Hebrews 2:7
Hebrews 2:77You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor
"You made him a little lower than angels" (NWT 2:7) is a verse the Watchtower can use to soften the deity claims that surround it. If Jesus was made "a little lower than angels," then he was at one point lower than angels in nature — supporting the framework in which the pre-incarnate Jesus was an angelic being (Michael) and the incarnate Jesus was a mere perfect man.
is the kenosis verse. The "made a little lower than angels" is voluntary, temporary, and incarnational — supplies the parallel: "though he was existing in God's form, he gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God... but emptied himself and took a slave's form." The descent is real, but it is descent from a higher starting point, not the natural condition of a creature. Verse 9 closes the loop: "we see Jesus, who has been made a little lower than the angels... now crowned with glory and honour because of his having suffered death." The Son's descent is purposive — he came lower than angels in order to taste death for everyone.