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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Hebrews 1:1 On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/hebrews/1-1.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/15/58_Heb_01_01.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Hebrews 1:1 - The Supremacy of the Son" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets." /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad1.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/philemon/1-25.htm" title="Philemon 1:25">◄</a> Hebrews 1:1 <a href="/hebrews/1-2.htm" title="Hebrews 1:2">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Greek </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv">Verse<a href="/bsb/hebrews/1.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><a href="/niv/hebrews/1.htm">New International Version</a> In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, <a href="/nlt/hebrews/1.htm">New Living Translation</a> Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. <a href="/esv/hebrews/1.htm">English Standard Version</a> Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, <a href="/bsb/hebrews/1.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. <a href="/blb/hebrews/1.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> God, having spoken long ago to our fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/kjv/hebrews/1.htm">King James Bible</a> God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, <a href="/nkjv/hebrews/1.htm">New King James Version</a> God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, <a href="/nasb_/hebrews/1.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/nasb/hebrews/1.htm">NASB 1995</a> God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/nasb77/hebrews/1.htm">NASB 1977 </a> God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/lsb/hebrews/1.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/amp/hebrews/1.htm">Amplified Bible</a> God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways, <a href="/csb/hebrews/1.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. <a href="/hcsb/hebrews/1.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. <a href="/asv/hebrews/1.htm">American Standard Version</a> God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, <a href="/cev/hebrews/1.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. <a href="/erv/hebrews/1.htm">English Revised Version</a> God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, <a href="/gwt/hebrews/1.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> In the past God spoke to our ancestors at many different times and in many different ways through the prophets. <a href="/gnt/hebrews/1.htm">Good News Translation</a> In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, <a href="/isv/hebrews/1.htm">International Standard Version</a> God, having spoken in former times in fragmentary and varied fashion to our forefathers by the prophets, <a href="/msb/hebrews/1.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. <a href="/net/hebrews/1.htm">NET Bible</a> After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, <a href="/nheb/hebrews/1.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, <a href="/wbt/hebrews/1.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, <a href="/wey/hebrews/1.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> God, who in ancient days spoke to our forefathers in many distinct messages and by various methods through the Prophets, <a href="/web/hebrews/1.htm">World English Bible</a> God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/hebrews/1.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> In many parts and many ways, God, having spoken long ago to the fathers by the prophets, <a href="/blb/hebrews/1.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> God, having spoken long ago to our fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, <a href="/ylt/hebrews/1.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> In many parts, and many ways, God of old having spoken to the fathers in the prophets, <a href="/slt/hebrews/1.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> God, formerly multifariously and abundantly having spoken to the fathers in the prophets,<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/hebrews/1.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, <a href="/cpdv/hebrews/1.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> In many places and in many ways, in past times, God spoke to the fathers through the Prophets; <a href="/nabre/hebrews/1.htm">New American Bible</a> In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; <a href="/nrsvce/hebrews/1.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/hebrews/1.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> FROM of old God spoke to our fathers by the prophets in every manner and in all ways; and in these latter days, he has spoken to us by his Son; <a href="/aramaic-plain-english/hebrews/1.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a> From the first, in all parts and in all forms, God spoke with our fathers by The Prophets,<div class="vheading2">NT Translations</div><a href="/anderson/hebrews/1.htm">Anderson New Testament</a> GOD, who in many parts and in many ways spoke in ancient times to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, <a href="/godbey/hebrews/1.htm">Godbey New Testament</a> On many occasions and in many ways in the olden time, God having spoken to the fathers through the prophets, at the last of these days has spoken to us through his Son, <a href="/haweis/hebrews/1.htm">Haweis New Testament</a> GOD, who spake to the fathers of old at various times, and in different manners by the prophets, <a href="/mace/hebrews/1.htm">Mace New Testament</a> God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past to the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his SON, <a href="/wey/hebrews/1.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> God, who in ancient days spoke to our forefathers in many distinct messages and by various methods through the Prophets, <a href="/worrell/hebrews/1.htm">Worrell New Testament</a> God, having in many parts and many ways spoken, of old, to the fathers in the prophets, <a href="/worsley/hebrews/1.htm">Worsley New Testament</a> <bld>God</bld>, who at sundry times, and various ways, spake of old unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son, <a href="/parallel/hebrews/1-1.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x-IAXXp5zcA?start=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/hebrews/1.htm">The Supremacy of the Son</a> 1<a href="/greek/3819.htm" title="3819: palai (Adv) -- Of old, long ago, in times past, former. Probably another form for palin; formerly, or sometime since; ancient.">On many past</a> <a href="/greek/4181.htm" title="4181: Polymerōs (Adv) -- Adverb from a compound of polus and meros; in many portions, i.e. Variously as to time and agency.">occasions</a> <a href="/greek/2532.htm" title="2532: kai (Conj) -- And, even, also, namely. ">and</a> <a href="/greek/4187.htm" title="4187: polytropōs (Adv) -- In many ways. Adverb from a compound of polus and tropos; in many ways, i.e. Variously as to method or form.">in many different ways,</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ho (Art-NMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/2316.htm" title="2316: Theos (N-NMS) -- A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.">God</a> <a href="/greek/2980.htm" title="2980: lalēsas (V-APA-NMS) -- A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.">spoke</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tois (Art-DMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">to our</a> <a href="/greek/3962.htm" title="3962: patrasin (N-DMP) -- Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a father.">fathers</a> <a href="/greek/1722.htm" title="1722: en (Prep) -- In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; in, at, on, by, etc.">through</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tois (Art-DMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/4396.htm" title="4396: prophētais (N-DMP) -- From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.">prophets.</a> 2But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1-3</a> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. <a href="/2_peter/1-21.htm">2 Peter 1:21</a> For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. <a href="/numbers/12-6.htm">Numbers 12:6-8</a> He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. / But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. / I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” <a href="/acts/3-21.htm">Acts 3:21</a> Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. <a href="/1_peter/1-10.htm">1 Peter 1:10-12</a> Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully, / trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. / It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. <a href="/luke/24-27.htm">Luke 24:27</a> And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself. <a href="/romans/1-2.htm">Romans 1:2</a> the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, <a href="/2_timothy/3-16.htm">2 Timothy 3:16</a> All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, <a href="/jeremiah/1-4.htm">Jeremiah 1:4-5</a> The word of the LORD came to me, saying: / “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” <a href="/amos/3-7.htm">Amos 3:7</a> Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets. <a href="/matthew/5-17.htm">Matthew 5:17</a> Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. <a href="/1_corinthians/10-11.htm">1 Corinthians 10:11</a> Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. <a href="/isaiah/28-10.htm">Isaiah 28:10</a> For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.” <a href="/1_samuel/3-1.htm">1 Samuel 3:1</a> And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce. <a href="/acts/7-52.htm">Acts 7:52</a> Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,at.<a href="/genesis/3-15.htm">Genesis 3:15</a> And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.<a href="/genesis/6-3.htm">Genesis 6:3,13</a> And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years… <a href="/genesis/8-15.htm">Genesis 8:15</a> And God spake unto Noah, saying,in.<a href="/numbers/12-6.htm">Numbers 12:6-8</a> And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream… <a href="/joel/2-28.htm">Joel 2:28</a> And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:the fathers.<a href="/luke/1-55.htm">Luke 1:55,72</a> As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever… <a href="/john/7-22.htm">John 7:22</a> Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.<a href="/acts/13-32.htm">Acts 13:32</a> And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/2_corinthians/3-14.htm">Ancient</a> <a href="/1_timothy/6-3.htm">Different</a> <a href="/1_corinthians/14-9.htm">Distinct</a> <a href="/titus/3-3.htm">Divers</a> <a href="/2_timothy/3-2.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/2_timothy/1-3.htm">Forefathers</a> <a href="/philemon/1-11.htm">Formerly</a> <a href="/1_corinthians/15-33.htm">Manners</a> <a href="/acts/19-31.htm">Messages</a> <a href="/isaiah/32-7.htm">Methods</a> <a href="/colossians/2-19.htm">Parts</a> <a href="/philemon/1-11.htm">Past</a> <a href="/john/6-13.htm">Portions</a> <a href="/titus/1-12.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/philemon/1-22.htm">Time</a> <a href="/philemon/1-4.htm">Times</a> <a href="/titus/3-8.htm">Various</a> <a href="/2_timothy/1-18.htm">Ways</a> <a href="/titus/3-8.htm">Word</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/1_peter/3-5.htm">Ancient</a> <a href="/hebrews/7-11.htm">Different</a> <a href="/exodus/33-16.htm">Distinct</a> <a href="/hebrews/2-4.htm">Divers</a> <a href="/hebrews/2-3.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/hebrews/3-8.htm">Forefathers</a> <a href="/hebrews/7-21.htm">Formerly</a> <a href="/leviticus/20-23.htm">Manners</a> <a href="/hebrews/12-19.htm">Messages</a> <a href="/isaiah/32-7.htm">Methods</a> <a href="/james/1-1.htm">Parts</a> <a href="/hebrews/2-2.htm">Past</a> <a href="/genesis/4-4.htm">Portions</a> <a href="/hebrews/11-32.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/hebrews/1-5.htm">Time</a> <a href="/hebrews/3-10.htm">Times</a> <a href="/hebrews/2-4.htm">Various</a> <a href="/hebrews/3-10.htm">Ways</a> <a href="/hebrews/1-3.htm">Word</a><div class="vheading2">Hebrews 1</div>1. <a href="/hebrews/1-1.htm">Christ in these last times coming to us from the Father,</a> 4. <a href="/hebrews/1-4.htm">is preferred above the angels, both in person and office.</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/hebrews/1.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/hebrews/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/hebrews/1.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>On many past occasions This phrase indicates the continuity and consistency of God's communication with humanity throughout history. It suggests that God's revelation was not a one-time event but occurred repeatedly over time. This aligns with the biblical narrative where God interacted with His people at various points, such as with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others. Each occasion was part of a progressive revelation leading to the ultimate revelation in Jesus Christ.and in many different ways God's methods of communication were diverse, including dreams, visions, direct speech, and symbolic actions. For example, God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3), to Joseph through dreams (Genesis 37), and to Elijah in a gentle whisper (<a href="/1_kings/19-12.htm">1 Kings 19:12</a>). This diversity underscores God's creativity and adaptability in ensuring His message was understood by different people in different contexts.God spoke to our fathers The term "our fathers" refers to the patriarchs and ancestors of the Jewish people, emphasizing the continuity of God's covenant relationship with Israel. This phrase connects the audience of Hebrews to their rich heritage and the faithfulness of God to their forebears. It also highlights the communal aspect of God's revelation, as it was given to a people, not just individuals.through the prophets Prophets were God's chosen messengers, serving as intermediaries between God and His people. They played a crucial role in guiding, warning, and encouraging Israel. Figures like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were instrumental in delivering God's messages. The prophetic tradition is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, and the prophets often pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This phrase underscores the authority and divine origin of the prophetic messages.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a> The supreme being who communicates with humanity. In this context, God is the initiator of revelation. 2. <a href="/topical/o/our_fathers.htm">Our Fathers</a> Refers to the ancestors of the Jewish people, including the patriarchs and those who received God's messages in the past. 3. <a href="/topical/p/prophets.htm">Prophets</a> Individuals chosen by God to deliver His messages to the people. They played a crucial role in conveying God's will and guidance. 4. <a href="/topical/p/past_occasions.htm">Past Occasions</a> Refers to the various times throughout history when God communicated with His people. 5. <a href="/topical/d/different_ways.htm">Different Ways</a> Indicates the diverse methods God used to reveal His messages, such as visions, dreams, and direct speech.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/g/god's_initiative_in_communication.htm">God's Initiative in Communication</a> God actively seeks to communicate with humanity, demonstrating His desire for a relationship with us. <a href="/topical/d/diversity_in_revelation.htm">Diversity in Revelation</a> God's use of various methods to communicate shows His adaptability and creativity in reaching people where they are. <a href="/topical/r/role_of_the_prophets.htm">Role of the Prophets</a> Prophets were vital in conveying God's messages, reminding us of the importance of listening to those who speak God's truth today. <a href="/topical/c/continuity_and_fulfillment.htm">Continuity and Fulfillment</a> The communication through prophets in the past sets the stage for the ultimate revelation through Jesus Christ, emphasizing the continuity of God's plan. <a href="/topical/r/relevance_of_the_old_testament.htm">Relevance of the Old Testament</a> Understanding how God spoke in the past helps us appreciate the depth and richness of the Old Testament as part of God's ongoing revelation.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_hebrews_1.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Hebrews 1</a> <a href="/q/are_there_prophets_in_the_world_today.htm">Are there prophets in the world today?</a> <a href="/q/bible_vs._quran__key_differences.htm">What are the key differences between the Bible and Quran?</a> <a href="/q/how_does_hebrews_1_1-2_claim_god_speaks.htm">How can Hebrews 1:1–2 claim God now speaks solely through His Son when no direct historical record outside scripture confirms this revelation? </a> <a href="/q/is_jesus_superior_to_the_angels.htm">Is Jesus superior to the angels?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/hebrews/1.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(1) God, who at sundry times. . . .--The fine arrangement of the words in the Authorised version fails, it must be confessed, to convey the emphasis which is designed in the original. The writer's object is to place the former revelation over against that which has now been given; and the remarkable words with which the chapter opens (and which might not inaptly serve as the motto of the whole Epistle) strike the first note of contrast. If we may imitate the artistic arrangement of the Greek, the verse will run thus, "In many portions and in many ways God having of old spoken unto the fathers in the prophets." To the fathers of the Jewish people (comp. <a href="/romans/9-5.htm" title="Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.">Romans 9:5</a>) God's word was given part by part, and in divers manners. It came in the revelations of the patriarchal age, in the successive portions of Holy Writ: various truths were successively unveiled through the varying ministry of law, and of prophecy, and of promise ever growing clearer through the teaching of experience and history. At one time the word came in direct precept, at another in typical ordinance or act, at another in parable or psalm. The word thus dealt out in fragments and variously imparted was God's word, for the revealing Spirit of God was "in the prophets" (<a href="/2_corinthians/13-3.htm" title="Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.">2Corinthians 13:3</a>). We must not unduly limit the application of "prophet"; besides those to whom the name is directly given, there were many who were representatives of God to His people, and interpreters of His will. (Comp. <a href="/numbers/11-26.htm" title="But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested on them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out to the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.">Numbers 11:26</a>; <a href="/numbers/11-29.htm" title="And Moses said to him, Envy you for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!">Numbers 11:29</a>; <a href="/psalms/105-15.htm" title="Saying, Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.">Psalm 105:15</a>.)<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/hebrews/1.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 1. - Retaining the order of the words in the original, we may translate, In many portions, and in many modes of old God having spoken to the fathers in the prophets. Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως ( νοτ a mere alliterative redundancy, denoting variously: - the writer's usual choice use of words forbids this supposition. Nor is the μερῶς of the first adverb to be taken (as in the A.V.) to denote portions of time: - this is not the proper meaning of the compound. Nor (for the same reason) does it denote various degrees of prophetic inspiration, but (on etymological as well as logical grounds) the various portions of the preparatory revelation to "the fathers." It was not one utterance, but many utterances; given, in fact, at divers times, though it is to the diversity of the utterances, and not of the times, that the expression points. Then the second adverb denotes the various modes of the several former revelations - not necessarily or exclusively the rabbinical distinction between dream, vision, inspiration, voices, angels; or that between the visions and dreams of prophets and the "mouth to mouth" revelation to Moses, referred to in <a href="/numbers/12-6.htm">Numbers 12:6-9</a>; but rather the various characters or forms of the various utterances in themselves. Some were in the way of primeval promises; some of glimpses into the Divine righteousness, as in the Law given from Mount Sinai; some of significant ritual, as in the same Law; some of typical history and typical persons, spoken of under inspiration as representing an unfulfilled ideal; some of the yearnings and aspirations, or distinct predictions, of psalmists and of prophets. But all these were but partial, fragmentary, anticipatory utterances, leading up to and adumbrating the 'one complete, all-absorbing "speaking of God to us in the SON," which is placed in contrast with there all. If the subsequent treatment in this Epistle of the Old Testament utterances is to be taken as a key for unlocking the meaning of the exordium, such ideas were in the writer's mind when he thus wrote. "Πολυμερῶς pertinet ad materiam, πολυτρόπως ad formam" (Bengel). Of old; i.e. in the ages comprised in the Old Testament record. Though it is true that; God has revealed himself variously since the world was made to other than the saints of the Old Testament, and though he ceased not to speak in some way to his people between the times of Malachi and of Christ, yet both the expression, "to the fathers," and the instances of Divine utterances given subsequently in the Epistle, restrict us in our interpretation to the Old Testament canon. Addressing Hebrews, it is from this that the writer argues. Having spoken; a word used elsewhere to express all the ways in which God has made himself, his will, and his counsels, known (cf. <a href="/matthew/10-20.htm">Matthew 10:20</a>; <a href="/luke/1-45.htm">Luke 1:45, 70</a>; <a href="/john/9-29.htm">John 9:29</a>; <a href="/acts/3-21.htm">Acts 3:21</a>; <a href="/acts/7-6.htm">Acts 7:6</a>). To the fathers; the ancestors of the Jews in respect both of race and of faith; the saints of the Old Testament. The word had a well-understood meaning (cf. <a href="/matthew/23-30.htm">Matthew 23:30</a>; <a href="/luke/1-55.htm">Luke 1:55, 72</a>; <a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47</a>; and especially <a href="/romans/9-5.htm">Romans 9:5</a>). For the double sense of the term "father," thus used, see <a href="/john/8-56.htm">John 8:56</a>, "your father Abraham;" but again, <a href="/john/8-39.htm">John 8:39</a>, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham;" and also <a href="/romans/4.htm">Romans 4</a>. and <a href="/galatians/3-7.htm">Galatians 3:7</a>. But this distinction between physical and spiritual ancestry does not come in here. In the prophets. The word "prophet" must be taken here in a general sense; not confined to the prophets distinctively so called, as in <a href="/luke/24-44.htm">Luke 24:44</a>, "Moses, the prophets, and the psalms." For both Moses and the psalms are quoted in the sequel, to illustrate the ancient utterances. Προφήτης means, both in classical and Hellenistic Greek (as does the Hebrew נָבִיא, of which προφήτης is the equivalent), not a foreteller, but a forth teller of the mind of God, an inspired expounder (cf. Διὸς προφήτης ἐστὶ Λοξίας πατρός, AEsch., 'Eum.,' 19; and <a href="/exodus/7-1.htm">Exodus 7:1</a>, "See I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet"). Observe also the sense of προφητεία in St. Paul's Epistles (especially <a href="/1_corinthians/14.htm">1 Corinthians 14</a>.). In this sense Moses, David, and all through whom God in any way spoke to man, were prophets. On the exact force of the preposition ἐν, many views have been entertained. It does not mean "in the books of the prophets," - the corresponding "in the SON" precludes this; nor that God by his Spirit spoke within the prophets, - this idea does not come in naturally here; nor is "the SON" presented afterwards as one in whom the Godhead dwelt, so much as being himself a manifestation of God; nor may we take ἐν, as simply a Hellenism for διὰ, - the writer does not use prepositions indiscriminately. Ἐν, (as Alford explains it) differs from διὰ as denoting the element in which this speaking takes place. This use of the preposition is found also in classical Greek; cf. σημαίνειν ἐν οἰωνοῖς, frequent in Xenophon; in the New Testament, cf. Ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίωι ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια (<a href="/matthew/9-34.htm">Matthew 9:34</a>.). <a href="/commentaries/hebrews/1-1.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div>{On many} past πάλαι (palai) Adverb <a href="/greek/strongs_3819.htm">Strong's 3819: </a> Of old, long ago, in times past, former. Probably another form for palin; formerly, or sometime since; ancient. occasions Πολυμερῶς (Polymerōs) Adverb <a href="/greek/strongs_4181.htm">Strong's 4181: </a> Adverb from a compound of polus and meros; in many portions, i.e. Variously as to time and agency. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_2532.htm">Strong's 2532: </a> And, even, also, namely. in many different ways, πολυτρόπως (polytropōs) Adverb <a href="/greek/strongs_4187.htm">Strong's 4187: </a> In many ways. Adverb from a compound of polus and tropos; in many ways, i.e. Variously as to method or form. God Θεὸς (Theos) Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2316.htm">Strong's 2316: </a> A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very. spoke λαλήσας (lalēsas) Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2980.htm">Strong's 2980: </a> A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words. to [our] τοῖς (tois) Article - Dative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. fathers πατράσιν (patrasin) Noun - Dative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3962.htm">Strong's 3962: </a> Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'. through ἐν (en) Preposition <a href="/greek/strongs_1722.htm">Strong's 1722: </a> In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. the τοῖς (tois) Article - Dative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. prophets. προφήταις (prophētais) Noun - Dative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_4396.htm">Strong's 4396: </a> From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet. <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/hebrews/1-1.htm">Hebrews 1:1 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/hebrews/1-1.htm">NT Letters: Hebrews 1:1 God having in the past spoken (Heb. 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