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Hebrews 2:4

in Hebrews 2

and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

KJV

God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

This verse in Hebrews 2

Commentary

15 notes on this verse

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Hebrews · Written before 1107.

Having said "was confirmed," he shows how. Lest anyone say that the hearers were mistaken, he says: God bore witness together with them; He would not have borne witness if they themselves had invented anything. They bear witness, he says; God also bears witness together …

This site's exposition

How shall we escape

on Hebrews 2:3-4

How shall we escape becomes the warning's real question, and its ground is comparative: if neglecting the law brought recompense, neglecting so great salvation leaves no lesser exposure. The gospel's chain of transmission is stated plainly, first spoken by the Lord himself, then confirmed unto us by them that heard him, the apostolic generation standing as witnesses rather than originators. God's own confirming witness follows, signs and wonders, divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost distributed according to his own will, the working of the Spirit affirmed here as living confirmation rather than a closed chapter of church history.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Theodore of Mopsuestia

FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 2.3-4 · Written before 428.

proposed

Paul showed that there is a very great difference between the old covenant and the new covenant, since he speaks about the "word" in the first covenant, but in this covenant he speaks of "salvation." For the first covenant was only a giving of customs …

A commentator

Theodoret of Cyrus

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 2 · Written before 458.

proposed

Again he associated a comparison with the exhortation, showing the extent to which the gospel teaching surpasses the provisions of the law. The ministry of angels was involved in the giving of the law, whereas in this case the Lord in person was the first …

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Hebrews 3 · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

How doth He bear witness? not by word or by voice, (though this also would have been worthy of belief): but how? "By signs, and wonders, and divers miracles." (Well said he, "divers miracles," declaring the abundance of the gifts: which was not so in the former dispensation, neither so great signs and so various.) That is, we did not believe them simply, but through signs and wonders: wherefore we believe not them, but God Himself. "And by gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will." What then, if wizards also do signs, and the Jews said that He "cast out devils through Beelzebub"? But they do not such kind of signs: therefore said he "divers miracles": for those others were not miracles, [or powers,] but weakness and fancy, and things altogether vain. Wherefore he said, "by gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will." Here he seems to me to intimate something further. For it is not likely there were many there who had gifts, but that these had failed, upon their becoming more slothful. In order then that even in this he might comfort them, and not leave them to fall away, he referred all to the will of God. He knows (he says) what is expedient, and for whom, and apportions His grace accordingly. Which also he [Paul] does in the Epistle to the Corinthians, saying, "God hath set every one of us, as it pleased Him." And again, "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." "According to His will." He shows that the gift is according to the will of the Father. But oftentimes on account of their unclean and slothful life many have not received a gift, and sometimes also those whose life is good and pure have not received one. Why, I pray you? Lest they might be made haughty, that they might not be puffed up, that they might not grow more negligent, that they might not be more excited. […]

A commentator

Oecumenius

The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews · Written before 550.

proposed

Then, lest those who heard from Christ be believed to lie, and say one thing for another: He says not so. For God Himself bears witness to the truth along with them through signs and wonders, and various powers which He works for them. "and …

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Symeon the New Theologian

DISCOURSE 5.25 · Written before 1022.

proposed

I mean the fleshly and by "air' the spiritual. For if the mind is set free of evil thoughts and passions and through it we gaze upon the freedom which Christ and God gave to us, then we will no longer be bound by and …
8 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Hebrews · Written before 1274.

proposed

99. – Then he mentions its solidity, which is greater than that of the Old Testament, as God testifies, Who cannot lie; hence he says, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders. But it should be noted that testimony is made by speech, …

A commentator

Bonaventure

Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9 · Written in the 13th century.

proposed

The Holy Spirit radiated in the hearts of the preachers so that they could preach and write all the truth. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

These witnesses could have no worldly end or interest of their own to serve hereby. Nothing could induce them to give in their evidence but the Redeemer's glory, and their own and others' salvation; they exposed themselves by their testimony to the loss of all that was dear to them in this life, and many of them sealed it with their blood.
God also bearing them witness,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

God also bearing them witness - He did not leave the confirmation of these great truths to the testimony of men; he bore his own testimony to them by signs, wonders, various miracles, and distributions of the Holy Ghost, Πνευματος ‘Αγιου μερισμοις. And all these were proved to come from himself; for no man could do those miracles at his own pleasure, but the power to work them was given according to God’s own will; or rather, God himself wrought them, in order to accredit the ministry of his servants.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

them--rather, "God also [as well as Christ, Heb 2:3] bearing witness to it," &c., joining in attestation of it." signs and wonders--performed by Christ and His apostles.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+odd-straight-quotes

God also bearing them witness - By miracles. Giving them the sanction of his authority, or showing that they were sent by him. No man can work a miracle by his own power. When the dead are raised, the deaf made to hear and the blind to see by a word, it is the power of God alone that does it. He thus becomes a “witness” to the divine appointment of him by whose instrumentality the miracle is performed; or furnishes an attestation that what he says is true; see notes on Act 14:3. With signs and wonders. - These words are usually connected in the New Testament. The word rendered “signs” - σημεῖον sēmeion - means any miraculous event that is suited to show that what had been predicted by a prophet would certainly take place; see Mat 12:38; compare note on Isa 7:11. A “wonder” - τέρας teras - denotes a portent, or prodigy - something that is suited to excite wonder or amazement - and hence, a miracle. The words together refer to the various miracles which were performed by the Lord Jesus and his apostles, designed to confirm the truth of the Christian religion. And with divers miracles. - Various miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, etc. The miracles were not of one class merely, but were various, so that all pretence of deception should be taken away. And gifts of the Holy Ghost. - Margin, “Distributions.” The various influences of the Holy Spirit enabling them to speak different languages, and to perform works beyond the power of man; see notes on 1Co 12:4-11. According to his will - As he chose. He acted as a sovereign in this. He gave them where he pleased, and imparted them in such measure as he chose. The sense of this whole passage is, “The gospel has been promulgated to man in a solemn manner. It was first published by the Lord of glory himself. It was confirmed by the most impressive and solemn miracles. […]

Modern Voices1 voice

The Kingdom of God has always been confirmed with miracles, signs, and wonders. They are not entertainment. They are evidence that King Jesus is present.

The words behind it

18 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Ephesians 1:5

    He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,

    it leads to

    • Romans 8:29–30

      For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

    • Ephesians 1:11

      In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,

    • Galatians 4:5–6

      to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.

    • John 1:12

      But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

    • 1 John 3:1

      Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is…

  • Through

    Mark 16:20

    And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.

    it leads to

    • 1 Corinthians 2:4–5

      My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

    • Acts 14:3

      So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

    • Acts 8:4–6

      Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Where this verse is studied

About Hebrews

Christ Presented to the People, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Christ Presented to the People, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
This page draws on 16 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Hebrews 3; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews; Symeon the New Theologian, DISCOURSE 5.25; Theodore of Mopsuestia, FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 2.3-4; Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 2; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Hebrews; Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Hebrews and Troy Brewer, "Miracle Worker" devotional, Troy Brewer Ministries blog.