The author of Hebrews here introduces the sixth quotation from the Old Testament in his catena in praise of the Son (which runs from verse 1 through verse 15). This quote comes from Psalm 102:25 - 27 (LXX 101:25 - 27). This psalm begins, "Hear my prayer, O YHWH!" The psalmist and his beloved city, Zion, have been subjected to God's judgment. He cries out in his affliction, petitioning God for mercy and restoration. While he feels the weight of his own mortality (v. 11), he nonetheless praises God. Even though the heavens and the earth will ultimately wear out like a well-worn coat, God is eternal and does not change. In Brenton's translation of the Septuagint, the verses quoted by the Hebrews author read:
Psa 102:25 (101:25) In the beginning thou, O Lord, didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.
Psa 102:26 (101:26) They shall perish, but thou remainest: and they all shall wax old as a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them, and they shall be changed.
Psa 102:27 (101:27) But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
It is God's eternal nature that provides the psalmist comfort in the midst of his suffering, for just as God's years "will not come to an end," so too will God's chosen children prosper forever (v. 28).
The words of the Psalmist addresses to YHWH are here addressed to the Son. Further, it is clear that they are to be understood as being spoken by the Father Himself (the connecting "and" which begins verse 10 links what follows with "But of the Son, He says..." in verse 8)
1. But what does the Hebrews author intend by this? Are we to understand that the Father is attributing to the Son the same role in creation and the same eternality ascribed to YHWH in Psalm 102?
Despite the claims of some (see Other Views Considered, below), we answer "yes" in both cases. There are two crucial points leading us to this conclusion:
1. The context of the quote - in both its original and Hebrews setting - is the contrast between the Creator and the creation. The Creator is eternal while the creation is temporal. The Psalmist draws comfort from this fact: God is in complete control of His creation and His eternal, unchanging nature secures for Zion the fulfillment of the promises God has made to her. The Hebrews author exalts the Son on the basis of His radical distinction from the created order of Heaven and the angels. He has already said in verse 2 that it was through the Son that the universe was made. The angels were mere spectators when the world was made (Job 38:7), but the universe came "through" the Son's agency. Lest we understand the Son's role in creation as being passive, the inspired author quotes the Father as saying:
You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth;
And the heavens are the work of your hands
Thus, the Son is given the same active role in creation attributed to YHWH in Psalm 102. The Son is both agent and active participant in creation. He is, therefore, vastly superior to the angels, who are "ministering spirits" and "servants" (verse 14). First century readers would have had no difficulty in understanding who "laid the foundations of the earth" - only YHWH was the hands-on creator of all things. If Christ is given this honor, He must have been YHWH - yet somehow distinct from the Father who here addresses Him.
2. The Father calls the Son "Lord." While "Lord" (Greek
kurios) can merely be a title ascribed to men or angels, it is also the word used in most LXX manuscripts to render the Divine Name, YHWH. This is likely the sense it carries in the LXX translation of Psalm 102. When used in the Bible as an honorific, "lord" always signifies that the one addressed is superior in rank or social station to the speaker. There are no exceptions. Thus, if the Father calls the Son "lord" in this sense, it would mean that He acknowledges the Son as superior to Himself in rank. While this usage is possible, it would seem to contradict the numerous times the Father is spoken as being superior to the Son. It is better, then, to understand "Lord" to mean YHWH, as it was in its original setting.