Bible Strands
Hebrews 1:10
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The author of Hebrews addresses his readers while contrasting the eternal Son with the created order. The passage occurs in a theological argument establishing the Son’s superiority over angels and all temporal realities.
The words — The Greek verb ἐθεμελίωσας (ethemeliōsas) literally means “laid the foundation,” denoting permanent, deliberate construction. The vocable κύριε (kurie) directly addresses the Son as the Lord who performs this creative work.
The thread — The phrasing draws on the creation accounts of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 while adapting the language of Psalms 102:25. The author applies the psalm to Christ without reproducing the Hebrew text of that psalm verbatim.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge the Son’s absolute authority over the physical universe. It demands the practical conclusion that the one who founded the earth remains fixed while all created things wear out.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Cross-references
- Psalms 102:25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
- Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Jeremiah 32:17 “Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!
- Isaiah 48:13 Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.
- Psalms 8:3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Isaiah 42:5 This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
- Zechariah 12:1 This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:
- Proverbs 8:29 when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
- Isaiah 51:13 But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?