Hebrews 1:1 kjv

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews 1:1 nkjv

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews 1:1 niv

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

Hebrews 1:1 esv

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews 1:1 nlt

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

Hebrews 1 verses

Hebrews 1 1 Meaning

Hebrews 1:1 introduces the central theme of the book by declaring God's historical and consistent activity of revealing Himself to humanity. It highlights that God, the sovereign initiator, communicated His will and truth to the Israelites' ancestors through various fragmented means and diverse channels—specifically, the prophets. This opening verse sets the stage for the dramatic and conclusive revelation of God's Word in His Son, Jesus Christ, in the following verse.

Hebrews 1 1 Context

Hebrews 1:1 functions as the profound and concise opening statement to a highly theological and rhetorical discourse. The book of Hebrews is primarily addressed to a community of Jewish Christians, likely living outside of Palestine, who were experiencing challenges—possibly persecution, discouragement, or the allure of reverting to the familiar patterns of Old Testament Judaism. The author's primary aim is to demonstrate the absolute superiority of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant He established over everything that preceded it: the prophets, angels, Moses, the Levitical priesthood, and the Old Covenant sacrificial system.

This first verse brilliantly sets the foundation for this argument. By acknowledging the legitimacy and divine origin of the Old Testament revelation, it avoids dismissing the ancestral faith entirely, which would alienate its Jewish Christian audience. Instead, it positions that revelation as good and divinely inspired, but preliminary and partial. The emphasis on "many portions" and "many ways" through "prophets" implicitly prepares the reader for the monumental contrast that is introduced in verse 2—God's ultimate, full, and perfect communication through His Son, Jesus. Thus, Hebrews 1:1 isn't merely an historical statement but a strategic rhetorical move, paving the way for the profound claims about Christ's unique and final supremacy as God's definitive Word.

Hebrews 1 1 Word analysis

• God (Θεὸς - Theos): Signifies the one true and sovereign God of Israel, the ultimate source of all revelation. It emphasizes that divine communication originates solely from Him, underscoring His initiative and authority in interacting with humanity.
• who (ὁ - ho): A definite article serving as a pronoun, grammatically linking "God" directly to the action of "spoke." It confirms God as the exclusive subject performing the action of revelation.
• at sundry times (πολυμερῶς - polymerōs): Lit. "in many portions" or "part by part." This signifies the fragmented and progressive nature of God's Old Testament revelation. It was not given all at once in its fullness but was unveiled gradually, in different parts over various periods of history, reflecting humanity's capacity to receive and comprehend divine truth.
• and (καὶ - kai): A simple conjunction connecting the two descriptors of the Old Covenant revelation, emphasizing that it was both piecemeal and diverse in its presentation.
• in divers manners (πολυτρόπως - polytropōs): Lit. "in many ways" or "by various means." This refers to the myriad methods God employed for revelation in the Old Testament: dreams (Gen 20:3), visions (Isa 1:1), direct audible speech (Ex 3:4), angelic appearances (Gen 18:2), laws (Ex 20), historical events (Exodus), symbols (tabernacle), and, crucially, through the spoken words of human messengers.
• spake (λαλήσας - lalēsas): An aorist participle ("having spoken"), denoting a completed action in the past. It stresses God's active, intentional, and real communication, establishing the historical veracity of the Old Testament revelation as divine in origin. The act of "speaking" highlights God's personal engagement.
• in time past (πάλαι - palai): Means "long ago" or "of old." This temporal indicator explicitly refers to the entire period preceding the coming of Christ and the New Covenant era. It distinctly separates the Old Testament dispensation from the "these last days" of the New Covenant in Hebrews 1:2.
• unto the fathers (τοῖς πατράσιν - tois patrasin): Refers to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and, by extension, the collective ancestors of the Jewish people—the people of Israel to whom the covenants and law were given. This specifies the audience of the Old Covenant revelation as the covenant community of Israel.
• by the prophets (ἐν τοῖς προφήταις - en tois prophētais): Lit. "in the prophets" or "through the prophets." This identifies the human agents or intermediaries God chose to deliver His message during the Old Covenant period. The phrasing "in the prophets" might also subtly imply that the prophets were so completely indwelt and inspired by God's Spirit that His word was genuinely in them and flowed through them (cf. 2 Pet 1:21). Their words were not merely their own but divine utterances delivered by human instrumentality.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "God, who... spake": Emphasizes the divine initiative in revelation. God is not merely discovered but actively chooses to reveal Himself. His speaking is an inherent characteristic of His nature and a demonstration of His covenantal faithfulness. This is in contrast to human search or discovery; revelation is always an act of God.
• "at sundry times and in divers manners": These two adverbs are crucial for understanding the nature of Old Covenant revelation. "Sundry times" (πολυμερῶς) highlights its episodic and unfolding character, delivered in fragments over centuries, line upon line, precept upon precept. "Divers manners" (πολυτρόπως) indicates the rich variety of forms this revelation took. Combined, they show that while complete in its various segments, it was not the complete and unified revelation embodied in one person.
• "spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets": This phrase defines the historical scope, audience, and instrumentation of the Old Covenant. "Time past" signifies the distinct era. "Unto the fathers" emphasizes the recipient nation, Israel. "By the prophets" identifies the chosen mediators, confirming the validity of the Old Testament Scriptures as truly God's word, albeit delivered through human vessels and over a long period. This sets the perfect literary and theological contrast for the introduction of Jesus in verse 2, as the one by whom God speaks "in these last days."

Hebrews 1 1 Bonus section

• The striking contrast between Hebrews 1:1 and 1:2 ("in time past" vs. "in these last days"; "by the prophets" vs. "by his Son") forms a chiasmus (ABBA structure), rhetorically emphasizing the dramatic shift and qualitative superiority of the New Covenant revelation in Christ.
• The terms "sundry times" (πολυμερῶς - polymerōs) and "divers manners" (πολυτρόπως - polytropōs) are uniquely combined here in the New Testament. They are a powerful rhetorical pairing, emphasizing both the quantity of the fragments and the variety of the methods, effectively creating anticipation for something different and greater.
• The verse suggests that the prophets, though speaking divine words, might not have fully understood the totality of the message or its ultimate culmination (1 Pet 1:10-12). Their role was to deliver a portion of God's truth as it was revealed to them, which then served as a preparation for the arrival of the ultimate truth-bearer.

Hebrews 1 1 Commentary

Hebrews 1:1 is not just a chronological statement but a foundational theological premise that undergirds the entire letter. It affirms the divine origin and validity of the Old Testament revelation, stating unequivocally that God Himself was the speaker. However, it concurrently qualifies that revelation as partial ("sundry times" / "in many portions") and varied ("divers manners" / "in many ways"). God did not reveal His entire truth at once, nor did He confine Himself to one method of communication; He unfolded His purposes progressively through various means (dreams, visions, direct speech, events, etc.) and always through human intermediaries, the prophets. This emphasis on "parts" and "ways" underscores a perceived incompleteness, paving the way for the profound revelation yet to be described. The mention of "the fathers" confirms that this historical speaking was directed to the covenant people of Israel. Thus, this verse establishes a continuity of divine purpose across history while strategically setting the stage for the New Testament's superior and final revelation in God's Son. It's a testament to God's persistent desire to communicate with humanity, first partially, then ultimately and perfectly.