“Let all God’s angels worship him”

Gordon Allan
Introduction
Hebrews 1:6 is often brought up to support the belief that that Jesus is God.
Usually the first reason given is because the verse says Jesus is to be
worshipped, and worship belongs to God alone. Usually the verse it is
supposed to be quoting is Deut 32:43 (LXX) —sometimes Psa 97:7 (LXX
and MT) is also considered as a possible source. A quick review of the
underlying Greek word for worship in Pss 97:7, proskune,w (proskuneo), and
the corresponding Hebrew form of hwx (hawah),1 soon reveals that the basic
meaning of this word is to bow down in respect and is applied in scripture
not only to God, but to someone who is considered to be superior for some
reason (rightly or wrongly)2. In this paper, we will consider the relationship
of Hebs 1:6 to Deut 32:43.

The initial problem with supposing that the worship of Jesus implies that he
is God is that it makes no sense in the context of Hebrews 1, which starts by
telling is that although God has revealed himself in many ways in the past, it
is only in these ―last days‖ that God has revealed himself through Jesus, who
is described as being ―appointed heir of all things‖, (v 1), ―having become
superior to the angels‖, (v 4), ―having inherited a more excellent name‖ (v 4)
– statements which make no sense if applied to the creator of the Universe.
Even some Trinitarian commentators can see the validity of this.3 The

1
In F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English
Lexicon, Peabody: Hendrickson, 2003 – reprint of 1906 edition), 1005, this
word is given as ―shachah‖ (in the Hithpael form). However, it is now
understood to be the Eshtaphal stem of ―hawah‖ see R. L. Harris, G. L.
Archer, B. K. Waltke Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (2 vols;
Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 1:619.
2
For example, 1 Chron 29:20 where David and Yahweh are jointly the
objects of hwx, cf. Gen 43:28, 2 Sam 15:5-6, Isa 45:14; in the New Testament,
a king (Matt 18:26) and the Philadelphian church are to be the object of
proskune,w (Rev 3:9).
3
For example, G. B. Caird, ―Son by Appointment‖ in The New Testament Age
(ed., W. C. Weinrich; Mercer: Macon, 1984), says ―Christ ranks higher that

Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008

second problem is that the writer uses these quotations as said to the Son by
the Father.1 A quotation applied directly to ―God‖ by Moses would make no
sense in this context. J. Carter correctly observes, ―Here is a manifestation of
God; but as Paul expounds it, a manifestation through His Son‖2. While this
may be a valid insight, our purpose in this article is to explore another
approach.

Proposal
The premise of this article is that there is evidence which strongly suggests
that in the original Hebrew text of Deut 32:43 it was the nation of Israel that
was the object of praise, and to whom the angels were ordered to do
homage, not Yahweh3. As well as dealing with a Trinitarian objection, this
understanding makes more sense of its context in Hebrews 1.

The first question with the text is in identifying the source of the passage that
is being quoted. It was generally believed that the writer to the Hebrews was
consistently quoting from the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the
Hebrew Scriptures extant at the time of the New Testament writers. 4
However, since the discovery of the Qumran literature, it is now probable
that the text used by the writer is, on occasion, closer to, or based upon, a

the angels because, by God’s decree, he holds a superior rank; and this theme
is sustained throughout the whole sequence of the seven quotations‖ (75),
and ―The author of Hebrews has no place in his thinking for pre-existence as
an ontological concept. His essentially human Jesus attains to perfection, to
pre-eminence, and even to eternity‖ (81).
1
Caird, ―Appointment‖, 76, ―Like most of the other scriptural passages he
quotes, the author regards this one as a word spoken by God, addressed by
him to the Son‖.
2
J. Carter, The Letter to the Hebrews (Birmingham: CMPA, 1964), 18-19.
3
This was recognised as early as 1921 by A. Nairne, To the Hebrews
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1921 (reprinted 1957)), 32.
4
For example, B. F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1984), 479. ―The writer regarded the Greek version as
authoritative; and, it may be added, he nowhere shows any immediate
knowledge of the Hebrew text‖.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 2
Hebrew original (though not necessarily the Masoretic Text), or a translation
of this into Greek.1
Heb 1:6

kai. proskunhsa,twsan auvtw/| pa,ntej a;ggeloi qeou/Å

and let all the angels of God do homage to him.

The Septuagint (LXX2) of Deut 32:43:

euvfra,nqhte ouvranoi, a[ma auvtw/| kai. proskunhsa,twsan auvtw/|

pa,ntej ui`oi.3 qeou/ euvfra,nqhte e;qnh meta. tou/ laou/ auvtou/
kai. evniscusa,twsan auvtw/| pa,ntej a;ggeloi qeou/

―Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the sons (angels) of
God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people‖

As can be seen from the highlighted text the Greek is identical, and for our
purposes we can postpone discussion of the relationship of ui`oi. qeou and
a;ggeloi qeou in the two clauses. The Odes of Solomon 2:43 quotes Deut 32:43
with the clauses reversed, but the Odes’ relationship to Hebrews and any Old

1
In G. Howard’s analysis of 41 possible sources of 35 OT quotes in
Hebrews, while 8 are identical to both Hebrew and Greek, 6 are identical to
the Hebrew as against the LXX but only 2 are identical to the LXX against
the Hebrew. However, of those that are unlike either, more appear to be
influenced by the LXX (18) than the Hebrew (10). G. Howard, ―Hebrews
and the Old Testament Quotations‖ NovT 10 (1968): 208-216.
2
A. Rahlfs, Septuaginta (Stuttgart: Bibelanstalt, 1935).
3
L. C. L. Brenton, The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament (London: Bagster,
1844) gives this as a;ggeloi and places ui`oi in the second clause, whereas
Rahlfs’ edition has ui`oi. qeou in the first clause. For a discussion of the
textual issues surrounding the Old Greek of Deut 32:43 see R. T. McLay, The
Use of the Septuagint in New Testament Research (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003),
107-114.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 3
Greek textual traditions for Deut 32:43 is uncertain; it is a Christian work
from the late 1c. or early 2c. CE, but it could be later.1

Our interest is in the fact that there is no equivalent line in the Hebrew
Masoretic Text (MT). It is partly for this reason that commentators have
sought for a less well matched quotation (Pss 97:7), for which the MT does
have an equivalent. This Psalm may indeed be a relevant source, since NT
writers show that they are quite capable of combining multiple sources in
their citation of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, we should not abandon
Deut 32:43 in favour of Psa 97:7 because there is no matching clause in the
MT.

In Deut 32:43, the Hebrew of the first line does not agree with the LXX
translation (some would say mistranslation). The Hebrew has:

wm[ ~ywg wnynrh

Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people (KJV)

We can make the following observations on this text:

1) The ―with‖ has been supplied in the KJV, and is not part of the Hebrew
text. Other translations follow this such as the ASV, ESV though not always
placing the ―with‖ in italics. However, there is no grammatical precedent for
translating the Hebrew as ―with his people‖. The Hebrew consonants wm[
could be pointed to give ―with him‖ or ―his people‖, but could not mean
―with his people‖, as, for example, in Mic 6:2.

2) The Hebrew verb underlying ―Rejoice‖ means ―to sing out‖. J. J. Owen2
suggests that the Hebrew form should be translated as an injunction
―Praise!‖. This sense allows,

1
J. H. Charlesworth, ―Introduction to The Odes of Solomon‖ in The Old
Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols; New York: Doubleday, 1983-1985), 2:726-
727.
2
J. J. Owen, Analytical Key to the Old Testament (4 vols; Grand Rapids: Baker
Books, 1989), 1:902.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 4
 ―Praise his people, o nations‖1

The alternative pointing gives the awkward translation ―Praise/sing out with
him, O nations‖ which is not sustainable; hence, we conclude that the object
of the praise is Israel.

There is no second line in the MT equating to the ―Let all elohim bow down
before him‖. However, a Qumran fragment of Deuteronomy 32 (4QDeutq)
throws some light on this problem. This Hebrew text includes the line that
is missing from the MT but present in translation in the LXX. This supports
the proposal that the quotation in Hebrews 1 is from Deuteronomy. The
Hebrew text reads:

wm[ ~ymX wnynrh

~yhla-lk wl-wwxtXh
Praise his people,2 O heavens,
Bow down before him, all elohim

Another interesting difference between 4QDeutq and the MT is that those

called upon to praise his people are the ―heavens‖, not the ―nations‖ as in
the MT.

The various texts MT, LXX and 4QDeutq are shown below:

1
This is the translation given for example in the RSV, NRSV, and
(surprisingly) the Living Bible.
2
In Hebrew, ―people‖ is a singular masculine noun (whereas in English we
would think of it as a plural), hence the ―him‖ that is bowed down to, is ―his
people‖.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 5
 4QDeutq Masoretic Text (MT) LXX
1 Praise his people, 1 Praise his people, 1 Rejoice, ye heavens,
O heavens: O ye nations, with him,
2 prostrate yourselves 2 and let all the
before him, all gods angels of God
(elohim) worship him;
3 rejoice ye Gentiles,
with his people,
4 and let all the sons
of God strengthen
themselves in him;

4QDeutq is a Hebrew parallelism, in which the recipient of praise in the first

line equates to those to whom the elohim bow down in the second.1 If we
add the second line from 4QDeutq to the MT, we get the same parallelism.

An objection making this addition is raised by L D Hurst2, who argues that it

is only valid if the two lines are taken in vacuo. As it stands the MT has,

Praise his people, O you nations;

for he avenges the blood of his servants… (RSV)

Hurst argues that ―In the larger context it leaves the ―he‖ of line 3 (which
must refer to God) hanging in the air‖ (Hurst is referring to the phrase ―for
he avenges the blood of his servants‖ as line 3). However, this need not be
the case, as the second line is a repetition of the first in different words

1
G. W. Buchanan, To the Hebrews (2nd ed.; New York: Doubleday 1976), 17,
says: ―In Hebrew texts of Deut 32:43, the object of adoration was probably
intended to be ―his people‖, with the ―heavens‖, ―nations‖, gods‖, ―sons of
God, or ―angels of God‖ doing the worshipping. The LXX translator
understood God to the object of worship throughout. He was probably
dissatisfied with the theology that suggested any object of worship other than
God...‖.
2
L. D. Hurst, ―The Christology of Hebrews 1 and 2‖ in The Glory of Christ in
the New Testament (eds., L. D. Hurst and N.T. Wright: Oxford: Clarendon
Press, 1987), 158.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 6
(similar to an explanation in parentheses), but the thought continues from
the first line to the third. Even Hurst accepts that 4QDeutq ―shows that
Nairne’s interpretation is not without merit‖, and ―It is nevertheless quite
easy to read the text the other way, and even modern scholars have read line
2 as referring to the people rather than to God‖.

To recap: the evidence, so far, is as follows:

a) The quotation ―let all God’s angels worship him‖ has been assumed
to be a quotation from the LXX of Deut 33:42
b) There is no Hebrew equivalent in the MT for this line
c) A scroll of Deuteronomy discovered at Qumran gives a Hebrew
equivalent for the line missing from the LXX
d) The Hebrew of Deut 32:43 is mistranslated as ―with his people‖ in
several translations, but correctly in others.
e) In both the MT and 4QDeutq, the object of praise is God’s people
Israel. The subsequent phrase, in Hebrew poetic form is a repetition
of the same idea. The heavens (or the nations) are being told to
prostrate themselves before God’s people Israel.

Contextual evidence
While it has to be admitted that the evidence so far is not entirely conclusive
due to the uncertainty of the original text, the contextual evidence is
compelling. Why does the writer of Hebrews specifically make a connection
between Hebs 1:6 and Deut 32:43 and the coming of the ―firstborn‖ (Christ)
into the world (most likely at his return - Heb 2:5)?

Several prophecies identified in the NT as relating to the Messiah have an

initial fulfilment in Israel. Matthew1 quotes Hosea 11:1 ―When Israel was a
child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son‖ to demonstrate that the
going down to Egypt for safety and return to the land by Jesus was a
fulfilment of OT prophecy (or perhaps better ―an OT type‖2). The
precedent is set for Israel to be a type of the Messiah. However, more
1
Matt 2:15.
2
Interestingly, Matthew does not quote the LXX of Hosea 11:1 which
renders the verse: ―Out of Egypt have I called my sons‖.
Vol. 2. No. 2. Apr 2008 7
specifically, God calls Israel ―my firstborn‖: Exodus 4:22 ―And thou shalt say
unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:‖
This is repeated at Jer 31:9 ―for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my
firstborn‖1.

There is therefore a logical connection between Deut 32:43 and Heb 1:6 in
that the title ―firstborn‖ applies to both Israel and Christ. It makes no sense
that the verse in Deuteronomy would be applied to God (the Father) as
―firstborn‖. Looking to a future application of Deuteronomy, Nairne says:
―It is, therefore, when God brings His people, after their humiliation (of
exile, etc.), into the fellowship of the nations (th.n oivkoume,nhn) again, that He
bids all the angels worship this people who are His firstborn son (Jer 33:9,
Hos 11:1).‖2 The writer to the Hebrews is therefore making the contrast
between Christ’s humiliation (i.e. lower than the angels) and his return to
kingship over the land of promise and over the angels as God’s true firstborn
Son.

Conclusion
It can be safely concluded that the object to whom the angels bow down in
Deut 32:43 is the nation of Israel, God’s firstborn. In keeping with the use
of Old Testament texts as fulfilled in the New Testament, the parallel
between Jesus and Israel is used to prove that Jesus is superior to the angels,
because the angels bow down to him when he comes again into the world.
The object of the writer is to demonstrate that Christ is superior to the
angels, not that he is God.

END

1
Compare Pss 89:27 ―And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the
kings of the earth‖.
2
Nairne, Hebrews, 32.
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