I have run across a statement in Hebrews that confuses me. Most of the Bible translations seem to agree with the King James Version, which says, "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever" (1:8). It seems that God is calling Jesus God. The Message says, "But he says to the Son, You're God, and on the throne for good." And the Contemporary English Version, "But God says about his Son, 'You are God, and you will rule as King forever!' " Can you clarify this for me?
A1 Numerous verses in the Bible take surprising, even unexplainable, twists and turns–and this verse may be one of them. In this case, scholars dispute even the authorship of the book of Hebrews. These sorts of inconsistencies do have an impact on the meaning of the writing itself.
So let's take a step back and get a larger view in order to gain clarity. The semantics of this verse are evidently not the real issue in this letter to the Hebrews. Dummelow's Commentary on the Holy Bible points out that the author of Hebrews is deeply concerned that the newly converted Jews are in danger of reverting to the old ways of Judaism, with its ceremonial forms of worship. Convinced that such a turning back would be disastrous, he launches into a vigorous exhortation to awaken his readers. The author focuses his argument on the shortcomings of Jewish law, pointing out that religious ceremony failed to actually purify the people and win them greater access to God. A new and higher order has come by way of God's Son—Jesus Christ.
