But in these last daysThis phrase indicates a shift from the previous ways God communicated with humanity, such as through prophets. "Last days" refers to the era initiated by Christ's first coming, marking the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the beginning of the end times. This period is characterized by the revelation of God's final plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
He has spoken to us by His Son
God's ultimate revelation comes through Jesus Christ, who is superior to the prophets. Unlike the fragmented messages of the past, Jesus embodies the complete and final Word of God. This emphasizes the unique authority and divinity of Christ, as seen inJohn 1:1-14, where Jesus is described as the Word made flesh.
whom He appointed heir of all things
This highlights Jesus' divine authority and inheritance, fulfilling the promise ofPsalm 2:8, where God declares His Son as the heir of the nations. As the heir, Jesus possesses all creation, underscoring His sovereignty and the fulfillment of God's covenant promises through Him.
and through whom He made the universe
Jesus is not only the heir but also the agent of creation, affirming His preexistence and divine nature. This aligns withJohn 1:3 andColossians 1:16, which state that all things were made through Him. It underscores the belief in Christ's active role in creation, emphasizing His power and authority over the universe.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
GodThe ultimate communicator who has spoken through His Son in these last days.
2.
His Son (Jesus Christ)The central figure through whom God has spoken, appointed as heir of all things, and the agent of creation.
3.
The Last DaysA term referring to the period initiated by the coming of Christ, marking the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.
4.
The UniverseThe entirety of creation, which was made through Jesus Christ, emphasizing His divine role and authority.
Teaching Points
The Finality of God's Revelation in ChristJesus is the ultimate and final revelation of God. In Him, we have the complete picture of God's nature and will.
The Authority of JesusAs the heir of all things, Jesus holds supreme authority. Our lives should reflect submission to His lordship.
The Role of Jesus in CreationRecognizing Jesus as the agent of creation should lead us to worship Him as the Creator and sustainer of all things.
Living in the Last DaysUnderstanding that we live in the "last days" should motivate us to live with urgency and purpose, aligning our lives with God's redemptive plan.
Listening to God's SonSince God has spoken through His Son, we must prioritize listening to and obeying Jesus' teachings as recorded in Scripture.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Hebrews 1:2?
2.How does Hebrews 1:2 affirm Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God?
3.What does "appointed heir of all things" imply about Jesus' authority?
4.How does creation through Jesus connect to John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16?
5.How can recognizing Jesus as God's Son impact your daily faith practice?
6.In what ways can you acknowledge Jesus' supremacy in your life decisions?
7.How does Hebrews 1:2 affirm Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God?
8.What does "appointed heir of all things" mean in Hebrews 1:2?
9.How does Hebrews 1:2 challenge the belief in ongoing prophecy?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Hebrews 1?
11.What does the Bible say about the end times?
12.Is Jesus superior to the angels?
13.In 2 Timothy 3:1–5, how can we label these behaviors as uniquely “last days” traits when similar conduct is observable in every era of human history?
14.In 2 Timothy 4:3–4, does the warning about people turning away from truth conflict with other biblical passages where truth is revealed more gradually?What Does Hebrews 1:2 Mean
But in these last days- The writer contrasts God’s earlier revelations through the prophets with a climactic, final revelation in Christ.
- Scripture consistently calls the period beginning with Christ’s first coming “the last days” (Acts 2:17;1 Peter 1:20;1 John 2:18).
- These words remind believers that we live in the decisive era of redemptive history, when God’s saving plan has reached its fulfillment.
He has spoken to us by His Son- God’s message is no longer fragmentary; it is personal and complete in Jesus. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
- On the Mount of Transfiguration the Father declared, “This is My beloved Son… Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5), underscoring Jesus as the ultimate voice of God.
- Unlike prophets who conveyed God’s words, the Son IS the Word (John 1:1), revealing the Father perfectly (John 14:9).
whom He appointed heir of all things- As the eternal Son, Jesus legally inherits everything the Father owns (Psalm 2:7–8).
- His inheritance encompasses creation, authority, and redeemed humanity (Colossians 1:16;Ephesians 1:10–11).
- Believers share in this inheritance by union with Christ: “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
and through whom He made the universe- The Son is not only Redeemer but Creator: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).
-Colossians 1:16 affirms that “all things… were created through Him and for Him,” showing His active role and ultimate purpose for creation.
- Recognizing Christ as Creator grounds His authority to speak and to inherit; He owns what He made (Genesis 1:1 linked withProverbs 3:19 andRevelation 4:11).
summaryHebrews 1:2 declares that in the climactic age ushered in by Jesus, God has spoken finally and fully through His Son. This Son is the rightful heir of everything and the very agent of creation itself. The verse calls us to listen to Christ’s authoritative voice, trust His sovereign ownership of all things, and rest in the completed revelation God has graciously provided in Him.
(2)
Hath in these last days . . .--Better,
at the end of these days spake unto us in a Son. The thought common to the two verses is "God hath spoken to man"; in all other respects the past and the present stand contrasted. The manifold successive partial disclosures of God's will have given place to one revelation, complete and final; for He who spake in the prophets hath now spoken "in a Son." The whole stress lies on these last words. The rendering "a Son" may at first cause surprise, but it is absolutely needed; not, "
Who is the Revealer?" but,
"What is He?" is the question answered in these words. The writer does not speak of
a Son in the sense of one out of many; the very contrast with the prophets (who in the lower sense were amongst God's sons) would be sufficient to prove this, but the words which follow, and the whole contents of this chapter, are designed to show the supreme dignity of Him who is God's latest Representative on earth. The prophet's commission extended no farther than the special message of his words and life; "a Son" spoke with His Father's authority, with complete knowledge of His will and purpose. It is impossible to read these first lines (in which the whole argument of the Epistle is enfolded) without recalling the prologue of the fourth Gospel. The name "Word" is not mentioned here, and the highest level of St. John's teaching is not reached; but the idea which "the Word" expresses, and the thought of the Only Begotten as declaring and interpreting the Father (
John 1:18; also
John 14:10;
John 14:24) are present throughout. There is something unusual in the words, "at the end of these days." St. Peter speaks of the manifestation of Christ "at the end of the times" (
1Peter 1:20); and both in the Old Testament and in the New we not unfrequently read "at the end (or,
in the last) of the days." (See
2Peter 3:3;
Jude 1:18;
Numbers 24:14;
Daniel 10:14, &c.) The peculiarity of the expression here lies in "
these days." The ages preceding and following the appearance of Messiah are in Jewish writers known as "this world" (or,
age) and the "coming world" (or,
age); the "days of Messiah" seem to have been classed sometimes with the former, sometimes with the latter period; but "the end of these days" would be understood by every Jewish reader to denote the time of His appearing. . . .
Verse 2. -
In these last days. The true reading being
ἐπ ἐσχάτον τῶν ἡμερῶντούτων, not
ἐπ ἐσχάτων, as in the Textus Receptus, translate,
at the end of these days', The Received Text would, indeed, give the same meaning, the position of the article denoting' "the last of these days," not "these last days." The reference appears to be to the common rabbinical division of time into
αἰὼν οϋτος, and
αἰὼν μέλλων, or
ἐρχόμενος: the former denoting the pro-Messianic, the latter the Messianic period. Thus "these days" is equivalent to
αἰὼν ου{τος, "the present age," and the whole expression to
ἐπὶ συντέλειᾳ τῶν αἰώνων, "at the end of the ages" (
infra,
Hebrews 9:26); cf.
1 Corinthians 10:11," for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." The term,
αἰὼν μέλλων, is also used in this Epistle (Hebrews 6:5); cf. Hebrews 2:5,
τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν. For allusions elsewhere to the two periods, cf.
Matthew 12:32;
Mark 10:30;
Luke 18:30;
Luke 20:35;
Ephesians 1:21;
Titus 2:12. Cf. also in Old Testament,
Isaiah 9:6, where, for "Everlasting Father," Cod. Alex. has
πατὴρ τοῦ μελλόντοςαἰῶνος. A subject of discussion has been the point of division between the two ages - whether the commencement of the Christian dispensation, ushered in by the exaltation of Christ, or his second advent. The conception in the Jewish mind, founded on Messianic prophecy, would, of course, be undefined. It would only be that the coming of the Messiah would inaugurate a new order of things. But how did the New Testament writers after Christ's ascension conceive the two ages? Did they regard themselves as living at the end of the former age or at the beginning of the new one? The passage before us does not help to settle the question, nor does
Hebrews 9:26; for the reference in both cases is to the historical manifestation of Christ before his ascension. But others of the passages cited above seem certainly to imply that "the coming age" was regarded as still future. It has been said, indeed, with regard to this apparent inference from some of them, that the writers were regarding their own age from the old Jewish standing-point when they spoke of it as future, or only used well-known phrases to denote the two ages, though they were no longer strictly applicable (see Alford's note on Hebrews 2:5). But this explanation cannot well be made to apply to such passages as
1 Corinthians 10:11 and
Ephesians 1:21, or to those in the Gospels. It would appear from them that it was not till the
παρούσια (or, as it is designated in the pastoral Epistles, the
ἐπιφάνεια) of Christ that "the coming age" of prophecy was regarded as destined to begin, ushering in "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (
2 Peter 3:13). Still, though "that day" was in the future, the first coming of Christ had been, as it were, its dawn, signifying its approach and preparing believers for meeting it. "The darkness was passing away; the true light was already shining" (
1 John 2:8). Hence the apostolic writers sometimes speak as if already in the "coming age;" as being already citizens of heaven (
Philippians 3:20); as already "made to sit with Christ in the heavenly places" (
Ephesians 2:6); having already "tasted the powers of the age to come" (
Hebrews 6:5). In a certain sense they felt themselves in the new order of things, though, strictly speaking, they still regarded their own age as but the end of the old one, irradiated by the light of the new. To understand fully their language on the subject, we should remember that they supposed the second advent to be more imminent than it was. St. Paul, at one time certainly, thought that it might be before his own death (
2 Corinthians 5:4;
1 Thessalonians 4:15). Thus they might naturally speak of their own time as the conclusion of the former age, though regarding the second advent as the commencement of the new one. But the prolongation of "the end of these days," unforeseen by them, does not affect the essence of their teaching on the subject. In the Divine counsels "one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Hath spoken unto us (more properly,
spake to us) in his Son. "His" is here properly supplied to give the meaning of
ἐν υἱῷ. The rendering, a SON, which seems to have the advantage of literalism, would be misleading if it suggested the idea of one among many sons, or a son in the same sense in which others are sons. For though the designation, "son of God," is undoubtedly used in subordinate senses - applied
e.g. to Adam, to angels, to good men, to Christians - yet what follows in the Epistle fixes its peculiar meaning here. The entire drift of the earlier part of the Epistle is to show that the idea involved in the word "Son," as applied to the Messiah in prophecy, is that of a relation to God far above that of the angels or of Moses, and altogether unique in its character. This idea must have been in the writer's mind when he selected the phrases of his exordium. Nor is the article required for the sense intended. Its omission, in fact, brings it out.
Ἐν τῷ υἱῷ would have drawn especial attention to "the
personage in whom God spake;
ἐν υἱῷ does so rather to the
mode of the speaking - it is equivalent to "in one who was SON." Son-revelation (as afterwards explained), is contrasted with previous prophetic revelations (cf. for omission of the article before
υἱὸς,
Hebrews 3:6;
Hebrews 5:8;
Hebrews 7:28).
Whom he appointed (or,
constituted) heir of all things; not, as in the A.V., "hath appointed." The verb is in the aorist, and here the indefinite sense of the aorist should be preserved. "
Convenienter statim sub Filii nomen memoratur haereditas" (Bengel). Two questions arise.
(1) Was it in respect of his eternal Divinity, or of his manifestation in time, that the Son was appointed "Heir of all things?"
(2) When is God to be conceived as so appointing him?i.e. What is the time, if any, to be assigned to the indefinite aorist? In answer to question
(1) the second alternative is to be preferred. For
(a) his eternal pre-existence has not yet been touched upon: it is introduced, as it were parenthetically, in the next and following clauses.
(b) Though the term Son is legitimately used in theology to denote the eternal relation to the Father expressed by theΛόγος of St. John, yet its application in this Epistle and in the New Testament generally (excepting, perhaps, theμονογενὴς υἱὸς peculiar to St. John, on which see Bull, 'Jud. Eccl. Cath.,' 5:4, etc.), is to the Word made flesh, to the Son as manifested in the Christ. And hence it is to him as such that we may conclude the heirship to be here assigned.
(c) This is the view carried out in the sequel of the Epistle, where the SON is represented as attaining the universal dominion assigned to him after, and in consequence of, his human obedience. The conclusion of the exordium in itself expresses this; for it is not till after he had made purification of sins that he is said to have "sat down," etc.;i.e. entered on his inheritance; having become (γένομενος notω}ν) "so much better," etc. This is the view of Chrysostom, Theodoret, and the Fathers generally (cf. the cognate passage,Philippians 2:9).
(2) It seems best to refer the aoristἔθηκε, not to any definite time, as that of the prophetic utterances afterwards cited, or that of the actual exaltation of Christ, but indefinitely to the eternal counsels, which were indeed declared and fulfilled in time, but were themselvesἐνἀρχῇ. A similar use of the aorist, coupled with other aorists pointing to events in time, is found inRomans 8:29, 30. What this heirship of all things implies will appear in the sequel,By whom also he made the worlds. Interposed clause to complete the true conception of the SON; showing who and what he was originally and essentially through whom God "spake" in time, and who, as SON, inherited. Here certainly, and in the expressions which follow, we have the same doctrine as that of theΛόγος of St. John. And the testimony of the New Testament to the pre-existence and deity of Christ is the more striking from our finding the same essential idea under different forms of expression, and in writings differing so much from each other in character and style. He who appeared in the world as Christ is, in the first place, here said (as by St.John 1:3) to have been the Agent of creation; cf.Colossians 1:15-17, where the original creative agency of "the Son of his love" is emphatically set forth, as well as his being "the Head of the body, the Church." This cognate passage is of weight against the view of interpreters who would take the one before us as referring to the initiation of the gospel ages; with respect to which view see also the quotation from Bull given below under ver. 3. Hereτοὺς αἰῶνας is equivalent to "the worlds," as in the A.V. For though the primary meaning ofαἰών has reference totime - limited in periods, or unlimited in eternity - it is used to denote also the whole system of things called into being by the Creator in time and through which alone we are able to conceive time. "Οἱ αἰῶνες,saecula, pro rerum creatarum universitate est Hebraismus" (Bull); cf.Hebrews 11:3,καταρτίσθαι τοὺςαἰῶνας ῤήματι Θεοῦ: also1 Corinthians 2:7,πρὸτῶν αἰώνων: and2 Timothy 1:9;Titus 1:2,πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
But inἐπ’(ep’)Preposition
Strong's 1909:On, to, against, on the basis of, at.theseτούτων(toutōn)Demonstrative Pronoun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Strong's 3778:This; he, she, it.lastἐσχάτου(eschatou)Adjective - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 2078:Last, at the last, finally, till the end. A superlative probably from echo; farthest, final.daysἡμερῶν(hēmerōn)Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Strong's 2250:A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.He has spokenἐλάλησεν(elalēsen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2980:A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.to usἡμῖν(hēmin)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.byἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.[His] Son,Υἱῷ(Huiō)Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207:A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.whomὃν(hon)Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739:Who, which, what, that.He appointedἔθηκεν(ethēken)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5087:To put, place, lay, set, fix, establish. A prolonged form of a primary theo to place.heirκληρονόμον(klēronomon)Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2818:From kleros and the base of nomos (reflexively) getting by apportionment); a sharer by lot, i.e. Inheritor; by implication, a possessor.of all things,πάντων(pantōn)Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956:All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.throughδι’(di’)Preposition
Strong's 1223:A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.whomοὗ(hou)Personal / Relative Pronoun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739:Who, which, what, that.He madeἐποίησεν(epoiēsen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4160:(a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.theτοὺς(tous)Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.universe.αἰῶνας(aiōnas)Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 165:From the same as aei; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity; by implication, the world; specially a Messianic period.
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NT Letters: Hebrews 1:2 Has at the end of these days (Heb. He. Hb) 
