problems of punctuation, and even of the division between verses 22 and 23. The UBS Greek text makes the word translated joyful gathering part of verse 22, but punctuates the sentence in such a way as to link it with verse 23. Most common language translations make the word part of verse 23 and translate accordingly. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, however, agrees with Revised Standard Version in translating “You have come near to the festal meeting, to the assembly of God’s first-born sons.” The structure of the sentence, in particular the position of the word “and,” supports this. Good News Translation and other common language translations are probably right, however, to take “festal meeting” and “assembly” as two phrases in apposition, referring to the same object. If this is so, it is better to omit Revised Standard Version‘s “and” at the beginning of the verse, or any similar expression which leads the reader to expect additional information.

Joyful gathering is a single word in Greek. Joyful may be implied, but the context also suggests “solemn.” The joyful gathering may be rendered as “the gathering of happy people” or “the gathering of those who are joyful.”

In the phrase God’s first-born sons, God’s and sons are strongly implied. However, neither the plural nor the metaphor must be pressed too far, as in Jerusalem Bible “the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son.’ ” The meaning is close to Exodus 4.22: “Thus says the LORD, ‘Israel is my first-born son’ ” (Revised Standard Version), implying special choice and privilege, as in verse 16. Neither sons (implied) nor all mankind (Good News Translation fourth edition) excludes women; here both sons and daughters who are adults are intended.

Since the phrase God’s first-born sons is a figurative reference to the followers of Christ, it may be important to mark this by translating as a simile. Accordingly the first part of verse 23 may be rendered as “You have come to a gathering of those who are, as it were, God’s first-born sons, and they are joyful.” With this rendering it may be necessary to make a separate sentence out of the clause whose names are written in heaven; for example, “These persons have their names written in heaven.” At this point it may be useful to have some note to explain the significance of this figurative statement about names … written in heaven, since this indicates that such persons “are destined to occupy heaven.”

The fifth item is God, who is the judge of all mankind. Revised Standard Version follows the order of the Greek, somewhat emphasizing judge, but most translations link “of all” with judge, not with God; Barclay “God who is judge of all.” Jerusalem Bible‘s “the supreme judge” is slightly misleading; there is no reference, even implicit, to other judges at this point. In this context it is important to use a term for judge which will not suggest only “to condemn.” Judge here indicates impartial evaluation of what people have done during their lives.

The sixth item is the spirits of good people made perfect. Spirits are human spirits. On made perfect, see 5.14. The good people made perfect no doubt include the Old Testament believers listed in chapter 11, as well as Christians (compare 11.40).

There is a serious problem in the rendering You have come … to the spirits of good people made perfect, since this might suggest approaching the disembodied spirits of those perfect individuals who have passed on to the next world; in other words, “You have come in contact with the spirits of the saints.” To avoid such a misinterpretation it may be best to translate “You have come to those good people who have been made perfect,” or “… who have been made to be just what God wants them to be,” or “… to be in every respect just as they should be.” To retain the idea that they have died, it may be necessary to say “those good people from the past” or “… from long ago,” or “those good people who died but who have been made perfect.”

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 .