---
title: Hebrews 1:10
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/hebrews-1-10/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/hebrews-1-10.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Hebrews 1:10
testament: NT
section: Letters
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Hebrews 1:10

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> And:  “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

## JW Usage

JWs acknowledge that Hebrews 1:10-12 quotes Psalm 102:25-27 but argue the quotation merely illustrates that God created "through" the Son as an instrument. The NWT renders the vocative as "O Lord" rather than "O Jehovah," despite the OT source being addressed to YHWH. JWs do not draw attention to the Jehovah-insertion inconsistency at this verse, since the standard explanation (the Son as creation agent) is considered sufficient.

## Protestant Usage

Hebrews 1:10 quotes Psalm 102:25 — a passage addressed exclusively to YHWH — and applies it directly to the Son: "You, O Lord, laid the foundations of the earth." The author of Hebrews is not illustrating agency; he is attributing Jehovah's own creative work and eternal nature to Jesus. Verses 11-12 continue: "They will perish, but you will remain... you are the same, and your years will never end." The NWT's Jehovah-insertion programme exposes the tension: despite the OT source being addressed to YHWH, the NWT retains "Lord" in Hebrews 1:10 rather than inserting "Jehovah." Even J8 — the Watchtower's own cited J-reference — reads "Lord Jehovah" here, but the NWT ignores its own evidence. The insertion is avoided because it would explicitly identify the Son as YHWH. Isaiah 44:24 says Jehovah created alone — if Hebrews 1:10 attributes that same creative work to the Son, the Son must share Jehovah's identity.

## NWT Issue

The NWT retains "Lord" in Hebrews 1:10 rather than inserting "Jehovah," despite the verse quoting Psalm 102:25 (addressed to YHWH) and despite the Watchtower's own J8 reference reading "Lord Jehovah" here. This breaks the NWT's stated methodology — where the NT quotes an OT passage containing YHWH, "Jehovah" should be restored. The insertion is avoided precisely because it would identify the Son as YHWH. This is part of the broader selective pattern documented at Romans 10:13, Philippians 2:11, and 1 Peter 3:15.

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [Jesus' Eternality](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/psalm102-hebrews1.md) — Psalm 102 → Hebrews 1 [Deity of Christ]
- [The 237 Additions — Zero Manuscript Evidence](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/tetragrammaton-insertion.md) — Not one Greek NT manuscript contains Jehovah's name — so why does the NWT insert it 237 times? [NWT Translation]
- [Two Verbs, Two Categories](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/en-vs-egeneto-john-1-tense.md) — John 1 — the Word 'was' (ēn), creation 'came to be' (egeneto) [Deity of Christ]
- [Two Matches, One Candle — How Three Persons Create as One](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/trinity-causal-overdetermination.md) — Causal overdetermination and opera ad extra sunt indivisa [Deity of Christ]
- [Always the Father, Always a Son](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/eternal-father-eternal-son.md) — Malachi 3:6 / John 17:24 — if Jehovah never changes and has always been Father, he has always had a Son [Deity of Christ]
- [Sharing a Role Is Not Sharing Who God Is](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/god-alone-shared-or-identity.md) — Isaiah 44:24 / 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 / Job 38:7 — when 'God alone' texts allow others in, and when they don't [Deity of Christ]