Last week we pointed out that the theme of Hebrews was found in the first three verses of the Epistle and mentioned that the Hebrew writer used several different words to describe the Divine Majesty of Jesus, the Son of God, to the Father. This week we take a closer look at the second word in chapter 1, verse 3 of our word study, χαρακτὴρ (Strongs #5481), translated "express image" (NKJV), "very image" (ASV), and "exact representation" (NASB). This is the only place this word is found in the Greek New Testament. It means literally "an impression" as of a seal on wax.F1 χαρακτὴρ originally meant the cutting agent, such as the tool or person who engraved. It came to denote the mark, impress or image made by the engraving tool, particularly the mark or image upon a coin which identified it and determined its value.F2 Bagster defines it as, "a graver, graving-tool; an engraven or impressed device; an impress, exact expression;"F3 Abbott-Smith says, "a stamp or impress: metaphorically, as on a coin or seal;"F4 and finally, Thayer confirms the meaning is "the exact expression (the image) of any person or thing, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect (cf. facsimile)."F5 Consequently, it is the same word from which the English word "character" is derived.
The word "express image" in our text is once again a metaphor and suggests the idea of a visible outward reproduction of the inward nature of that which is original. A similar idea is illustrated in a fax machine. A "fax" is the outward visible form that we can examine in order to see all of the characteristics of the inward image stored in random access memory that the human eye cannot possibly otherwise behold. The application the inspired Hebrew writer wanted his readers to recognize is that Christ metaphorically is our "facsimile" of the Father. Through Him we are able to see all of the divine qualities that make up the natural essence of the invisible God. Paul told the Colossians that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) and thru Him all of the fullness of the Father is made known to us (Colossians 1:19). The word χαρακτὴρ portrays a three-fold idea: (1) the concept of the independent existence of the Son apart from the Father; (2) the notion of descent or derivation of the Son from the Father; and (3) the impression of resemblance of the Son to the Father. Once again, the vividness of the original language helps to clarify what from our English translations is a difficult concept to epitomize!
Thus, from our study of last week's word ἀπαὺγασμα (Strongs #541), literally, "the rayed-forth light" of God's glory and this weeks word χαρακτὴρ (Strongs #5481), literally, "the impress" of God's substance, the Hebrew writer is using a parallelism to illustrate two ideas in his description of Christ. First, on the side of God's δὸξα (Strongs #1391), "glory," (NKJV), the writer is projecting Christ as the outward manifestation of God's being which comes from the ἀπαὺγασμα (Strongs #541), literally, "the rayed-forth light." Second, on the side of God's ὑπὸστασις (Strongs #5287), "substance" (NKJV), the writer is endeavoring to show "the express image, the exact counterpart or reproduction," of each characteristic answering to inward essence of God. Only through Jesus can we know and understand the Father (1 John 5:20) and learn of his true essence (1 John 4:8,9; Romans 16:25-27).
FOOTNOTES:
F1: W.J. Conybeare, M.A. and J.S. Howson, M.A., Life and Epistles of St. Paul (New York: Charles Scribner, 1856), pg. 499.
F2: Marcus Dods, D.D., The Expositor's Greek Testament, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Vol. IV (Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmands Publishing Company, reprinted 1988), pg. 251.
F3: Samuel Bagster, The Analytical Greek Lexicon (London: Samuel Bagster and Son, 1852), pg. 40.
F4: G. Abbot-Smith, D.D, D.C.L., LL.D., A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1936), pg. 479.
F5: Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1901), pg.
F6: Rev. Timothy Dwight, H.A.W. Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, vol. 9 (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1884), pg. 413.
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Bill Klein has been a pastor, counselor, and educator for the past 41 years. He has had extensive training and education in biblical languages, and has authored a Biblical Greek course.
He is currently serving as Professor of Biblical Greek at Master's Graduate School of Divinity, and president of BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America, a non-profit organization located in California that provides Bible study tapes and Greek study materials through their website BTEMinistries.org.