While the original recipients of Hebrews probably knew accounts of angels from the Jewish Holy Scriptures, and how important it was to obey God’s messages (including those received from angels), the author of Hebrews was focusing on Someone even greater than angels.
It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
You made them a little lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
and put everything under their feet.”In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.
Hebrews 2:5-8 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.2.5-8.NIV
Now, here we have some translation questions: The NIV uses the terms “them” and “their” a lot in this passage (which might include humankind in general, or people who accept salvation), but the NIV’s footnotes suggest the possibility that these pronouns could be rendered “him” and “his”. The NASB just uses the single person (matching the NIV footnotes), suggesting that this passage is referring to a single “son of man”. And, going back to Psalm 8, the two translations have similar approaches, so there’s not much help, there!
So, having discussed in an earlier article how to handle translation questions like this, let’s consider the two options:
- From elsewhere in the Bible, do we read that people (or certain people) are lower than the angels, but still have glory and honor? Will followers of Jesus rule over things eventually, even if this is not currently the case? From passages like 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, we learn that God’s people “will judge the world” and “will judge angels”, so I’m thinking that this passage could fit those who follow Jesus.
- However, this passage also seems to describe Jesus, Himself. He wasn’t just a son of man; He was both the Son of Man and the Son of God. Jesus did take a humbler role when He allowed Himself to be born as a human being. Later, He received unimaginable glory and honor, and He now rules over creation as the King of Kings, even if not everyone acknowledges that…yet. This passage also sounds something like Philippians 2:5-11, which is clearly describing Jesus (see also Isaiah 45:22-25 and Romans 14:11).
So, when a passage of the Bible could mean multiple things that we can verify from other Scripture (i.e., other passages where the translation is more clear), it might not matter exactly which one is correct. However, another technique for understanding translation questions is to “keep reading”, so let’s do so.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:9 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.2.9.NIV
Regardless of whether verses 5-8 were talking about Jesus or His followers, verse 9 makes it clear that Jesus was indeed made “lower than the angels”, but only for a time. And, because of His obedience, He was given great glory and honor. As a result, even if His followers will also experience authority (presumably delegated from Him) in the future, let’s not forget who the King of Kings is, and why He was given His crown!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 11, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 