Hebrews 2:13
And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The author doesn't just quote Isaiah; he highlights the surprising inclusion of "I and the children God has given me." This phrase is meant to show that the Savior, fully God, willingly embraced a shared humanity with us, not just as a teacher or prophet, but as one of us, intimately bound to his redeemed family.
The author of Hebrews is building an argument that Jesus, despite his divine nature, truly became human and is superior to the angels. To prove this, he quotes Old Testament passages where individuals express reliance on God and identify with their children. This establishes that the great figures of Scripture, like Jesus, also functioned within the human condition of trust and familial connection, showing Jesus’s profound identification with his people.
Jesus didn't just tell people to trust God; He showed them. How does His own trust reveal His humanity and our connection to Him?
The author of Hebrews pulls from Isaiah 8:17, "I will put my trust in him." This isn't just a statement of faith; it's a profound declaration about Jesus' humanity.
A Human Dependence
By explicitly stating His trust in God, Jesus demonstrates that He experienced genuine human dependence. He wasn't above needing God's help and guidance through His life and suffering. This wasn't a weakness, but a powerful sign of His shared humanity with us.
A Shared Confidence
This trust isn't just for Jesus alone. It establishes a common ground between Him and believers. Just as He relied on the Father to see Him through His mission, we, too, can place our complete trust in God, knowing Jesus understands and shares that very reliance.
Jesus calls us His "children." What does this intimate relationship reveal about His role and our identity in God's grand plan?
The second part of the quote, "Behold, I and the children God has given me" (from Isaiah 8:18), is equally powerful. It shifts the focus from Jesus' solitary trust to His relational role.
A Divine Gift
Jesus refers to believers as "the children God has given me." This highlights that our relationship with Him is not accidental but divinely ordained. We are His by the Father's gracious gift, brought to Him for salvation and sanctification.
Our Representative Leader
In the original context of Isaiah, the prophet and his children were signs pointing to God's future work. Jesus, however, is the fulfillment. He stands with us, not just as a brother, but as the divine leader of this unique family. He represents us before the Father, and we, His "children," represent His work in the world.
Understand the original words
pepoithēsis · Greek Noun
The act of relying on or having firm confidence in God's faithfulness and promises; it is the fundamental response of faith toward God.
The author of Hebrews uses Isaiah's experience and his sons as symbolic representations to show Christ's deep identification with humanity. Just as Isaiah and his children were 'signs' pointing to God's salvation amidst crisis, Christ and His 'children' (believers) are divine signs, demonstrating His humanity and His unique relationship as both Brother and Savior.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
The northern kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim) and Syria formed an alliance against Judah. King Ahaz of Judah was pressured to join, but he refused. The allied kings then besieged Jerusalem.
c. 733 BC
Isaiah's Sign of Immanuel
The prophet Isaiah, in a divine message to King Ahaz, announces the future birth of a son named Immanuel ('God with us'), a sign of God's promise of deliverance despite the current crisis.
c. 733 BC— this verse
Isaiah's Sons Shear-jashub & Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Isaiah has two sons with symbolic names: Shear-jashub ('A remnant shall return') and Maher-shalal-hash-baz ('Haste the spoil, speed the prey'). These children, along with Isaiah himself, are presented as signs to the people.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, fulfilling prophecies of judgment and underscoring the precariousness of Judah's situation.
This is the direct source of the quotation, illustrating the prophet Isaiah and his children as signs, which the author of Hebrews applies to Christ and His people.
Psalm 18:2This passage shares similar wording about trusting in God and is also considered a potential source, highlighting a king's reliance on God, which the author connects to Christ.
John 17:6Jesus uses a similar phrase, 'the men you gave me out of the world,' echoing the concept of believers being given to Him by God, reinforcing the idea of His relationship with His followers.
Galatians 3:26This verse explains that believers are all 'children of God through faith in Christ Jesus,' providing a theological basis for the 'children God has given me' concept.
Matthew 27:43This passage records the enemies taunting Jesus on the cross, 'He trusts in God,' which indirectly relates to the quote in Hebrews by highlighting Jesus' trust in God during His suffering.
pooleHebrews 2:13: "And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me."
And again, I will put my trust in him: this is a further proof that Christ’s sanctified ones are his brethren, his exercising himself in a necessary work proper to that brotherhood only. They are all of the household of faith, Galatians 6:10 ; their business is to believe in God. All who do so, are brethren; Christ doth so, and so is a Brother to them; he and they rely on one and…
vincentHebrews 2:13: "And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me."
I will put my trust, etc.Isaiah 8:17, Isaiah 8:18. The passage occurs in an invective against the people's folly in trusting to any help but God's during the Syro-Israelitish war under Ahaz. The prophet is commanded to denounce those who trusted to soothsayers and not to God, and to bind and seal God's testimony to the righteous party who maintained their confidence in him - a pa…
The author doesn't just quote Isaiah; he highlights the surprising inclusion of "I and the children God has given me." This phrase is meant to show that the Savior, fully God, willingly embraced a shared humanity with us, not just as a teacher or prophet, but as one of us, intimately bound to his redeemed family.
The author of Hebrews is building an argument that Jesus, despite his divine nature, truly became human and is superior to the angels. To prove this, he quotes Old Testament passages where individuals express reliance on God and identify with their children. This establishes that the great figures of Scripture, like Jesus, also functioned within the human condition of trust and familial connection, showing Jesus’s profound identification with his people.
The author of Hebrews is building an argument that Jesus, despite his divine nature, truly became human and is superior to the angels. To prove this, he quotes Old Testament passages where individuals express reliance on God and identify with their children. This establishes that the great figures of Scripture, like Jesus, also functioned within the human condition of trust and familial connection, showing Jesus’s profound identification with his people.
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586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire conquers Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, and exiles much of the population, marking a period of profound national crisis and a re-evaluation of God's promises.
"And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”" — The author doesn't just quote Isaiah; he highlights the surprising *inclusion* of "I and the children God has given me." This phrase is meant to show that the Savior, fully God, willingly embraced a…