Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 2:10

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings." — Hebrews 2:10 (ASV)

Usually we do not speak of things as being “fitting” for God, but here the word is appropriate. The way of salvation is not arbitrary but befitting the character of the God we know, the God “for whom and through whom everything exists” (i.e., he is the goal and the creator of all that is). The words show that the sufferings of Jesus did not take place by chance; they had their place in God’s great eternal purpose. “Many sons” is an unusual expression for the total number of the saved. But sonship is important and so is the fact that the number of the saved will not be few. “Glory” points to the grand splendor of salvation. Christ is “the author of their salvation.” “Author” (GK 795) can denote a leader, a ruler, or the originator or founder. Here the thought of origination is stressed, but the choice of word enables the writer to see Jesus as one who walked this earthly way before us as he established the way of salvation. The idea of being made “perfect” (GK 5457) is at first sight a startling one to apply to Jesus, but it is one the author repeats (he uses this verb nine times). He suggests that there is a perfection that results from actually having suffered and that this is different from the perfection of being ready to suffer. The bud may be perfect, but there is a difference between its perfection and that of the flower. There is, of course, no thought of perfecting what was morally imperfect; no imperfection is implied (cf. 4:15).