---
title: "Hebrews 1 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary"
description: "Read Hebrews 1 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,"
image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/hebrews/1"
---

[ Read](/kjv/hebrews/1)[ Commentary](/study/hebrews/1)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/hebrews/1) Audio

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

 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by *his* Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

 3 Who being the brightness of *his* glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

 8 But unto the Son *he saith*, Thy throne, O God, *is* for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness *is* the sceptre of thy kingdom.

 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, *even* thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

 13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
 
[Philemon 1](/study/philemon/1) [Hebrews 2](/study/hebrews/2)

## Commentary

 To verse 1
 
Verse [Hebrews 1:1](/kjv/hebrews/1/1). ***God, who at sundry times and in divers manners*** — We can scarcely conceive any thing more dignified than the opening of this epistle; the sentiments are exceedingly elevated, and the language, harmony itself! The infinite God is at once produced to view, not in any of those attributes which are essential to the Divine nature, but in the manifestations of his love to the world, by giving a revelation of his will relative to the salvation of mankind, and thus preparing the way, through a long train of years, for the introduction of that most glorious Being, his own Son. This Son, in the fulness of time, was manifested in the flesh that he might complete all vision and prophecy, supply all that was wanting to perfect the great scheme of revelation for the instruction of the world, and then die to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The description which he gives of this glorious personage is elevated beyond all comparison. Even in his *humiliation*, his suffering of death excepted, he is infinitely exalted above all the angelic host, is the object of their unceasing adoration, is permanent on his eternal throne at the right hand of the Father, and from him they all receive their commands to minister to those whom he has redeemed by his blood. in short, this first chapter, which may be considered the introduction to the whole epistle is, for importance of subject, dignity of expression, harmony and energy of language, compression and yet distinctness of ideas, equal, if not superior, to any other part of the New Testament. 

***Sundry times*** — πολυμερως, from πολυς, *many*, and περος, a *part*; giving portions of revelation at different times. 

***Divers manners*** — πολυτροπως, from πολυς, *many*, and τροπος, a *manner, turn*, or *form of speech*; hence *trope*, a figure in rhetoric. *Lambert Bos* supposes these words to refer to that part of music which is denominated *harmony*, viz. that general consent or union of musical sounds which is made up of different parts; and, understood in this way, it may signify the *agreement* or *harmony* of all the Old Testament writers, who with one consent gave testimony to Jesus Christ, and the work of redemption by him. *To him gave all the prophets witness, that, through his name,* *whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins*; [Acts 10:43](/kjv/acts/10/43). 

But it is better to consider, with *Kypke*, that the words are rather intended to point out the *imperfect* state of Divine revelation under the Old Testament; it was not *complete*, nor can it without the New be considered a sufficiently ample discovery of the Divine will. Under the Old Testament, revelations were made πολυμερως και πολυτροπως, at *various* times, by *various* persons, in *various* laws and forms of teaching, with *various* degrees of clearness, under *various* shadows, types, and figures, and with *various* modes of revelation, such as by angels, visions, dreams, mental impressions, c. See [Numbers 12:6](/kjv/numbers/12/6); [Numbers 12:8](/kjv/numbers/12/8). But under the New Testament all is done απλως, *simply*, by *one person*, i.e. JESUS, who has fulfilled the prophets, and completed prophecy who is the way, the truth, and the life; and the founder, mediator, and governor of his own kingdom. 

One great object of the apostle is, to put the *simplicity* of the Christian system in opposition to the *complex* nature of the Mosaic economy; and also to show that what the law could not do because it was weak through the flesh, Jesus has accomplished by the merit of his death, and the energy of his Spirit. 

*Maximus Tyrius*, Diss. 1, page 7, has a passage where the very words employed by the apostle are found, and evidently used nearly in the same sense: Τῃ του ανθρωπου ψυχῃ δυο οργανων οντων προς συνεσιν, του μεν ἁπλου, ὁν καλουμεν νουν, του δε ποικιλου και πολυμερους και πολυτροπου, ἁς αισθησεις καλουμεν. "The soul of man has two organs of intelligence: one *simple*, which we call *mind*; the other *diversified*, and acting in *various modes* and *various ways*, which we term *sense*." 

A similar form of expression the same writer employs in Diss. 15, page 171: "The city which is governed by the mob, πολυφωνον τε ειναι και πολυμερη και πολυπαθη, is full of noise, and is divided by various factions and various passions." 

The excellence of the *Gospel* above the *law* is here set down in three points: 

1. God spake unto the faithful under the Old Testament by Moses and the prophets, worthy *servants*, yet servants; now the *Son* is much better than a servant, [Hebrews 1:4](/kjv/hebrews/1/4). 

2. Whereas the body of the Old Testament was long in compiling, being about a thousand years from Moses to Malachi; and God spake unto the fathers by piecemeal, one while raising up one prophet, another while another, now sending them one parcel of prophecy or history, then another; but when Christ came, all was brought to perfection in one age; the apostles and evangelists were alive, some of them, when every part of the New Testament was completely finished. 

3. The *Old Testament* was delivered by God in divers manners, both in utterance and manifestation; but the delivery of the *Gospel* was in a more simple manner; for, although there are various penmen, yet the subject is the same, and treated with nearly the same phraseology throughout; James, Jude, and the Apocalypse excepted. See *Leigh*.

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