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Hebrews 7

1For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. His name means first “king of righteousness,” and then he is also king of Salem, which means “king of peace.” 3Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually.

4Consider how great this man was: Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils. 5Those from the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, their brothers, although these too have come from Abraham's loins. 6But this man, whose genealogy is not traced from them, has received a tenth from Abraham and has blessed the one who had the promises. 7And beyond all dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8Here, people who die receive tenths; there, one receives them of whom it is testified that he lives. 9And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who receives tenths, has paid a tenth, 10for he was still in his father's loins when Melchizedek met him.

11Now if completion came through the Levitical priesthood—for on its basis the people received the law—what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, instead of being named according to the order of Aaron? 12For when the priesthood changes, a change of law necessarily takes place as well. 13For the one of whom these things are said belongs to a different tribe, from which no one has attended to the altar. 14For it is clear that our Lord has sprung from Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing concerning priests.

15And this is even more evident if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16who has become a priest not according to a law of fleshly requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17For it is testified of him, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 18On the one hand, an earlier command is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness—19for the law brought nothing to completion—and on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

20And to the extent that this did not happen without an oath—for the others became priests without an oath, 21but he did so with an oath through the one who said to him, “The Lord swore and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever’”—22to that extent Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

23The others became priests in large numbers because death prevented them from continuing, 24but because he remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. 25Therefore he is also able to save completely those who approach God through him, since he always lives to intercede on their behalf.

26For such a high priest was indeed fitting for us: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and raised higher than the heavens. 27He has no daily need, like the high priests, to offer sacrifices first for his own sins and then for those of the people, because he did this once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests people who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son who has been brought to completion forever.

Translation notes 5

7:1–3 — Melchizedek's portrait. The argument draws on Genesis 14:18–20 and Psalm 110:4. It interprets Melchizedek's name and Salem in relation to righteousness and peace. “Without father, without mother” and the absence of beginning or end are printed as stated. The silence of the Genesis account about his ancestry, birth, and death is a common explanation; an actual heavenly or deathless figure is another interpretation. “Made like the Son of God” distinguishes the comparison from simply identifying Melchizedek as Jesus.

7:4–10 — Tenths and descent. A tenth is traditionally called a tithe. “Loins” retains the bodily image of descent; “father” at verse 10 means ancestor. “So to speak” is the author's own qualification of Levi's participation in Abraham's act. “Here” and “there” contrast the Levitical priests with Melchizedek in the scriptural account.

7:11–19 — Priesthood and completion. Completion concerns the goal of access to God that this priesthood could not achieve, not a claim that the law accomplished nothing at all. “Fleshly requirement” most immediately concerns embodied descent and priestly eligibility; “fleshly” does not mean the law was morally corrupt. “Indestructible life” contrasts with mortal succession. “Order” is explained by “likeness” in verse 15.

7:20–25 — Oath and permanence. Psalm 110:4 grounds the contrast between priestly appointment with and without an oath. “Guarantor” is different from the “mediator” language used later. “Permanently” can also be understood as holding a priesthood that does not pass to another. “Save completely” may also be “save forever”; the following statement about continual life supports a temporal dimension without exhausting the word's sense.

7:26–28 — One offering. The text retains “daily” and “high priests” without replacing them with a reconstructed schedule of temple rites. The comparison gathers priestly offerings into a contrast with Jesus' single self-offering. “He did this” refers to his sacrificial offering for the people; the surrounding argument explicitly denies that he needs an offering for his own sins. “Separated from sinners” is not expanded into a claim that Jesus avoided contact with sinful people during his life.