Jehovah's Witnesses vs. Hebrews 1:6

[Justin108]

Hebrews 1:6
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

Why do Jehovah's Witnesses insist Jesus is not to be worshiped despite Hebrew 1:6?

I took a look at the NWT and they translate Hebrews 1:6 as
But when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all of God’s angels do obeisance to him.�

Now I admit that I do not know Greek at all, but I do find it odd that the vast majority of translations translate this word as "worship".

New International Version
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

New Living Translation
And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship him."

English Standard Version
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.�

Berean Study Bible
And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all God's angels worship Him."

Berean Literal Bible
And again, when He brings the Firstborn into the world, He says: "And let all God's angels worship Him."

New American Standard Bible
And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."

King James Bible
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God's angels must worship Him.

International Standard Version
And again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

NET Bible
But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him!"

New Heart English Bible
And again, when he brings in the firstborn into the world he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Again, when he brings The Firstborn into the universe, he says, “All the Angels of God shall worship him.�

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When God was about to send his firstborn Son into the world, he said, "All of God's angels must worship him."

New American Standard 1977
And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says,
“AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.�

Jubilee Bible 2000
And again, when he brought in the firstbegotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him.

King James 2000 Bible
And again, when he brings the firstbegotten into the world, he says, And let all the angels of God worship him.

American King James Version
And again, when he brings in the first-begotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him.

American Standard Version
And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Darby Bible Translation
and again, when he brings in the firstborn into the habitable world, he says, And let all God's angels worship him.

English Revised Version
And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Weymouth New Testament
But speaking of the time when He once more brings His Firstborn into the world, He says, "And let all God's angels worship Him."

World English Bible
Again, when he brings in the firstborn into the world he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

What is the correct translation of Hebrews 1:6?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 1 by Justin108]

This scripture uses the word "worship" meaning of "pay obeissance" (honour).

How do you honor God? When you worship God are you not paying obeisance to Him?

Yes, we are honoring God as the Most High. He is unique. We honor Jesus as the Son of the Most High.

[onewithhim]

Also, the account of angels "worshiping" the Son of God reminds me of Joseph's dream where his brothers (represented by various items) all bow down to him.

His brothers never worshiped Joseph as Almighty God, but they did "bow" to his eventual authority.

The Hebrew account only demonstrates that the Son is higher in than the angels in the Cosmic Chain of Being, but in no way suggests that the Son is equal in glory to the Father.

Excellent post. You bring out the difference between "worshipping" the true God and "worshipping" His Son.

[onewithhim]

WORSHIP: The rendering of reverent honor or homage. "Worship" can be applied to any act of respect, as a citizen would give to his president or governor or a court judge.

The difference is involved in the REASON you are giving honor to an individual. If you bow down to someone or something that you view as your almighty God, then that is one form of "worship." You are honoring that person or thing as your supreme Being. If you just give honor to an official who calls for honor, you are not worshiping him as God, you are merely showing respect to him.

"Render to all their dues, to him who calls for the tax, the tax; to him who calls for the tribute, the tribute; to him who calls for fear, such fear; to him who calls for honor, such honor." (Romans 13:7)

So "worship" does not always mean that which we give to God. "Proskyneo" involves any kind of act of respect. This term is used in connection with a slave doing obeisance to a king (Matthew 18:26, though the slave is not worshiping the king as God).

"At that the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'" (Matt.18:26, NAB)

"The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." (KJV)


Was the servant worshiping the king as his God? No, he was doing HOMAGE, as proskyneo is rendered in the New American Bible.

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