{"id":29392,"date":"2024-07-01T05:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T10:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/?p=29392"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:19:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T20:19:42","slug":"is-jesus-referred-to-as-god-in-hebrews-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/is-jesus-referred-to-as-god-in-hebrews-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Jesus Referred to as God in Hebrews 1:8?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Considerable discussion has surrounded the meaning of Hebrews 1:8 which reads in the NKJV: \u201cBut to the Son He says: \u2018Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.\u2019\u201d This verse is actually a quotation of Psalm 45:6. The 2013 edition of the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses New World Translation<\/em> renders Psalm 45:6 as \u201cGod is your throne forever and ever.\u201d Moving to the Hebrews writer\u2019s quotation of Psalm 45:6, the New World Translation<\/em> 2013 edition reads: \u201cBut about the Son, he says: \u2018God is your throne forever and ever…\u2019\u201d Observe that these renderings depict God the Father as saying to Jesus the Son that God the Father is Jesus\u2019 throne. Apart from the fact that the rendering is nonsensical, it flies in the face of Greek grammar and linguistic considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion centers around whether \u201cGod\u201d (theos<\/em>) is intended to be the subject, or a predicate nominative, or a vocative nominative. If the first is intended, the phrase would be translated \u201cGod is your throne.\u201d If the second is intended, the phrase would be rendered \u201cyour throne is God.\u201d If the third possibility, the vocative nominative, is intended, the phrase should be translated \u201cYour throne, O God, is forever\u2026\u201d The bulk of scholarship treats the third possibility as the appropriate rendering based on strong linguistic\/grammatical evidence for the vocative use in which Jesus is addressed as \u201cGod.\u201d Wallace offers an extensive discussion of the three syntactical possibilities and gives four grammatical reasons why the third option is the correct one.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Greek scholars confirm Wallace\u2019s observations. For example, in his Handbook to the Grammar of the Greek Testament<\/em>, Samuel Green notes: \u201cWhen the Nominative is used for the Vocative in direct address, the Article is prefixed\u201d and he gives Hebrews 1:8 as an instance of this Greek idiom, describing it as \u201celliptical.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a> Alford indicates either of the first two renderings \u201cseems forcing them from their ordinary construction,\u201d describing the rendering \u201cThy throne is God\u201d as \u201crepugnant to the decorum.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a> Noting that the nominative case is often used for the vocative, Clarke notes that \u201cthe original Hebrew cannot be consistently translated any other way\u201d and that the predicate nominative rendering \u201cwill not make the sense contended for without adding esti<\/em> to it\u201d (esti<\/em> being the third person singular of the verb \u201cto be\u201d\u2014DM).4<\/sup><\/a> Indeed, Lenski rightly observes that \u201chere we have a vocative even in the Hebrew as well as in the LXX [Septuagint\u2014DM] and in Hebrews, and only the unwillingness of commentators to have the Son addressed so directly as Elohim<\/em>\u2026\u2018God,\u2019 causes the search for a different construction\u2026. The Son is \u2018God\u2019 in the fullest sense of the word.\u201d5<\/sup><\/a> Delitzsch similarly observed: \u201cGod is neither the substance of the throne, nor can the throne itself be regarded as a representative or figure of God: in this case the predicative Elohim would require to be taken as a genitive\u2026which, however, cannot possibly be supported in Hebrew by any syntax.\u201d6<\/sup><\/a> In his classic treatment of the Psalms, Alexander likewise opposed the first two possibilities: \u201cTo avoid the obvious ascription of divinity contained in the first clause, two very forced constructions have been proposed\u2026. The explanation of God<\/em> as a vocative is not only the most obvious,\u2026but is found in all the ancient versions and adopted in the New Testament.\u201d7<\/sup><\/a> In his celebrated treatment of the psalms, Leupold agreed that the third possibility is \u201cthe simple and obvious translation, upheld by all the prominent versions.\u201d8<\/sup><\/a> Barnes asserted that Psalm 45:6 \u201cis undoubtedly an address to the \u2018king\u2019 here referred to as God\u2014as one to whom the name God may be properly applied; and, as applied to the Messiah by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, it clearly proves that Christ is Divine.\u201d9<\/sup><\/a> In his comments on Hebrews, Barnes adds: \u201cThe word God<\/em> should be taken in its natural and obvious sense\u2026. The form<\/em> here\u2014the God<\/em>\u2014is in the vocative case and not the nominative\u2026. This then is a direct address to the Messiah, calling him God\u2026. [f]ull proof that the Lord Jesus is divine.\u201d10<\/sup><\/a> Linguistic authorities could be multiplied endlessly. The Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses’ renderings of Psalm 45:6 and Hebrews 1:8 are unjustifiable. Jesus is God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup><\/a> Daniel Wallace (1996), Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), p. 59; also Daniel Wallace (2000), The Basics of New Testament Syntax<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), p. 36.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/sup><\/a> Samuel Green (1880), Handbook to the Grammar of the Greek Testament<\/em> (New York: Fleming Revell), pp. 213,224.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3<\/sup><\/a> Henry Alford (1980 reprint), Alford\u2019s Greek Testament<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4<\/sup><\/a> Adam Clarke (n.d.), Clarke\u2019s Commentary on the Bible<\/em> (Nashville, TN: Abingdon), pp. 365-366.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5<\/sup><\/a> R.C.H. Lenski (2001 reprint), The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James<\/em> (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), p. 54.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6<\/sup><\/a> F. Delitzsch (1976 reprint), Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 5:82-83.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7<\/sup><\/a> Joseph Alexander (1975 reprint), The Psalms Translated and Explained<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 203.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8<\/sup><\/a> H.C. Leupold (1969 reprint), Exposition of the Psalms<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9<\/sup><\/a> Albert Barnes (2005 reprint), Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10<\/sup><\/a> Albert Barnes (2005 reprint), Notes on the New Testament: Hebrews<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 38.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Considerable discussion has surrounded the meaning of Hebrews 1:8 which reads in the NKJV: \u201cBut to the Son He says: \u2018Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.\u2019\u201d This verse is actually a quotation of Psalm 45:6. The 2013 edition of the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses New… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":29400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,77],"tags":[],"kids-category":[],"people":[273],"bible-book":[],"language":[168],"age-group":[173],"publication":[248],"class_list":["post-29392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deity-of-christ","category-divine-life-and-doctrine","people-dave-miller-phd","language-english","age-group-adults","publication-reason-revelation"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Is-Jesus-Referred-to-as-God-DM-02.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29392"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38265,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29392\/revisions\/38265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"kids-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kids-category?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"people","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"bible-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible-book?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"age-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/age-group?post=29392"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=29392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}