Hebrews 1:1 · Bible study
Hebrews 1:1 Commentary: Many Portions, Many Ways, One God
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine how Hebrews 1:1 contrasts the Old Testament’s varied, fragmentary words with the complete revelation in Christ.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God revealed Himself piece by piece and in many ways through the prophets, setting the stage for Christ.
- Key words: πολυμερῶς (in many parts), πολυτρόπως (in many ways), πάλαι (of old), λαλήσας (having spoken).
- Main debate: Minimal; some discussion over whether 'in the prophets' means instrumental ('by them') or locative ('in them'), but most agree it indicates the prophets as inspired spokesmen.
- Theological theme: Progressive revelation and the contrast between partial and complete revelation.
- Best use: As an introduction to the book of Hebrews, to establish the continuity and superiority of Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
WEB World English Bible 2000
God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
KJV King James Version 1769
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
ASV American Standard Version 1901
God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
In many parts, and many ways, God of old having spoken to the fathers in the prophets,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
God having spoken in many parts and in many ways formerly to the fathers in the prophets,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
DIOS, habiendo hablado muchas veces y en muchas maneras en otro tiempo á los padres por los profetas,
Deus falou antigamente muitas vezes, e de muitas maneiras, aos ancestrais pelos profetas.
Après avoir autrefois, à plusieurs reprises et de plusieurs manières, parlé à nos pères par les prophètes,
Nachdem vorzeiten Gott manchmal und mancherleiweise geredet hat zu den Vätern durch die Propheten,
God, voortijds veelmaal en op velerlei wijze, tot de vaderen gesproken hebbende door de profeten, heeft in deze laatste dagen tot ons gesproken door den Zoon;
Iddio, dopo aver in molte volte e in molte maniere parlato anticamente ai padri per mezzo de’ profeti,
Częstokroć i wieloma sposobami mawiał niekiedy Bóg ojcom przez proroków;
Бог, многократно и многообразно говоривший издревле отцам в пророках,
神 既在古時 藉著 眾先知 多次 多方 地曉諭 列祖，
In times past the word of God came to our fathers through the prophets, in different parts and in different ways;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Hebrews 1:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Hebrews 1:1 establishes both the continuity and the contrast between God’s revelation in the Old Testament and His final word in Christ. The opening words, πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polumerōs, polutropōs), mean 'in many parts' and 'in many ways.' Barnes notes that the ancient revelation was given piece by piece, not all at once. Vincent stresses that the truth as a whole never comes to light in the Old Testament but appears fragmentarily, in successive acts. Calvin points out that the verse sets the prophets against the Son, the fathers against 'us,' and the many modes of speaking against the single revelation. Gill adds that this revelation was made at different times and to different persons, through various means like dreams, visions, and Urim. The Cambridge Bible describes the sentence as one of the most pregnant in Scripture, compressing a world of meaning. All these readings converge: God is the one speaker in both covenants, but the Old came in pieces, the New in a Person.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God spoke in the past to the Jewish fathers through the prophets in a manner that was fragmentary and varied, in contrast to the final revelation in His Son.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως | All commentators agree these adverbs indicate that Old Testament revelation was given in many fragments and through many different modes. | Some emphasize the quantitative aspect (many portions over time), others the qualitative variety (different forms), but both are complementary. |
| The identity of 'the fathers' | All agree 'the fathers' (τοῖς πατράσιν) refers to the Jewish ancestors and patriarchs, not the prophets themselves. | No significant debate; this is universally understood from context. |
| The agent of revelation | All agree that God is the one who spoke in both the old and new dispensations. | There is slight variation in emphasis: some stress that the same God spoke, others stress the difference in modes, but both see continuity and discontinuity. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The phrase 'in many parts and in many ways' captures the character of divine revelation across the centuries. God did not reveal everything at once. From the first promise in Genesis 3:15 to the final words of Malachi, revelation came in fragments. One prophet received a glimpse of the Messiah’s tribe, another of His birthplace, another of His sufferings. The modes were as varied as the content: direct speech to Moses, dreams to Jacob, visions to Isaiah, parables to Nathan, the Urim and Thummim to the high priest. As Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes, for four hundred years before Christ, prophecy had ceased, making the coming of the Son all the more anticipated. The audience of this letter, Jewish Christians, were tempted to return to the familiar forms of Judaism under pressure. The author begins by affirming the divine origin of those old revelations, acknowledging their value, but immediately sets the stage for the argument that the Son surpasses the prophets. The word 'fathers' (πατράσιν) refers to the patriarchs and ancestors of Israel. The phrase 'through the prophets' is more literally 'in the prophets' (ἐν τοῖς προφήταις), a Hebrew idiom indicating that God spoke by indwelling them. Vincent explains that the prophets were the vessels of divine inspiration. This background is essential for understanding the book’s purpose: to show that Christianity is the completion, not the contradiction, of God’s ancient work.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Hebrews 1:1. The Greek text is stable across manuscripts, with only minor differences in word order that do not affect meaning.
Reception History
This opening verse has been central in Christian reflection on the unity of Scripture. Calvin and the Reformed tradition used it to affirm the harmony of Law and Gospel against antinomian tendencies. The Cambridge Bible notes that the writer concedes the divine origin of Mosaism, a crucial point for Jewish readers. Clement of Alexandria, cited in Vincent’s Word Studies, associated the related adjective 'many-tinted' with the multifaceted wisdom of God. The verse continues to be referenced in discussions of progressive revelation and is often the text for sermons on the person of Christ.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God the Speaker: The verse begins with God, not a human author. This affirms the divine origin of both Testaments.
- The Former Word: Fragmentary (in many parts) and varied (in many ways), this shows the progressive and patient nature of revelation.
- The Greater Promise: The contrast is not yet fully stated, but the reader is prepared for the 'but now' of verse 2. The many pieces point to the one perfect Word.
Five-point outline
- The author of revelation: God.
- The recipients: the fathers (the ancestors of Israel).
- The agents: the prophets.
- The character: in many portions (incomplete).
- The modes: many ways (diverse).
Illustration hooks
- A jigsaw puzzle whose pieces slowly form a picture, each prophet added a piece, but the full image only appears when the Son arrives.
- A series of letters from a distant father that culminate in his arrival. The letters are precious, but his presence surpasses them.
- Learning a subject through disconnected lessons that finally make sense when the master teacher arrives and ties it all together.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did God choose to reveal Himself gradually instead of all at once?
- Does this verse diminish the Old Testament? How should we value it?
- What does it mean that God ‘spoke’ through prophets? How is that different from how He speaks today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse opens the letter to the Hebrews with a sweeping overview of salvation history. The first word is God, the same God who spoke then now speaks in Christ. As we study, consider how the partial and the perfect relate.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What two Greek adverbs describe the past revelation? What do they literally mean?
- Interpretation: How does the phrase 'to the fathers' tie the original readers to their history?
- Interpretation: Why does the author mention that God spoke 'in many parts' and 'in many ways'? What does this imply about the Old Testament?
- Interpretation: The word 'through the prophets' is literally 'in the prophets.' How does this affect our understanding of inspiration?
- Application: How does knowing that God spoke gradually help you trust His timing in your own life?
- Application: This verse sets up a contrast with Christ. How does it make you appreciate Jesus more?
- Application: If God used many different people and methods to speak, how might that influence your openness to hearing God in unexpected ways today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 3:15 | I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” |
| Genesis 6:3 | Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.” |
| Genesis 6:13 | God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. |
| Genesis 6:22 | Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him. |
| Genesis 8:15 | God spoke to Noah, saying, |
| Genesis 8:19 | Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship. |
| Genesis 9:1 | God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. |
| Genesis 9:17 | God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws attention to the writer's strategy: he fully accepts the Old Testament's divine origin, then uses that very fact to argue the Son's revelation carries even greater urgency. The earlier revelation came in many separate fragments and through various methods; now God has spoken through one unified messenger, the Son, whose superior dignity demands closer attention.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that God’s speaking through the prophets and through His Son are both from the same unchanging God, yet the Son’s revelation is superior. He highlights this progression and contrast to show that Christ’s teaching alone fully satisfies, being the final and clearest word from God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that Hebrews opens not with a greeting but with a powerful thesis: God spoke fragmentarily through prophets in the past, but now speaks fully and finally through a Son. This contrast between the old and new covenants sets the whole epistle's argument for Christianity's superiority, while still acknowledging that both revelations come from God.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
At sundry times and in diuers maners God spake in the olde time to our fathers by the Prophetes: in these last dayes hee hath spoken vnto vs by his Sonne,
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that Old Testament revelation came from God the Father at many different times and in various forms, such as dreams, visions, or through angels. He also notes that by the time of the epistle, prophecy had been silent for about three hundred years, marking a long gap before God spoke through His Son.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that Old Testament revelation came in scattered fragments and through many different methods, while in Christ God gave one complete and final revelation. The long silence between Malachi and Christ made the Son the more eagerly awaited, and He is not just another prophet but the full embodiment of God.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the Old Testament revelation came fragmentarily, in many parts and varied modes, showing its incompleteness. In pointed contrast, God's final word comes in the Son, a personal being who stands to God in the unique relation of Son, bringing a perfect and complete revelation that needs no supplement.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights the Greek words behind “at sundry times and in divers manners,” showing God’s Old Testament revelation came in fragments, not as a single whole. Each prophet conveyed one piece of truth, and each period revealed a different aspect, suited to the state of the people.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley contrasts the partial, varied revelations through many prophets with the complete and final revelation God now gives through His Son. The very number of prophets shows each spoke only in part, and the long silence before Christ made the great Prophet more eagerly awaited. Christ's coming is the perfect, concluding word from God.