Hebrews 2:14
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity
This phrase emphasizes the incarnation of Christ. The Greek word for "shared" (μετέσχεν, meteschen) implies a deep participation or fellowship. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on human nature, fully experiencing the human condition. This act of sharing in "flesh and blood" underscores His solidarity with humanity. Historically, this was a radical concept, as many religious systems of the time viewed the divine as distant and unapproachable. Theologically, this affirms the doctrine of the hypostatic union, where Jesus is both fully God and fully man, a cornerstone of Christian belief.

so that by His death
The purpose of Christ's incarnation is highlighted here. The phrase "by His death" points to the sacrificial nature of Jesus' mission. The Greek word for "death" (θανάτου, thanatou) is significant, as it refers to the physical death that Jesus willingly endured. This was not a mere accident of history but a divine plan for redemption. In the historical context of the Roman Empire, crucifixion was a brutal form of execution, reserved for the worst criminals. Jesus' death on the cross was both a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and a demonstration of God's love and justice.

He might destroy him who holds the power of death
The word "destroy" (καταργήσῃ, katargese) in Greek means to render powerless or ineffective. This does not imply annihilation but rather the breaking of authority. The "power of death" refers to the dominion that Satan held over humanity due to sin. In the biblical narrative, death entered the world through sin (Romans 5:12), and Satan is often depicted as the accuser and tempter. By His death and resurrection, Jesus broke the power of sin and death, offering eternal life to all who believe.

that is, the devil
This phrase identifies the adversary explicitly. The term "devil" (διάβολος, diabolos) means accuser or slanderer. In the biblical context, the devil is the embodiment of evil and opposition to God's purposes. The historical understanding of the devil has evolved, but within the conservative Christian perspective, he is a real and personal being who opposes God and seeks to lead humanity astray. The victory of Christ over the devil is a central theme in Christian theology, emphasizing the ultimate triumph of good over evil.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Children
Refers to humanity, specifically those who are part of God's family through faith. This term emphasizes the shared human experience of flesh and blood.

2. He (Jesus Christ)
The Son of God who took on human form. His incarnation is central to the passage, highlighting His full participation in human nature.

3. The Devil
The adversary who holds the power of death. This passage speaks to the spiritual battle and the ultimate defeat of the devil through Christ's death.

4. Death
Represents both physical death and spiritual separation from God. Jesus' mission was to conquer this power.

5. The Incarnation
The event of God becoming flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. This is a foundational Christian belief that underscores the passage.
Teaching Points
The Necessity of the Incarnation
Jesus had to become fully human to effectively represent humanity and to conquer death on our behalf.

Victory Over Death
Christ's death and resurrection provide believers with victory over both physical and spiritual death, offering eternal life.

The Defeat of the Devil
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was the decisive blow against the devil, breaking his power over those who are in Christ.

The Importance of Shared Humanity
Jesus' shared experience of flesh and blood emphasizes His empathy and understanding of human struggles, encouraging believers to trust in His compassionate nature.

Living in Freedom
Believers are called to live in the freedom that Christ's victory over death provides, no longer enslaved by the fear of death.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding Jesus' shared humanity with us impact your view of His role as our Savior?

2. In what ways can the victory over death through Christ influence your daily life and decisions?

3. How does the defeat of the devil through Jesus' death encourage you in your spiritual battles?

4. What are some practical ways you can live in the freedom from the fear of death that Christ provides?

5. How can you use the truth of Jesus' victory over death to encourage others who may be struggling with fear or doubt?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Philippians 2:7-8
This passage describes Jesus taking on human form and humbling Himself to the point of death, which parallels the idea of Him sharing in humanity to defeat death.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57
These verses discuss the victory over death through Jesus Christ, reinforcing the theme of Christ's triumph over the power of death.

Genesis 3:15
The first prophecy of the Messiah's victory over the serpent (the devil), which is fulfilled in Christ's death and resurrection.
A Death SceneHebrews 2:14
Bondage Through Fear of DeathW. Sparrow, LL. D.Hebrews 2:14
Christ Overcoming the Devil by DeathW. Gouge.Hebrews 2:14
Christ Robbing Death of its TerrorsD. Young Hebrews 2:14
Christ, the Destroyer of the DevilH. Melvill, B. D.Hebrews 2:14
Christ's Assumption of Human NatureJ. Parsons, M. A.Hebrews 2:14
Christ's VictoryH. W. Webb-Peploe, M. A.Hebrews 2:14
Christ's Work of Destruction and Deliverance. Rev. John H. JamesKnowles KingHebrews 2:14
Death Like Going into Another RoomDr. Bushnell's LifeHebrews 2:14
Death NearW. Jones, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
Death of a BelieverT. Rogers.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance .From the .Fear of DeathS. Coley.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance .From the Fear of DeathR. Mayo, M. A.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance by Christ from the Fear of DeathJohn Jardine.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance from the Fear of DeathW. Harris, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance from the Fear of DeathJ. Hawes, D.D.Hebrews 2:14
Deliverance from the Slavish Fear of DeathJames Clason.Hebrews 2:14
Delivered from the Fear of DeathHebrews 2:14
Fear of DeathJohn Trapp.Hebrews 2:14
Fear of DeathBaxendale's AnecdotesHebrews 2:14
Fear of DeathC. H. Spurgeon.Hebrews 2:14
Fear of Death PropheticHenry Smith.Hebrews 2:14
Fear of Death the Means of ConversionBaxendale's AnecdotesHebrews 2:14
God TranslatedH. W. Beecher.Hebrews 2:14
He Also HimselfC. Clemance, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
How Christ Takes Away Fear of DeathR. S. S. DickinsonHebrews 2:14
How Did Christ Through Death Free from the Fear of DeathA. B. Bruce, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
Jesus the Conqueror of DeathMadame de Gasparin.Hebrews 2:14
Jewish Conception of DeathW. Robertson Smith, M. A.Hebrews 2:14
No Danger in Death for the GoodJ. Stevenson.Hebrews 2:14
No Death for the ChristianHebrews 2:14
No Fear in DeathBaxendale's AnecdotesHebrews 2:14
Peace in DeathChildren's Missionary Record.Hebrews 2:14
Power of Death -- not of LifeHebrews 2:14
The Christian's ProtectorHebrews 2:14
The Death of DeathF. B. Meyer, B. A.Hebrews 2:14
The Destroyer DestroyedC. H. Spurgeon.Hebrews 2:14
The Devil's Possession of the Power of DeathW. Gouge.Hebrews 2:14
The Fear of DeathW. Sparrow, LL. D.Hebrews 2:14
The Fear of Death RemovedG. Lawson.Hebrews 2:14
The Joy of Death to the ChristianJohn Bradford.Hebrews 2:14
The Moral Significance of Christ's HumanityHomilistHebrews 2:14
The Mystery of GodlinessJ. H. Newman, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
The Only Effectual Antidote to the Dread of DissolutionAlex. Jack, D. D.Hebrews 2:14
The Power of Death DestroyedHebrews 2:14
Which DeathA. Saphir.Hebrews 2:14
Why Fear DeathLittle's Historical Lights.Hebrews 2:14
Why Men Fear DeathW. Sparrow, LL. D.Hebrews 2:14
The Incarnation a Necessity of the Redeeming Work of ChristC. New Hebrews 2:11-16
The Incarnation of the Son of GodW. Jones Hebrews 2:14, 15
The Sublime Results of the Incarnation and Death of ChristJ.S. Bright Hebrews 2:14-18
People
Hebrews
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Alike, Annul, Authority, Blood, Body, Bring, Death, Destroy, Devil, Evil, Flesh, Forasmuch, Holds, Human, Humanity, Likewise, Manner, Nature, Nothing, Nought, Order, Partake, Partaken, Partakers, Partook, Perishable, Power, Powerless, Referred, Render, Seeing, Share, Shared, Sharers
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Hebrews 2:14

     1130   God, sovereignty
     1444   revelation, NT
     2033   Christ, humanity
     2075   Christ, sinless
     2421   gospel, historical foundation
     2595   incarnation
     4124   Satan, kingdom of
     5290   defeat
     5441   philosophy
     5484   punishment, by God
     5564   suffering, of Christ
     5598   victory, over spiritual forces
     5828   danger
     6671   grace, and Christian life
     8483   spiritual warfare, causes
     9130   future, the

Hebrews 2:10-15

     5681   family, nature of

Hebrews 2:11-17

     5682   family, significance

Hebrews 2:11-18

     7388   kinsman-redeemer

Hebrews 2:14-15

     2321   Christ, as redeemer
     2324   Christ, as Saviour
     2372   Christ, victory
     2414   cross, centrality
     2530   Christ, death of
     4127   Satan, defeat of
     5454   power, God's saving
     6634   deliverance
     6660   freedom, through Christ
     6738   rescue
     7449   slavery, spiritual
     7950   mission, of Christ
     8738   evil, victory over
     8754   fear
     9021   death, natural
     9022   death, believers

Hebrews 2:14-18

     5963   sympathy
     6755   union with Christ, nature of

Library
September 22. "We See not yet all Things Put under Him, but we See Jesus" (Heb. Ii. 8, 9).
"We see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus" (Heb. ii. 8, 9). How true this is to us all! How many things there are that seem to be stronger than we are, but blessed be His name! they are all in subjection under Him, and we see Jesus crowned above them all; and Jesus is our Head, our representative, our other self, and where He is we shall surely be. Therefore when we fail to see anything that God has promised, and that we have claimed in our experience, let us look up and see it realized
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Note B. On the Word for Holiness.
The proper meaning of the Hebrew word for holy, kadosh, is matter of uncertainty. It may come from a root signifying to shine. (So Gesenius, Oehler, Fuerst, and formerly Delitzsch, on Heb. ii. 11.) Or from another denoting new and bright (Diestel), or an Arabic form meaning to cut, to separate. (So Delitzsch now, on Ps. xxii. 4.) Whatever the root be, the chief idea appears to be not only separate or set apart, for which the Hebrew has entirely different words, but that by which a thing that is
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Men Chosen --Fallen Angels Rejected
But now we wish to draw your attention to two instances of God's doing as he pleases in the fashioning of the works of his hands--the case of angels, and in the case of men. Angels were the elder born. God created them, and it pleased him to give unto them a free will to do as they pleased; to choose the good or to prefer the evil, even as he did to man: he gave them this stipulation--that if they should prefer the good, then their station in heaven should be for ever fixed and firm; but if they
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Destroyer Destroyed
There is something fearful in death. It is frightful even to him that hath the most of faith. It is only the gildings of death, the afterwards, the heaven, the harp, the glory, that maketh death bearable even to the Christian. Death in itself must ever be an unutterably fearful thing to the sons of men. And oh! what ruin doth it work! It darkens the windows of the eyes; it pulls down the polished pillars of the divine architecture of the body; it turns the inhabitant the soul, out of its door, and
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Christ --Perfect through Sufferings
Our text invites us to the consideration of three particulars: first, that Christ is a perfect Savior; secondly, that he became so through suffering; and thirdly, that his being made perfect through suffering will ennoble and dignify the whole work of grace. "It became him"--it seemed fitting--that in bringing many sons unto glory he should make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." I. To begin, then, first of all with the joyous thought, so well known to you all, but so necessary
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

A God in Pain
(Good Friday.) HEBREWS ii. 9, 50. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. What are we met together to think of this day? God in pain: God sorrowing; God dying for man, as far as God
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Christ's Work of Destruction and Deliverance. Rev. John H. James.
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."--HEBREWS ii. 14, 15. There is a special and ordained connection between the incarnation and the death of our blessed Lord. Other men die in due course after they are born; he was born just that he might die. He came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give" his "life a ransom for many." It is therefore
Knowles King—The Wesleyan Methodist Pulpit in Malvern

The Song of Christ
T. S. M. Heb. ii. 12 There sounds a glorious music As though all the Heavens rejoice; There is One who singeth, and wondrous Is the gladness of His voice. A joy of surpassing sweetness, Of love no speech can tell; I hear, and my heart is broken, For the Voice I know full well. That Voice that has called me ever, Called through the years of sin; At my door beseeching and knocking "Let Me, even Me, come in." And now in His joy He singeth, In His joy He singeth of me, And all the Heavens make music
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Communion Broken --Restoration
Cant. ii. 8-iii.5 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest happly we drift away from them."--Heb. ii. 1 (R.V.). At the close of the first section we left the bride satisfied and at rest in the arms of her Beloved, who had charged the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir up nor awaken His love until she please. We might suppose that a union so complete, a satisfaction so full, would never be interrupted by failure on the part of the happy bride. But, alas,
J. Hudson Taylor—Union and Communion

The Unbeliever's Unhappy Condition
This morning, with the burden of the Lord upon us, we shall speak upon the words of the text. Our first point shall be a discovery of the guilty one, "he that believeth not the Son." Next, we shall consider his offense; it lies in "not believing the Son;" thirdly, we shall lay bare the sinful causes which create this unbelief; and, fourthly, we shall show the terrible result of not believing in the Son: "he shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." May the Spirit help us in all. I.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Guiltless and Without Sin.
"For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."--Heb. vii. 26. Throughout the ages the Church has confessed that Christ took upon Himself real human nature from the virgin Mary, not as it was before the fall, but such as it had become, by and after the fall. This is clearly stated in Heb. ii. 14, 17: "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself took part of the same . . . . Wherefore in
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Son and the Angels.
HEBREWS i. 4-ii. 18. The most dangerous and persistent error against which the theologians of the New Testament had to contend was the doctrine of emanations. The persistence of this error lay in its affinity with the Christian conception of mediation between God and men; its danger sprang from its complete inconsistency with the Christian idea of the person and work of the Mediator. For the Hebrew conception of God, as the "I AM," tended more and more in the lapse of ages to sever Him from all
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Jordan: the Decisive Start. Matthew 3:13-17. Mark 1:9-1Luke
3:21-22. The Anvil of Experience: knowledge only through experience--the Fourth, Daniel 3:25.--three Hebrews, Daniel 3.--Babylonian premier, Daniel 6:16-23.--George Mueller--Jesus made perfect through experience, Hebrews 2:10. 5:8, 9. 7:28, l.c.--all our experiences, Hebrews 2:14-18. Philippians 2:7. Hebrews 4:15, except through sin, Hebrews 4:15, l.c. 7:26. 2 Corinthians 5:21, f.c. 1 Peter 2:22. 1 John 3:5, l.c.--Jesus' suffering, Philippians 2:6-8. Hebrews 2:9, 17, 18. 4:15. His obedience, Luke
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

"For what the Law could not Do, in that it was Weak through the Flesh, God Sending his Own Son in the Likeness of Sinful Flesh,
Rom. viii. 3.--"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." For what purpose do we meet thus together? I would we knew it,--then it might be to some better purpose. In all other things we are rational, and do nothing of moment without some end and purpose. But, alas! in this matter of greatest moment, our going about divine ordinances, we have scarce any distinct or deliberate
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Child Jesus Brought from Egypt to Nazareth.
(Egypt and Nazareth, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 19-23; ^C Luke II. 39. ^a 19 But when Herod was dead [He died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign and the seventieth of his life. A frightful inward burning consumed him, and the stench of his sickness was such that his attendants could not stay near him. So horrible was his condition that he even endeavored to end it by suicide], behold, an angel of the Lord [word did not come by the infant Jesus; he was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 17),
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Letter iv. You Reply to the Conclusion of My Letter: "What have we to do with Routiniers?...
My dear friend, You reply to the conclusion of my Letter: "What have we to do with routiniers? Quid mihi cum homunculis putata putide reputantibus? Let nothings count for nothing, and the dead bury the dead! Who but such ever understood the tenet in this sense?" In what sense then, I rejoin, do others understand it? If, with exception of the passages already excepted, namely, the recorded words of God--concerning which no Christian can have doubt or scruple,--the tenet in this sense be inapplicable
Samuel Taylor Coleridge—Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit etc

"And for Sin Condemned Sin in the Flesh. "
Rom. viii. 3.--"And for sin condemned sin in the flesh." The great and wonderful actions of great and excellent persons must needs have some great ends answerable to them. Wisdom will teach them not to do strange things, but for some rare purposes, for it were a folly and madness to do great things to compass some small and petty end, as unsuitable as that a mountain should travail to bring forth a mouse. Truly we must conceive, that it must needs be some honourable and high business, that brought
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, as the Way, for Sanctification in General.
Having shown how a poor soul, lying under the burden of sin and wrath, is to make use of Jesus Christ for righteousness and justification, and so to make use of him, go out to him, and apply him, as "he is made of God to us righteousness," 1 Cor. i. 30, and that but briefly. This whole great business being more fully and satisfactorily handled, in that forementioned great, though small treatise, viz. "The Christian's Great Interest," we shall now come and show, how a believer or a justified soul
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Christianity
WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? WHAT is Christianity? The question seems a belated one. It never was more pertinent than now. Its pertinency rests upon two facts. First: the modern drift in Christianity and its absolute failure. Second: the phenomenal triumph of primitive Christianity. The modern drift is antagonistic to doctrine and repudiates the miraculous. It sets aside the virgin birth, has no toleration for atonement by sacrificial death, and positively refuses to accept the bodily resurrection of our
I. M. Haldeman—Christ, Christianity and the Bible

The Essay which Brings up the Rear in this Very Guilty Volume is from The...
The Essay which brings up the rear in this very guilty volume is from the pen of the "Rev. Benjamin Jowett, M.A., [Fellow and Tutor of Balliol College, and] Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford,"--"a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seem to give a weight to his words, which assuredly they do not carry of themselves [143] ." His performance is entitled "On the Interpretation of Scripture:" being, in reality, nothing else but a laborious denial of
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Jesus Makes a Preaching Tour through Galilee.
^A Matt. IV. 23-25; ^B Mark I. 35-39; ^C Luke IV. 42-44. ^b 35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up went out [i. e., from the house of Simon Peter], and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. [Though Palestine was densely populated, its people were all gathered into towns, so that it was usually easy to find solitude outside the city limits. A ravine near Capernaum, called the Vale of Doves, would afford such solitude. Jesus taught (Matt. vi. 6) and practiced solitary
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

How Christ is to be Made Use of as Our Life, in Case of Heartlessness and Fainting through Discouragements.
There is another evil and distemper which believers are subject to, and that is a case of fainting through manifold discouragements, which make them so heartless that they can do nothing; yea, and to sit up, as if they were dead. The question then is, how such a soul shall make use of Christ as in the end it may be freed from that fit of fainting, and win over those discouragements: for satisfaction to which we shall, 1. Name some of those discouragements which occasion this. 2. Show what Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

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