Hebrews 7:1-14 Lesson 423

Hebrews 7:1-14
Lesson 423

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

We continue with "Jesus as High Priest."

King Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, the father of the Jewish people (7:4-10).
Jesus is greater than Melchizedek.
Therefore, Jesus is greater than Abraham.

The Levitical priesthood was imperfect (7:11-14).

Abraham makes an offering to King Melchizedek.

Who was -

Levi and the Levites -
Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 29:34), Abraham's great-grandson, and the namesake of the priestly tribe called Levites (sons of Levi). From the age of twenty-five to fifty, male Levites served as assistants to the Temple priests (sons of Aaron) (Numbers 3:5-9; 8:14-15;8:19; 8:24-25; Deuteronomy 18:5-7). This is one reason why Jews placed so much importance on their genealogies. Levites were everything from Temple doorkeepers and musicians to "officers and judges." They read the Mosaic Law to the people during the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 31:9-11) and taught Judaism (Deuteronomy 33:10; 2 Chronicles 17:8-9; Ezekiel 44:23). Levites were also responsible for cleaning and guarding the Temple, preparing the showbread, helping the priest sacrifice animals, and examining lepers, among other chores (1 Chronicles 23:3-5; 23:24-32). To prepare for their duties, Levites cleansed themselves and their clothes, shaved their body hair, and made an animal sacrifice (Numbers 8:6-8). As compensation for their service, they received tithes (Numbers 18:21). From this tithe, they gave ten percent to the priests (Numbers 18:26).

Study Tip:

Reading Bible passages a second time is an excellent way to learn.
You catch essential points you might have missed with the first read.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Hebrews

The King James Bible

Hebrews 7:1-14
The King of Salem

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

Margin notes:

"King of Salem." (7:1) - There was a King of Salem (Jerusalem) before there was an Israel. The name Salem means "peace."

"Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings." (7:1) - "Abraham returning from defeating the kings" (of several nations).

"Abraham gave a tenth part of all." (7:2) - Abraham gave a tenth (a tithe) of his war booty to King Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20).

"First being by interpretation King of righteousness." (7:2) - The interpretation (meaning) of Melchizedek's name is "King of righteousness."

"Without father, without mother." (7:3) - Melchizedek's parents are never named in Scripture, and no one knows who they were. See "Today's Question" below.

"Without descent." (7:3) - "Without a family tree."  Melchizedek's genealogy was a mystery.

"Abideth a priest continually." (7:3) - "Remains a priest forever." Unlike the Levitical priests, Melchizedek did not inherit his priesthood simply because he was a descendant of Levi.  He was a priest forever (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6; 6:20).

"The sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people." (7:5) - "The descendants of Levi (Levites), who become priests, are authorized to take tithes from the people" (Numbers 18:21; 18:26).

"They come out of the loins of Abraham." (7:5) - "They are descended from Abraham."

"But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him." (7:6) - "But he (King Melchizedek), who was not descended from Levi, received tithes from Abraham, and blessed him." See Genesis 14:18-20.

"Without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better." (7:7) - "Without question, the person who has the authority to bless is greater than those he blesses." Therefore, Melchizedek is greater than Abraham.

"It is witnessed that he liveth." (7:8) - "It is said that he (Melchizedek) lives."

"He was yet in the loins of his father." (7:10) - Another way of saying Levi wasn't born yet. Levi was Abraham's great-grandson. According to Hebrew tradition, no one was greater than their ancestors. Therefore, Levi couldn't be greater than Melchizedek because Abraham (his great-grandfather) humbled himself by paying tithes to Melchizedek.

"If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest." (7:11) - "If the forgiveness (of sins) was accomplished by the Levitical priests, and they were able to save us (through the Mosaic Law and animal sacrifices), why was there a need for another priest."

"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." (7:12) - "If the priesthood is changed, then so too the Law, and the order of Aaron must be changed." The Old Covenant called for priests to be from the tribe of Levi and Aaron, but that changed when Jesus, from the tribe of Juda (see verses 7:13-14; 8:8), became our high priest.  Jesus is now the only priest and the only sacrifice we need. The Messiah is our ambassador to God.

"For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe." (7:13) - "But the one these things speak of (Jesus Christ) belongs to another tribe (other than Levi)."

"Our Lord sprang out of Juda." (7:14) - "Our Lord came from the tribe of Judah." See Matthew 1:1-3, Luke 3:23, 3:33, and Revelation 5:5.

New Living Translation

Hebrews 7:1-14
Melchizedek Is Greater Than Abraham

1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.

2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means "king of justice," and king of Salem means "king of peace."

3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors-no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.

5 Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.

6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.

7 And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.

9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites-the ones who collect the tithe-paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him.

10 For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.

11 So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?

12 And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it.

13 For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.

14 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's questions:

1. What does "Without father, without mother" mean? (7:3)

Know anyone interested receiving Bible lessons? Tell them about us.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. King Melchizedek had parents, but there were no records of them in the Old Testament. "Levitical priests were priests because of their genealogy. But Melchizedek, without genealogy, was a recognized priest of the human race at that time."

(Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 652)

Application thought for the day:

Summarize the most important lesson you found in this passage.

Please remember, we depend on the support of our subscriber's to reach unbelievers.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2024 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons