Hebrews 1:8-9

Joshua Perez

11/16/24

"But of the Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your companions'" (Hebrews 1:8-9, NASB)

This passage in Hebrews directly quotes Psalm 45:6-7. To understand why the author includes it in chapter 1, we must first examine its original context.

1. Many Psalms include a preface indicating the author or the theme of the Psalm. These prefaces are not translator additions; they are present in the original Hebrew manuscripts. For example, Psalm 92 states:

"A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day: It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High" (Psalms 92:1, NASB)

This indicates to the reader that, in the original context, Psalm 92 was intended to be sung on the Sabbath day. Similarly, the preface to Psalm 45 states:

"For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah, a song of love: My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (Psalm 45:1, NASB)

This Psalm is called "a song of love," and, as the body of the text explains, it describes a real human king and his bride.

"My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer." (Psalms 45:1 NASB)

The Psalmist addresses the King of Israel and describes both him and his bride, but never suggests that the king is "God." The king is clearly portrayed as a human being (Psalm 45:1, 5, 13, 15). The author emphasizes that the king is blessed by God:

"You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever" (Psalms 45:2)

He notes that the king's wife is from Tyre, lives with the king in an ivory palace, and is instructed to forget her own people and her father's house:

"All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad. Kings' daughters are among Your noble ladies; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father's house; Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will entreat your favor" (Psalm 45:8-12 NASB)

This demonstrates that the Psalm cannot be referring to Jesus, who, according to the New Testament, had neither children nor a wife from a foreign land.

According to the common interpretation of verses 6-7, the king is referred to as "God." However, it is also stated that this position has been granted to him by his "God."

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows." (Psalm 45:6-7)

In this context, the term "god" (elohim in Hebrew) functions as a title for an exalted human, not as someone equal to Hashem. For instance, Moses in Exodus 7:1 is called "god" over pharaoh. The Great Sanhedrin in the land of Israel was given direct divine authority from Hashem (Deut. 17:8-13), and we see them being directly addressed using the title "gods" (Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:28; Psalm 82). This is the very same argument the Lord Jesus Christ used in John 10 as to why it is not blasphemy for him to say he is the son of God (which implies inferiority). This aligns with the stance of Rashi, who states that elohim in this context should be understood as "ruler," just as it was for Moses. 

"Your throne, O judge Your throne, O prince and judge, shall exist forever and ever, as the matter that is stated (Exod. 7:1): “I have made you a judge (נתתיך אלהים) over Pharaoh.” And why? Because “a scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom,” that your judgments are true, and you are fit to govern." (Rashi on Psalms 45:6)

Someone who is the Almighty God does not need to be exalted or given a position of leadership by a higher power. To be "God" implies being the highest authority, in subjection to no one. This contradicts the depiction of the king in Psalm 45, who has a God above him. To offer an analogy, if someone claimed to have traveled farther north than the North Pole, you would know they were either lying or confused, because there is nothing farther north than the North Pole. Similarly, there is nothing or no one above Hashem.

2. Another point to consider is that when the author of Hebrews says:

"But of the Son *He says*"

The phrase "he says" is actually absent in the Greek. There is no claim being made that it is the Father himself speaking and calling Jesus "God." This aligns perfectly with Psalm 45, where the speaker is clearly not God. It is not God calling the king "God"; rather, it is a human author applying the title "God" to the king, who has been given his authority by his God. Therefore, we could insert "it says" after "But of the Son," meaning that "it" (the Scriptures) say of the Son. Alternatively, we could retain the Greek text as is, allowing each quotation to remain in its full context. 

3. The use of various Old Testament proof texts in Hebrews chapter 1 strongly challenges the traditional Trinitarian interpretation that Jesus is equal to God the Father. Throughout the chapter, the author argues that Jesus (the Son) is superior to angels. If Jesus were truly God, proving his superiority over angels would be asinine. As noted earlier, being "God" implies being the highest authority, and therefore the author’s emphasis on Jesus' superiority makes little sense if Jesus were already the Almighty. Instead, Hebrews states that God has appointed Jesus to be the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2), that He sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3), that He inherited a more excellent name than the angels (Hebrews 1:4 — implying He did not always have it), and that He was anointed with the oil of joy above His peers by God (Hebrews 1:9). These statements would not be true of an essentially omnipotent being, but they could apply to a human who obeyed God and was therefore granted all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

Some may ask, "Why would the author of Hebrews quote this passage from Psalm 45, if in its original context it is not about Jesus, but rather the Israelite king?" This is a valid question, and its answer sheds light on the author's true purpose in selecting these proof texts. In verse 5, the author quotes 2 Samuel 7:14, which states:

"I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men" (2 Samuel 7:14, NASB)

This verse undeniably refers to King David in its original context, yet in the book of Hebrews, it is applied to Jesus. 

For to which of the angels did he say at any time, You are my Son; today I have become your Father? (Hebrews 1:5)

Is the author insinuating that Jesus is secretly King David? Of course not. Rather, he is taking a promise given to David and his descendants and rightfully applying it to Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment of that promise, as the final king of David (Matthew 1:1). Similarly, the author takes the passage from Psalm 45, originally about an ancient King of Israel, and applies it to Jesus, the future King of Israel, to show that, unlike the angels, who are temporary and fleeting:

"And of the angels He says, 'Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire'" (Hebrews 1:7, NASB)

The throne of the king of Israel is everlasting; because it has been established by God. Understanding that New Testament quotations of Old Testament passages are often not literal, and are typological, is crucial for understanding this chapter. 

4. This perfectly leads into an alternative way to translate Psalm 45:6-7 and Hebrews 1:8-9. Instead of the Psalmist applying the title "God" (elohim or theos) to the king, he could be stating that the king's throne is God—meaning that God is the source of his authority (his throne). 

"But of the Son, 'Your throne is God forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of his kingdom."

Trinitarian and Greek scholar A.T. Robertson has stated that the Greek word theos (God) could be understood as a vocative phrase, “O God,” or as a nominative phrase, “God is thy throne” or “Thy throne is God” [1] This is further supported by the Trinitarian scholar B. F. Wescott, who put the rendering, “God is thy throne,” as primary in his commentary. [2]

Furthermore, there is a parallel Greek construction in verse 8 where we have two nominative nouns joined together by "is" to equate one with the other. Hebrews 1:8b states:

"and the scepter of uprightness(nominative noun) is the scepter of His kingdom(nominative noun)." (Hebrews 1:8b)

We see this exact same construction in the first part of the verse, where two nominative nouns are joined together. If rendered as I propose, it would read:

"But of the Son, 'Your throne(nominative noun) is God(nominative noun) forever and ever"

There is no good reason to translate the exact same Greek construction differently within the same verse. Such a proposition would require substantial reasoning. Therefore, while the vocative "O God" is grammatically correct, it doesn't fit the context of this verse.

5. So, what exactly does it mean to say "Your throne is God"? While in English it may not make complete sense, in Hebraic culture, it is a logical statement to make about the king of Israel. For example, 1 Chronicles 29:23 states that Solomon sat on "the throne of the Lord." This statement should not be taken literally, as in Solomon ascending into heaven and sitting on Hashem's throne. Rather, "throne" serves as a symbol for his authority and kingly rule given to him by the Lord. Another example is 1 Kings 1:37, which states:

As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David" (1 Kings 1:37, NASB)

This statement is not referring to the literal throne of Solomon that the author wishes will be larger in size than that of David. It speaks of his power and authority, which was greater in strength than that of his father. Likewise, this is how "throne" functions in Psalm 45; it symbolizes the authority the king holds, which was given to him by God. As Ibn Ezra explains:

"His throne – Some say: like 'You shall not curse God.' And the Gaon said: 'God will prepare His throne.' And in my opinion: the word 'His throne' serves as a replacement for something else, like the way the prophecy of the prophet Oded is used, which is similar to 'the prophecy of the prophet Oded.' And likewise here, 'His throne' is the throne of God, like 'Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord.' And the one who says that His throne is before the Lord, the following verse contradicts him." (Ibn Ezra on Psalms 45:6)

Based on this interpretation, the Stone Edition Tanach states that the king's throne is from God, while the JPS Tanakh takes a slightly different approach, applying elohim adjectivally.

"Your throne is from God, it is forever and ever. The scepter of fairnesss is the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore has God, your God, annointed you with the oil of joy from among your peers." (Psalms 45:7-8 Stone Edition Tanakh)

"Your divine throne is everlasting; your royal scepter is a scepter of equity. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; rightly has God, your God, chosen to anoint you with oil of gladness over all your peers." (Psalm 45:7-8 JPS Tanakh)

Therefore, we can conclude that the Psalmist and the author of Hebrews never went beyond the confines of the Unitarianism taught in Scripture. Jesus, much like the king of Psalm 45, was a man who lived in obedience to God. As a result, he has been given "the throne of God," where he will eternally reign over the earth as King of Kings.

[1] Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 5:339

[2] Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews: The Greek Text with Notes and Essays, 24-26