Hebrews 1:8
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The context
The opening chapter of Hebrews strings together scriptural citations to show that the Son outranks the angels. Each is introduced as divine speech. This citation comes from a royal psalm and is addressed to the Son, whose throne is described as enduring and whose rule is characterized as upright.
What it establishes
It establishes that, in this letter's argument, the Son is addressed with the word God and given an everlasting throne. That is the strongest of the claims the catena makes.
What it does not establish
It does not settle the psalm's original referent. The cited text was a wedding song for a king, and the author applies it to the Son. Nor does the grammar command one reading; some take the address as directed to God about the Son, and the verse does not adjudicate.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.