“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
The full verse · Hebrews 1:14 · KJV
Are , sent them who be heirs ?
Asked by
Author of Hebrews: the unnamed writer, showing from the Old Testament that the Son is "so much better than the angels" (Hebrews 1:4)
Asked to
Hebrews: the first hearers of Hebrews and every reader since, to whom God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:2)
The Scene
Having asked which angel God ever invited to sit at His right hand (Hebrews 1:13), the writer ends the chapter by saying what angels really are.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe writer has shown that the Son sits at God's right hand. Now he asks a question that expects "yes": are not the angels all servants? Barnes explains that a ministering spirit "is one that is employed to execute the will of God," and that being "sent" shows they "are under his control; are in a subordinate capacity." Matthew Henry says, "The most exalted angels are but ministering spirits, mere servants of Christ, to execute his commands." The question completes the contrast, and it adds a surprise: these mighty servants are sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe answer is yes: every angel is a servant sent by God. The writer draws the lesson at once: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard" (Hebrews 2:1). If the word "spoken by angels" was firm, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation" which was first spoken "by the Lord"? (Hebrews 2:2-3).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe Greek word for "ministering" is leitourgikos, which Thayer defines as "relating to the performance of service, employed in ministering." This adjective appears only here in the New Testament. The phrase "to minister" translates diakonia, service. Earlier in the chapter the writer quoted Psalm 104:4 (Hebrews 1:7), which reads, "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4), so the idea of angels as God's ministers comes from the Old Testament itself.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyHebrews 1 has lifted the Son above every angel. This last question turns to the people the Son came to save. The angels, who worship the Son (Hebrews 1:6), are sent by God for the good of "them who shall be heirs of salvation." God's care for His people reaches even into the unseen world.
Barnes says the angels are employed "to further the salvation of the people of God." Gill notes that they are sent forth by Christ, their Lord and Creator, which again shows that He is above them. So the verse points both ways: up to the Son who sends, and out to the heirs He serves through them. Angels are servants of the Son, not objects of worship.
Look Closer
What does the question expect the reader to answer?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You care for Your people in ways I cannot see; how would my worries change if I trusted that care more fully?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Why do you think the writer reminds believers that even angels serve them, right before warning them not to drift (Hebrews 2:1)?
- Tell about a time when you saw God's care for you in a way you did not expect.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
You are not forgotten. The same God who seated His Son at His right hand sends His servants for the good of those who will inherit salvation. You can take comfort that His care for you is larger than what you can see.
This does not invite you to seek out, pray to, or worship angels. The whole chapter points away from angels to the Son, whom the angels themselves worship (Hebrews 1:6). The right response is the one the writer gives next: pay close attention to what the Lord has spoken, and do not drift from it (Hebrews 2:1). Scripture's own application: Hebrews 2:1-3
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”
“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?”
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation”
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?”