Hebrews 2:2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,

◄ Hebrews 2:2 ►

New International Version
For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,

New Living Translation
For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.

English Standard Version
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

Berean Standard Bible
For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,

Berean Literal Bible
For if the word having been spoken by angels was unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense,

King James Bible
For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

New King James Version
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,

New American Standard Bible
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every violation and act of disobedience received a just punishment,

NASB 1995
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,

NASB 1977
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense,

Legacy Standard Bible
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty,

Amplified Bible
For if the message given through angels [the Law given to Moses] was authentic and unalterable, and every violation and disobedient act received an appropriate penalty,

Christian Standard Bible
For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,

American Standard Version
For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;

Contemporary English Version
The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved.

English Revised Version
For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
After all, the message that the angels brought was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience was properly punished.

Good News Translation
The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved.

International Standard Version
because if the message spoken by angels was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience received its just punishment,

Majority Standard Bible
For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,

NET Bible
For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty,

New Heart English Bible
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;

Webster's Bible Translation
For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;

Weymouth New Testament
For if the message delivered through angels proved to be true, and every transgression and act of disobedience met with just retribution,

World English Bible
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
for if the word being spoken through messengers became steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just repayment,

Berean Literal Bible
For if the word having been spoken by angels was unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense,

Young's Literal Translation
for if the word being spoken through messengers did become stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience did receive a just recompense,

Smith's Literal Translation
For if the word spoken by angels was firm, and every transgression and bad instruction received the just payment of reward;

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
For if the word, spoken by angels, became steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward:

Catholic Public Domain Version
For if a word that was spoken through the Angels has been made firm, and every transgression and disobedience has received the recompense of a just retribution,

New American Bible
For if the word announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense,

New Revised Standard Version
For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty,

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
For if the word spoken by the angels has been affirmed, and every one who has heard it and transgressed it has received a just reward,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For if a word spoken by Angels was established and everyone who heard it and violated it received a reward by justice,

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,

Godbey New Testament
For if the word having been spoken by angels was stedfast, and every disobedience and transgression received a just recompense of reward;

Haweis New Testament
For if the discourse spoken by angels was confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment as its due,

Mace New Testament
for if the law deliver'd by angels was put in execution, and every transgression and disobedience was justly punish'd as it deserv'd;

Weymouth New Testament
For if the message delivered through angels proved to be true, and every transgression and act of disobedience met with just retribution,

Worrell New Testament
For, if the word spoken through angels became steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a righteous recompense,

Worsley New Testament
For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received it's just recompence;

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Salvation Confirmed
1We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Galatians 3:19
Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.

Acts 7:53
you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”

Deuteronomy 33:2
He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.

Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.

Exodus 19:16-19
On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled. / Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. / Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. ...

Daniel 7:10
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

Matthew 18:10
See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

2 Corinthians 3:7-9
Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, / will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? / For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!

Romans 3:19
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

1 Timothy 1:8
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately.

John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.

Revelation 22:8-9
And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. / But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

Genesis 19:1-13
Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown, / and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” / But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ...

Treasury of Scripture

For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;

spoken.

Deuteronomy 32:2
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Acts 7:53
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

every.

Hebrews 10:28
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

Exodus 32:27,28
And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour…

Leviticus 10:1,2
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not…

recompense.

Hebrews 10:35
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

Hebrews 11:6,26
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him…

Jump to Previous

Act Angels Binding Declared Delivered Disobedience Firm Fixed Full God's Message Messengers Met Orders Past Penalty Proved Punishment Received Recompence Recompense Retribution Reward Steadfast Stedfast Transgression True. Valid Violation Word

Jump to Next

Hebrews 2

1. We ought to be obedient to Christ Jesus;
5. and that because he condescended to take our nature upon himself;
14. as it was necessary.

Berean Study Bible

For if
The phrase "For if" introduces a conditional statement, setting the stage for a logical argument. In Greek, the word "if" (εἰ) often implies a condition assumed to be true for the sake of argument. This rhetorical device is used to draw a comparison between the old covenant and the new, emphasizing the seriousness of the message being conveyed.

the message spoken by angels
The "message" refers to the Law given to Moses, which, according to Jewish tradition, was mediated by angels. This is supported by passages such as Acts 7:53 and Galatians 3:19. The involvement of angels underscores the divine authority and sacredness of the Law. In the Jewish context, angels were seen as messengers of God, and their involvement in delivering the Law highlights its importance and the reverence it commanded.

was binding
The term "binding" indicates that the message was legally and morally obligatory. In Greek, the word used here (βέβαιος) conveys the idea of something being firm, secure, and unalterable. This reflects the unchanging nature of God's Law and the expectation that it be adhered to with utmost seriousness.

and every transgression and disobedience
"Transgression" and "disobedience" refer to violations of the Law. "Transgression" (παράβασις) implies a willful overstepping of boundaries, while "disobedience" (παρακοή) suggests a failure to listen or heed. Together, they encompass both active rebellion and passive neglect, illustrating the comprehensive nature of sin under the Law.

received its just punishment
The phrase "received its just punishment" speaks to the justice of God in dealing with sin. The Greek word for "just" (ἔνδικος) means righteous or deserved, indicating that the consequences were appropriate to the offense. This reflects the biblical principle that God is a righteous judge who ensures that justice is served, as seen throughout the Old Testament in the administration of the Law.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) The word spoken by angels.--Or rather, through angels (comp. Hebrews 1:2): the word was God's, but angels were the medium through which it was given to men. In accordance with the tone of the whole passage (in which the thought is not the reward of obedience, but the peril of neglect of duty), "the word" must denote divine commands delivered by angels, and--as the close parallel presented by Hebrews 10:28-29, seems to prove--especially the commands of the Mosaic law. Hence this verse must be joined to the other passages (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; comp. also Acts 7:38) which bring into relief the ministration of angels in the giving of the Law; and the nature of the argument of this Epistle gives special importance to the subject here. The only passage in the Pentateuch which can be quoted in illustration is Deuteronomy 33:2 : "The Lord came from Sinai. . . . He came from amid myriads of holy ones." The Greek version (introducing a double rendering of the Hebrew) adds, "at His right hand were angels with Him;" and two of the Targums likewise speak of the "myriads of holy angels." Psalm 68:17 is difficult and obscure, but very possibly agrees with the passage just quoted in referring to angels as the attendants of Jehovah on the mount. Nowhere in the Old Testament is the thought carried beyond this point; but there are a few passages in Jewish writers which clearly show that such a ministration of angels as is here spoken of was a tenet of Jewish belief in the apostolic age. Philo, after saying that the angels have their name from reporting the commands of the Father to His children, and the wants of the children to the Father, adds: "We are unable to contain His exceeding and unalloyed benefits, if He Himself proffers them to us without employing others as His ministers." Much more important are the words of Josephus (Ant. xv. 5, ? 3), who introduces Herod as reminding the Jews that the noblest of the ordinances and the holiest of the things contained in the laws had been learnt by them from God through angels. Jewish writers quoted by Wetstein speak of the "angels of service" whom Moses had known from the time of the giving of the law; and, moreover, of the angel who, when Moses had through terror forgotten all that he had been taught during the forty days, delivered the law to him again. Such speculations are of interest as showing the place which this tenet held in Jewish doctrine and belief. Here and in Galatians 3:19 (see Note there) this mediation of angels is adduced as a mark of the inferiority of the law; in Acts 7:53, where no such comparison is made, the contrast implied is between angels and men as givers of a law. . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 2, 3. - For if the word that was spoken through angels (i.e. the Law) was made (or, proved) steadfast (i.e. as explained in the next clause, ratified by just visitation of every transgression and disobedience), how shall we (Christians) escape, if we neglect so great salvation? The danger of neglect must be in proportion to the dignity of the revelation. The readers are now further reminded of the manner in which the gospel had been made known to them, and been ratified in their own experience, by way of enhancing the danger of disregarding it. Which (not the simple relative pronoun η}, but ἥτις, which denotes always, when so used, some general idea in the antecedent, equivalent to "being such as"), having at the first begun to be spoken through the Lord (opposed to "the word spoken through angels" in the preceding verse. Its beginning was through the Lord himself, i.e. Christ the SON, not through intermediate agency. Ὁ Κύριος is a special designation of Christ in the New Testament; and, though not in itself proving belief in his divinity, is significant as being constantly used also as a designation of God, and substituted in the LXX. for יהוה. It has a special emphasis here as expressing the majesty of Christ), was confirmed (ἐβεβαιώθη, answering to ἐγένετο βέβαῖος in the former verse) unto us by them that heard (i.e. by the apostles and others who knew Christ in the flesh). Here the writer ranks himself among those who had not heard Christ himself; his doing which has been considered to afford a presumption against St. Paul having been the writer. For, though not an eyewitness of Christ's ministry, he is in the habit elsewhere of insisting strongly on his having received his "knowledge of the mystery," not from men or through men, but by direct revelation from the ascended Savior (cf. Galatians 1:1, 12). Still, he does not deny elsewhere that for the facts of Christ's history he was indebted to the testimony of others (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3, etc.). It was rather the meaning of the mystery that he had learnt from heaven.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

if
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

message
λόγος (logos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.

spoken
λαληθεὶς (lalētheis)
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.

by
δι’ (di’)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

angels
ἀγγέλων (angelōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor.

was
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

binding,
βέβαιος (bebaios)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 949: Firm, steadfast, enduring, sure, certain. From the base of basis; stable.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

every
πᾶσα (pasa)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

transgression
παράβασις (parabasis)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3847: A transgression, overstepping, deviation. From parabaino; violation.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

disobedience
παρακοὴ (parakoē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3876: Disobedience, imperfect hearing. From parakouo; inattention, i.e. disobedience.

received
ἔλαβεν (elaben)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2983: (a) I receive, get, (b) I take, lay hold of.

[its] just
ἔνδικον (endikon)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1738: Righteous, just. From en and dike; in the right, i.e. Equitable.

punishment,
μισθαποδοσίαν (misthapodosian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3405: (lit: repayment of price or payment of price due), reward, due punishment. From misthapodotes; requital.

Links

Hebrews 2:2 NIV
Hebrews 2:2 NLT
Hebrews 2:2 ESV
Hebrews 2:2 NASB
Hebrews 2:2 KJV

Hebrews 2:2 BibleApps.com
Hebrews 2:2 Biblia Paralela
Hebrews 2:2 Chinese Bible
Hebrews 2:2 French Bible
Hebrews 2:2 Catholic Bible

NT Letters: Hebrews 2:2 For if the word spoken through angels (Heb. He. Hb)