God & Jesus
Sons of God in the Hebrew Bible
Long before the Gospels, the Hebrew Bible used the words “son of God” and “sons of God” many times. Who did it give the title to, and what did it mean?
1The question
Who is called God’s son in the Hebrew Bible?
2What Christians believe
Christians agree that the Hebrew Bible calls angels, Israel and its kings God’s sons. They see these as sons by creation, by choice or by adoption, while Jesus is the Son by nature, the eternal Son who shares the Father’s being.
They point out that believers too become sons of God through faith (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26). This sonship, they say, is a gift that comes through Jesus, who is the Son in a way no one else is.
3What the texts say
Angels
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The people of Israel
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
Judges
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
4What scholars say
In Hebrew the phrase bene elohim, “sons of God”, is used for the heavenly beings who stand before God (Job 1:6; 38:7). Hebrew also uses “son of” to describe someone’s character or belonging, as when Nabal is called “a son of Belial”, a worthless man (1 Samuel 25:17).
Adela Yarbro Collins and John J. Collins (King and Messiah as Son of God, 2008) show that sonship language for Israel and its king was about God’s choice and care, and about the king ruling on God’s behalf.
Scholars agree that nowhere in the Hebrew Bible does “son of God” mean a second divine being equal to God.
5The Islamic perspective
Muslims accept the Bible’s use of the phrase for those God loves and honours. The Qur’an rejects only the idea that anyone is God’s son in the sense of sharing his nature. Those called God’s sons are his honoured servants:
The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying.
And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. Be He Glorified! Nay, but (those whom they call sons) are honoured slaves;
Muslims see a single pattern: angels, Israel, its kings and its judges are all called sons of God, and all are created servants. When the same title is given to Jesus, they read it in the same way.
6Objections and responses
“These are sons in a lower sense. Jesus is the Son with a capital S.”
Response: The capital letter is the translators’ choice; Hebrew and Greek have no capital letters. The Bible uses the same words for Israel, the king and Jesus. The difference has to be shown from the texts, not from the printing.
“Jesus is called the ‘firstborn’ (Colossians 1:15), which shows his unique rank.”
Response: Israel is called God’s firstborn (Exodus 4:22), so is Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:9), and so is King David (Psalm 89:27). “Firstborn” is a title of honour and rank in the Bible, given to human beings.
7Conclusion
Both sides agree that the Hebrew Bible calls angels, Israel, its kings and its judges sons of God. Christians see in Jesus a sonship of a different kind. Muslims see one consistent meaning: servants whom God has honoured.
Read Job 38:7, Deuteronomy 14:1, Hosea 1:10 and Psalm 82:6, and note who is called a son of God in each.
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Sources
- Bible, King James Version:Genesis 6:2Job 38:7Deuteronomy 14:1Jeremiah 31:9Hosea 1:10Psalm 82:6
- Qur’an, translated by M. Pickthall:Qur’an 5:18Qur’an 21:26
- Adela Yarbro Collins and John J. Collins, King and Messiah as Son of God (2008)