Charles Ellicott Commentary Hebrews 1:4

"having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they." — Hebrews 1:4 (ASV)

Being made.—Better, having become. These words must be closely connected with the last clause of Hebrews 1:3; they speak not of the glory that was always His, but of that which became His after He had made purification of sins.

Better.—That is, greater. We may discern a twofold reason for the comparison: having become greater than the angels, our Lord is exalted above the highest of created beings (Philippians 2:9), and above those through whom God had previously declared His law (Hebrews 2:2).

Name.—The verses which follow show that we are to understand by this all the dignity and glory contained in the name SON OF GOD. Not that this name first belonged to Him as exalted Mediator; but the glory which became His (Hebrews 1:3–4) is proportionate to and consonant with the name which is His by essential right (Hebrews 1:2).

That this name and dignity belong to Jesus Christ (still unnamed, but admittedly the subject of the preceding verses) is now to be established by the testimony of Scripture. Two important questions have been asked:

1. Does the writer present these quotations as strictly demonstrative?
2. If so, on what assumption does their relevance rest?

It is evident that the whole argument is addressed to those who believed that the Christ had appeared in the person of Jesus. Of the passages cited here, some were already applied to the Messiah by universal consent. As for the others, it was sufficient if the trained and thoughtful reader could recognize the accuracy of such an application once it was suggested.

It is hoped that it will be made clear that in no case is there mere “accommodation” or illustration. On the other hand, the writer’s object is less to convince his readers of some new truth than to draw attention to what the well-known passages really contain and express.