Illuminated: Hebrews 1-2Sýnishorn

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” - Hebrews 1:9

Greek Word Focus

ἀγαλλιάσεως/agalliaseos: exultation, exuberant joy

Why It Matters

There’s a genius to the way the writer of Hebrews quotes from the Psalms that we may miss in our 21st-century context. The original audience of this letter was a people group amid cultural transition. In their move to faith in Jesus, their status in society had changed, and they were experiencing profound persecution. Their situation was not ideal on many fronts. That’s why using Psalm 45:7 to encourage this group of people with the nature of Christ is so profound. Hebrews quotes from this Psalm and reminds us that God has anointed Jesus with the oil of agalliaseos, or triumph. The Psalmist uses the word for exuberant joy or ecstatic delight connected to a significant victory. If an army defeated its enemies, the people would be filled with agalliaseos. The writer of Hebrews links this passage to Jesus, reminding the reader that Jesus has been anointed with the oil of victorious exuberance. No matter what persecution, rejection, or difficult circumstances they faced, Jesus has won a victory that results in agalliaseos. This victory is also good news because even though we likely won’t meet the same persecution, our sense of joy is linked to our successes or defeats more often than we like to admit. If we feel victorious in our situation, we will have exuberant joy; if we feel defeated in life, our joy fades. Thankfully, as we are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3), his victory becomes our victory, and our agalliaseos is anchored in the act of love that defeated our worst enemy.

Application

What will I do differently because of the person and work of Jesus?