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NET Bible Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance [ie: reflection] of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his [ie: God's] powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Compare:

Wisdom of Solomon 7: 25 For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. 26 For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.

The Cambridge Paragraph Bible: of the Authorized English Version. (1873). (Wis 7:24–26). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

"she is the breath of the power of God" -> "he sustains all things by his [God's] powerful word"

"she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God" -> "the radiance [ie: reflection] of his glory"

"a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty" -> "the representation of his essence"

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  • You have marked "he sustains all things by his powerful word" in bold, but I can't see what in Wis 7:24-26 that could be an allusion to. Please edit this to explain
    – curiousdannii
    Oct 21, 2017 at 3:37
  • @curiousdannii "she is the breath of the power of God"
    – Ruminator
    Oct 21, 2017 at 3:49
  • @curiousdannii Did you down-vote this question? If so, may I ask why? Perhaps I can improve it.
    – Ruminator
    Oct 22, 2017 at 16:28

1 Answer 1

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The points of corresponding thought (or subject matter) might compel us to conclude so. Given more weight by the fact that both passages also both use a word only used in these two places in the entire Greek Bible,almost eliminating 'coincidence' explanations.

Firstly, the Greek of both, followed by a more conservative, literal translation of my own:

Wisdom 7:25-26

25 ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστιν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀπόρροια τῆς τοῦ παντοκράτορος δόξης εἰλικρινής διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲν μεμιαμμένον εἰς αὐτὴν παρεμπίπτει 26 ἀπαύγασμα* γάρ ἐστιν φωτὸς ἀϊδίου καὶ ἔσοπτρον ἀκηλίδωτον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνεργείας καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ

25 For She is a breath of the power of God, and an emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty, on account of which no polluted thing can enter into her: 26 for [she] ["wisdom"—v. 24] is the effulgence of the eternal light; and a spotless mirror of the power of God and image of His goodness.

* ἀπαύγασμα—"effulgence; refulgence; brightness; the shining-forth; brilliant radiance" etc. Only used here and Heb 1:3.


Hebrews 1:3

ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως ‹δι’› αὐτοῦ, καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιησάμενος ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς Μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς,

Who, being the effulgence of His glory and the very image* of His substance; upholding all things by the word of His power; having made purification of [all] sin, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high1.

* "the very image"—translates χαρακτὴρ. (Perhaps 'exact expression' would be preferable to distinguish the words in the target language). Synonymous with εἰκὼν in most instances (cf. Mk 12:16; Lk 20:24; see also Liddel & Scott). Hence the choice of translation. cf. Col 1:15; Sir 24:5 Vul.

1 Wis 9:4; cf. Jn 16:28.

This isn't the only case in which St. Paul is thought to have alluded to this Book (e.g. Wis 2:24; Rom 5:12; Wis 15:7; Rom 9:21; Wis 13:1-10,14:22-31; Rom 1:18-31 etc).

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