For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
the children.
Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
of flesh.
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
he also.
Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
he through.
Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
John 12:24,31-33 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit…
destroy.
Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
1 Corinthians 15:54,55 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory…
the devil.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
1 John 3:8-10 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil…
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
He too shared in their humanity
This phrase underscores the doctrine of the Incarnation, where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on human nature. Philippians 2:7-8 speaks of Christ emptying Himself and being made in human likeness. This sharing in humanity was necessary for Christ to be the perfect mediator between God and man, as seen in 1 Timothy 2:5. It also fulfills Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 7:14, which foretold the coming of Immanuel, "God with us."
so that by His death
The purpose of Christ's incarnation is highlighted here—His death. The death of Christ is central to Christian theology, as it is through His sacrificial death that redemption is achieved. This aligns with the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, where the shedding of blood was required for atonement (Leviticus 17:11). Christ's death is the ultimate fulfillment of these sacrifices, as described in Hebrews 9:12-14.
He might destroy him who holds the power of death
This phrase refers to the defeat of Satan, who is described as having the power of death. In biblical terms, death entered the world through sin, as seen in Romans 5:12. Satan's power is not absolute but is permitted by God, as illustrated in the book of Job. The destruction mentioned here is not annihilation but the breaking of Satan's hold over humanity, achieved through Christ's victory on the cross and His resurrection, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57.
that is, the devil
The devil, or Satan, is identified as the adversary of God and humanity. His role as the accuser and tempter is seen throughout Scripture, from Genesis 3 to Revelation 12:9-10. The devil's defeat is prophesied in Genesis 3:15, where the seed of the woman is foretold to crush the serpent's head. This victory is realized in Christ's work, as He disarms the spiritual rulers and authorities, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).
- Hebrews begins with the simple observation: “Now since the children have flesh and blood…”. We are mortal, created beings, subject to weakness and death.
- This echoes Genesis 2:7 where God forms man from the dust, and Psalm 103:14 reminds that “He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
- Acts 17:26 affirms that “From one man He made every nation of men to inhabit the whole earth,” underscoring the shared humanity the verse addresses.
- “He too shared in their humanity.” The eternal Son entered time, taking on the same flesh and blood we possess (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7–8).
- Romans 8:3 adds that God sent His Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh” to deal with sin.
- By choosing real humanity—not an appearance or illusion—Jesus stands beside us as our true Brother (Hebrews 2:11-12) and perfect High Priest (Hebrews 4:15).
- “So that by His death…” The incarnation was aimed at the cross.
- Isaiah 53:5 foretold that the Messiah would be “pierced for our transgressions.”
- Hebrews 9:26 declares He appeared “to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” and 1 Peter 2:24 says He “bore our sins in His body on the tree.”
- The physical death of Jesus, therefore, is central: blood was required (Leviticus 17:11) and provided.
- The goal: “He might destroy him who holds the power of death.”
- “Destroy” here means to render powerless; Christ breaks Satan’s stranglehold over humanity’s greatest fear.
- Colossians 2:15 shows Jesus disarming rulers and authorities at the cross.
- 2 Timothy 1:10 proclaims He “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light,” fulfilled ultimately when “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
- The verse clarifies: “that is, the devil.” Satan wields death as a weapon through temptation (Genesis 3:1-6) and accusation (Revelation 12:10).
- Yet 1 John 3:8 states, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
- Revelation 20:10 looks ahead to the final confinement of the enemy, confirming the decisive nature of Christ’s triumph.
Hebrews 2:14 reveals the breathtaking strategy of God: the eternal Son became fully human, embracing flesh and blood, expressly so He could die on our behalf. That sacrificial death stripped Satan of his lethal authority, breaking the bondage of fear and opening the way to eternal life for all who trust in Christ.
(14) Forasmuch then . . .--The two members of this verse directly recall the thoughts of Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 2:9. (1) It was the will of God that salvation should be won by the Son for sons; (2) this salvation could only be won by means of death.The children.--Said with reference to Hebrews 2:13.
Flesh and blood.--Literally, blood and flesh, the familiar order of the words being departed from here and in Ephesians 6:12. This designation of human nature on its material side is found four times in the New Testament, and is extremely common in Jewish writers.
The emphasis of the following statement is note. worthy: "He Himself also in like manner took part of the same things." His assumption of our nature had for its object suffering and death. . . .
Verses 14, 15. - Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of (literally, have been, made partakers of; i.e. so made as to share alike), blood and flesh (this is the order of the words, as in Ephesians 6:12, according to the great preponderance of authority; Delitzsch sees in it a reference to "the blood-shedding for the sake of which the Savior entered into the fellowship of bodily life with us"), he also himself likewise (rather, iv, like manner; i.e. with "the children") took part in the same; that through death he might destroy (καταργήσῃ, equivalent to "bring to nought," "render impotent as though not existing;" the word is frequent with St. Paul) him that had (or, has) the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver (i.e. from bondage) all those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Here the purpose of the Incarnation is set forth as requiring the complete association of the SON with human brethren to which prophecy had pointed. But more is now declared than the prophecies so far quoted have implied; and thus is introduced (by way of anticipation, as is usual in the Epistle) the doctrine of atonement, which is to be dwelt on afterwards. For the object of Christ's becoming one of us is now further said to be that by dying he might effect redemption. The "children" in ver. 14 are the παιδία of the type in Isaiah, fulfilled in the "many sons" to be "sanctified" and brought to glory. (We may observe, by the way, the difference between the words used of their participation in human nature and of Christ's - κεκοίνωκε and μετέσχε: the aorist in the latter case expresses his sharing what was not his before, and so distinctly implies his pre-existence.) For understanding' the account here given of the purpose of the Incarnation, we must remember that death, originally announced (Genesis 2:17) as the penalty of transgression, is regarded in the New Testament (notably by St. Paul) as the sign of the continual dominion of sin over the human race. Thus in Romans 5:12, 15 the mere fact that all men "from Adam to Moses" had died is adduced as sufficient proof that all were under condemnation as sinners. Whatever further idea is implied in the word "death " - such as alienation from God in whom is life eternal, or any "blackness of darkness" thereupon ensuing in the world beyond the grave - of man's subjection or liability to all this his natural death is regarded as the sign. It is to be remembered, too, that "the devil," through whom it was that sin first entered, and death through sin, is revealed to us generally as the representative of evil (ὁ πονηρός), and, as such, the primeval manslayer (ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἀπ ἀρχῆς), with power given him over death, the penalty of sin, as long as man remains in his dominion, unredeemed. Till redemption cast a new light upon the gloom of death, man was all his life long in fear of it; its shadow was upon him from his birth; it loomed ever before him as a passing into darkness, unrelieved by hope. We know well how the hopeless dismalness of death was a commonplace with the classical poets, and how, even now, the natural man shrinks from it as the last great evil. But Christ, human, yet sinless, died for all mankind, and, so dying, wrested from the devil his power over death, and emancipated believers from their state of "bondage" (as to which, see below). On particular expressions in this passage we may remark:(1) That, "having the power of death," which has been variously interpreted, may be taken in the usual sense of ἔχειν κράτος τινος, viz. "having power, or dominion, over." Satan has had the dominion over death allowed him because of human sin. And it may be observed that elsewhere, not only death, but other woes that flesh is heir to - its precursors and harbingers - are attributed to Satanic agency (cf. John 1:12; John 2:6; Luke 13:16; 1 Corinthians 5:5).
(2) Christ is not here said to have as yet abolished death itself; only to have rendered impotent him that had the power of it; for natural death still "reigns," though to believers it has no "sting." In the end (according to 1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14; Revelation 21:4) death itself will be destroyed. In one passage, indeed, it is spoken of by St. Paul as already abolished (καταργήσαντος μὲν τὸν θάνατον, 2 Timothy 1:10); but this is in the way of anticipation: death is already vanquished and disarmed to believers.
(3) The bondage (δουλεία) spoken of is the condition of unredeemed man, often so designated by St. Paul. See Romans 7. and 8, where man's bondage (felt when conscience is awake) to "the law of sin in the members," and his emancipation from it through faith, are described; and especially Romans 8:15, 16, 17 ("For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear," etc.), as elucidating . . .
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