New King James Version
Hebrews 1:3
3who 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Hebrews 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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;
- New International Version (NIV)The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
- New Living Translation (NLT)The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
Context of Hebrews 1:3
1God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?
Read all of Hebrews 1Hebrews 1:3 word by word
ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιησάμενος ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖςRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- beingεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the brightnessἀπαύγασμαapaugasma · radianceG541
- ofὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- ofδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the express imageχαρακτήρcharaktēr · reproductionG5481
- ofὑπόστασιςhupostasis · confidence/essenceG5287
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- andτεte · and/bothG5037
- upholdingφέρωpherō̄ · to bear/leadG5342
- all thingsπᾶςpas · allG3956
- by the wordῥῆμαrhēma · declarationG4487
- ofδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
- when he hadποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
- purgedκαθαρισμόςkatharismos · cleansingG2512
- ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- sinsἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
- sat downκαθίζωkathizō · to seatG2523
- onἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the right handδεξιόςdexios · rightG1188
- of the Majestyμεγαλωσύνηmegalōsunē · majestyG3172
- highὑψηλόςhupsēlos · highG5308
Cross-references for Hebrews 1:3
- John 1:14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 14:9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
- 2 Corinthians 4:6For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
- Colossians 1:15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
- Psalms 75:3The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
- John 1:4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
- Colossians 1:17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
- Revelation 4:11“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
- Ecclesiastes 8:4Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
- Romans 1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
- Hebrews 7:27who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
- Hebrews 9:12Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
- John 1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
- 1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Commentaries on Hebrews 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The brightness of his glory - The resplendent outbeaming of the essential glory of God. Hesychius interprets by ̔ͅ , the splendor of the sun. The same form of expression is used by an apocryphal writer, Wis. 7:26, where, speaking of the uncreated wisdom of God, he says: "For she is the splendor of eternal light, ̈́, and the unsullied mirror of the energy of God, and the image of his goodness." The word is that which has splendor in itself is the splendor…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Who being the brightness of his glory - This verse is designed to state the dignity and exalted rank of the Son of God, and is exceedingly important with reference to a correct view of the Redeemer. Every word which is employed is of great importance, and should be clearly understood in order to a correct apprehension of the passage. First, in what manner does it refer to the Redeemer? To his divine nature? To the mode of his existence before he was…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The Greek word translated radiance is found only here in the New Testament. It means intense brightness. God's glory shows his presence (Exodus 16:7; 33:18; Isaiah 40:5). The Son's glory reflects God's glory, showing God's presence (Luke 9:32; John 1:14; 2:11; 17:5; Romans 8:17). The Greek word translated exact representation is also unique in the New Testament. It refers to a mark like one on a coin. The Son clearly shows God's character (John 1:18…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Who being--by pre-existent and essential being. brightness of his glory--Greek, the effulgence of His glory. "Light of (from) light" [Nicene Creed]. "Who is so senseless as to doubt concerning the eternal being of the Son? For when has one seen light without effulgence?" [Athanasius, Against Arius, Orations, 2]. "The sun is never seen without effulgence, nor the Father without the Son" [Theophylact]. It is because He is the brightness, &c., and because…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 1:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries