John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 1:7

"And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame a fire:" — Hebrews 1:7 (ASV)

And to the angels, etc. To the angels means of the angels. But the passage quoted seems to have been given a different meaning from what it appears to have; for as David is there describing how we see the world to be governed, nothing is more certain than that the winds are mentioned, which he says are made messengers by the Lord, for He employs them as His runners; so also, when He purifies the air by lightnings, He shows what quick and swift ministers He has to obey His orders.

But this has nothing to do with angels. Some have resorted to an allegory, as if the Apostle explained the plain sense—and, as they say, the literal sense—allegorically concerning angels.

But it seems preferable to me to consider that this testimony is brought forward for this purpose: that it might, by a similitude, be applied to angels. In this way, David compares winds to angels because they perform roles in this world similar to what the angels do in heaven; for the winds are, as it were, visible spirits.

And, doubtless, just as Moses, in describing the creation of the world, mentioned only those things which are subject to our senses, and yet intended for higher things to be understood; so David, in describing the world and nature, represented to us on a tablet what ought to be understood concerning the celestial orders. Hence, I think that the argument is one of likeness or similarity, in that the Apostle transfers to angels what properly applies to the winds.