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HEBREWS -
patient waiting,k he obtained the promise.* 16Human beings swear by someone greater than themselves; for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all argument. 17So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an oath,l 18so that by two immutable things,* in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.m 19This we have as an anchor of the soul,n sure and rm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,* 20where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.o
7Melchizedek, a Type of Christ.
1* This “Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,”* “met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings” and
“blessed him.”a 2* And Abraham apportioned to him “a tenth of everything.”His name rst means righteous king, and he was also“king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. 3Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life,* thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.b
4* See how great he is to whom the patriarch “Abraham [indeed] gave a tenth” of his spoils.c 5The descendants of Levi who receive the o ce of priesthood have a commandment according
to the law to exact tithes from the people, that is, from
their brothers, although they also have come from the loins of Abraham.d 6But he who was not of their ancestry received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. 7Unquestionably, a lesser person is blessed by a greater.* 8In the one case, mortal men receive tithes; in the other, a man of whom
6:19
The anchor is an ancient symbol of hope. Faith is like an anchor, because it holds rm to something that we cannot see.
7:1
In Genesis 14, Melchisedek appears suddenly, without introduction or genealogy. We are not told, as we are with so many other Old Testament gures, who his ancestors are. And yet Melchisedek is a priest. His priesthood is quite di erent from the levitical priesthood, where priests receive their o ce by virtue of their descent from the tribe of Levi.
The essence of the priesthood
* [6:18] Two immutable things: the promise and the oath, both made by God.
* [6:19] Anchor. . .into the interior behind the veil: a mixed metaphor. The Holy of Holies, beyond the veil that separates it from the Holy Place (Ex 26:31–33), is seen as the earthly counterpart of the heavenly abode of God. This theme will be developed in Heb 9.
* [7:1–3] Recalling the meeting between Melchizedek and Abraham described in Gn 14:17–20, the author enhances the signi cance of this priest by providing the popular etymological meaning of his name and that of the city over which he ruled (Heb 7:2). Since Genesis gives no information on the parentage or the death of Melchizedek, he is seen here as a type of Christ, representing a priesthood that is unique and eternal (Heb 7:3).
* [7:1] The author here assumes that Melchizedek was a priest of the God of Israel (cf. Gn 14:22 and the note there).
* [7:2] In Gn 14, the Hebrew text does not state explicitly who gave tithes to whom. The author of Hebrews supplies Abraham as the subject, according to a contemporary interpretation of the passage. This supports the argument of the midrash and makes it possible to see in Melchizedek a type of Jesus. The messianic blessings of righteousness and peace are foreshadowed in the names “Melchizedek” and “Salem.”
* [7:3] Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life: this is perhaps a quotation from a hymn about Melchizedek. The rabbis maintained that anything not
CHAPTER 6
k. [6:15] 6:12; Rom 4:20.
l. [6:17] 6:12.
m. [6:18] Nm 23:19; 1 Sm 15:29; Jn 8:17; 2 Tm 2:13.
n. [6:19] 10:20; Ex 26:31–33; Lv 16:2.
o. [6:20] 5:10; Ps 110:4.
Abraham Receiving Bread and Wine from Melchizedek, Romanesque medieval art
mentioned in the Torah does not exist. Consequently, since the Old Testament nowhere mentions Melchizedek’s ancestry, birth, or death, the conclusion can be drawn that he remains. . .forever.
* [7:4–10] The tithe that Abraham gave to Melchizedek (Heb 7:4), a practice later followed by the levitical priesthood (Heb 7:5), was a gift (Heb 7:6) acknowledging a certain superiority in Melchizedek, the foreign priest (Heb 7:7). This is further indicated by the fact that the institution of the levitical priesthood was sustained by hereditary succession in the tribe of Levi, whereas the absence of any mention of Melchizedek’s death in Genesis implies that his personal priesthood is permanent (Heb 7:8). The levitical priesthood itself, through Abraham, its ancestor, paid tithes to Melchizedek, thus acknowledging the superiority of his priesthood over its own (Heb 7:9–10).
* [7:7] A lesser person is blessed by a greater: though this sounds like a principle, there are some examples in the Old Testament that do not support it (cf. 2 Sm 14:22; Jb 31:20). The author may intend it as a statement of a liturgical rule.
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a. [7:1] Gn 14:17–20.
b. [7:3] 4:14; 6:6; 10:29.
c. [7:4] Gn 14:20.
d. [7:5] Nm 18:21 / Gn 35:11.
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