Hebrews 2:9

Even Jesus (Ihsoun). We do not see man triumphant, but we do see Jesus, for the author is not ashamed of his human name, realizing man's destiny, "the very one who has been made a little lower than the angels" (ton bracu ti par aggelou hlattwmenon), quoting and applying the language of the Psalm in verse 1 Timothy 7 to Jesus (with article ton and the perfect passive participle of elattaw). But this is not all. Death has defeated man, but Jesus has conquered death. Because of the suffering of death (dia to paqhma tou qanatou). The causal sense of dia with the accusative as in 1 Timothy 1:14 . Jesus in his humanity was put lower than the angels "for a little while" (bracu ti). Because of the suffering of death we see (blepomen) Jesus crowned (estepanwmenon, perfect passive participle of stepanow from verse 1 Timothy 7 ), crowned already "with glory and honour" as Paul shows in Philippians 2:9-11 (more highly exalted, uperupswsen) "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow." There is more glory to come to Jesus surely, but he is already at God's right hand ( Philippians 1:3 ). That by the grace of God he should taste death for every man (opw cariti qeou uper panto geushtai qanatou). This purpose clause (opw instead of the more usual ina) is pregnant with meaning. The author interprets and applies the language of the Psalm to Jesus and here puts Christ's death in behalf of (uper), and so instead of, every man as the motive for his incarnation and death on the Cross. The phrase to taste death (geuomai qanatou) occurs in the Gospels ( Matthew 16:28 ; Mark 9:1 ; Luke 9:27 ; John 8:52 ), though not in the ancient Greek. It means to see death ( Hebrews 11:5 ), "a bitter experience, not a rapid sip" (Moffatt). His death was in behalf of every one (not everything as the early Greek theologians took it). The death of Christ (Andrew Fuller) was sufficient for all, efficient for some. It is all "by the grace (cariti, instrumental case) of God," a thoroughly Pauline idea. Curiously enough some MSS. read cwri qeou (apart from God) in place of cariti qeou, Nestorian doctrine whatever the origin.