Hebrews 2:15
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss here is that this isn't just about avoiding the act of dying, but the crushing fear of it. This fear was so pervasive it dictated their whole lives, making them "subjects of bondage," unable to truly live because death's shadow was always present. Christ's work removes not just the finality of death, but the lifelong terror that held them captive.
The author is contrasting Jesus' superiority to angels by showing how he became fully human and suffered, unlike angels. This humanity allows him to act as a merciful high priest who can sympathize with human weakness and make atonement for sins. By his suffering and death, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil, who had held humanity captive through the fear of death, thus freeing believers from this lifelong bondage.
Ever feel like a prisoner to what might happen? This verse reveals a profound form of slavery many lived under.
Before Christ, the fear of death wasn't just a fleeting worry; it was a pervasive, lifelong condition.
A Universal Shackles
For those without Christ, death was a terrifying unknown. It held the promise of finality, judgment, and eternal separation from God. This wasn't just a fear of the physical dying process, but of what lay beyond – a fear that dictated every aspect of their existence.
A Life Unlived
This constant dread meant people weren't truly living. Their choices, their joys, their very sense of freedom were restricted by the looming specter of death. It was a state of 'bondage,' a 'slavish, uncomfortable state' as one commentator put it, where life was lived not by choice, but under the heavy hand of fear.
What does it mean to be truly delivered? It’s more than just escaping danger; it's a fundamental change of status.
Jesus' work is presented as a direct intervention to break the power of death’s fear over humanity.
Undoing the Devil's Power
The text implies that the devil held humanity captive through the fear of death. Christ's victory, particularly through His own death and resurrection, dismantled that power. He didn't just offer a way out; He actively liberated those held under this oppressive force.
A New Kind of Life
This deliverance isn't just about avoiding hell; it’s about entering into a new quality of life. It means moving from a state of constant dread and restriction to one of freedom and peace. True believers are no longer defined by their fear of death, but by their relationship with Christ, who Himself conquered it.
Understand the original words
apallassō · Greek Verb
To set free or liberate from captivity, bondage, or danger, often implying the payment of a price or the intervention of a redeemer.
douleia · Greek Noun
A state of being held under the authority or control of another; in a spiritual context, it refers to the condition of those held captive by sin, fear, or demonic power.
This passage directly parallels the idea of being set free from slavery to fear and being adopted as sons, directly contrasting the bondage mentioned in Hebrews 2:15 with the freedom found in Christ.
1 John 4:18This verse explains that perfect love casts out fear, directly addressing the 'fear of death' that enslaves people, suggesting love as the antidote to this lifelong bondage.
2 Timothy 1:7This verse states that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control, echoing the deliverance from a fearful bondage that Hebrews speaks of.
Luke 12:58Jesus uses the imagery of being 'dragged before the magistrate' and the inability to escape, which powerfully illustrates the kind of inescapable 'bondage' that the fear of death can impose before Christ's deliverance.
Philippians 3:20-21This passage contrasts our earthly, perishable bodies with our future, transformed bodies, offering hope beyond death and implicitly releasing believers from the ultimate fear of death that enslaves unbelievers.
wesleyHebrews 2:15: "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
2:15 And deliver them, as many as through fear of death were all their lifetime, till then, subject to bondage - Every man who fears death is subject to bondage; is in a slavish, uncomfortable state. And every man fears death, more or less, who knows not Christ: death is unwelcome to him, if he knows what death is. But he delivers all true believers from this bondage.
ellicottHebrews 2:15: "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
(15) Deliver them who through fear of death . . . . —This verse brings into relief the former misery and the present freedom. We may well suppose these words to have been prompted by the intense sympathy of the writer with the persecuted and tempted Christians whom he addresses. He writes throughout as one who never forgets their need of sympathetic help, and who knows well the power of the mo…
What's easy to miss here is that this isn't just about avoiding the act of dying, but the crushing fear of it. This fear was so pervasive it dictated their whole lives, making them "subjects of bondage," unable to truly live because death's shadow was always present. Christ's work removes not just the finality of death, but the lifelong terror that held them captive.
The author is contrasting Jesus' superiority to angels by showing how he became fully human and suffered, unlike angels. This humanity allows him to act as a merciful high priest who can sympathize with human weakness and make atonement for sins. By his suffering and death, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil, who had held humanity captive through the fear of death, thus freeing believers from this lifelong bondage.
The author is contrasting Jesus' superiority to angels by showing how he became fully human and suffered, unlike angels. This humanity allows him to act as a merciful high priest who can sympathize with human weakness and make atonement for sins. By his suffering and death, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil, who had held humanity captive through the fear of death, thus freeing believers from this lifelong bondage.
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"and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." — What's easy to miss here is that this isn't just about avoiding the act of dying, but the crushing fear of it. This fear was so pervasive it dictated their whole lives, making them "subjects of b…
