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7:1 For this
Melchisedec, king of
Salem, priest of the most high God,
who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed
him; 7:2 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; 7:3 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.
7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth of the
spoils.
7:5 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: 7:6 But he whose descent is not
counted from them received tithes of
Abraham, and blessed him that had
the promises.
7:7 And without all
contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them,
of whom it is
witnessed that he liveth.
7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who
receiveth
tithes, payed tithes
in Abraham.
7:10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when
Melchisedec met
him.
7:11 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 Melchisedec, and
not be called after the order of
Aaron? 7:12 For the priesthood being
changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law.
7:13 For he of whom these things are spoken
pertaineth to another
tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which
tribe Moses spake nothing concerning
priesthood.
7:15 And it is yet far more
evident: for that after the similitude of
Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 7:16 Who is made, not after
the law of a
carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless
life.
7:17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec.
7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going
before for the weakness and
unprofitableness thereof.
7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto
God.
7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: 7:21 (For
those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him
that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a
priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec:) 7:22 By so much was
Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
7:23 And they truly were many
priests, because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death: 7:24 But this man, because he
continueth ever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood.
7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them.
7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens;
7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this
he did once, when he
offered up himself.
7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the
word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is
consecrated for
evermore.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Hebrews
Book: Hebrews
Chapter: 7
Overview:
A comparison between the priesthood of Melchisedec and that of
Christ.
(1-3) The excellence of
Christ's priesthood above the
Levitical priesthood is shown.
(4-10) This is applied to
Christ.
(11-25) The
Faith and
Hope of the
Church encouraged from this.
(26-28)
1-3 Melchisedec met
Abraham when returning from the rescue of
Lot. His name, "
King of
Righteousness," doubtless suitable to
his character, marked him as a
Type of the
Messiah and his
kingdom. The name of his
City signified "Peace;" and as
King of
peace he typified
Christ, the
Prince of Peace, the great
Reconciler of
God and
Man. Nothing is recorded as to the
beginning or
End of his
Life; thus he typically resembled the
Son of God, whose existence is from
Everlasting to
Everlasting,
who had
No one that was before him, and will have
No one come
after him, in his priesthood. Every part of
Scripture honours
the great
King of
Righteousness and Peace, our glorious High
Priest and
Saviour; and the more we examine it, the more we
shall be convinced, that the
Testimony of
Jesus is the
Spirit of
Prophecy.
4-10 That High
Priest who should afterward appear, of whom
Melchisedec was a
Type, must be much superior to the Levitical
priests. Observe
Abraham's great dignity and happiness; that he
had the promises. That
Man is rich and happy indeed, who has the
promises, both of the
Life that now is, and of that which is to
come. This honour have all those who receive the
Lord Jesus. Let
us go forth in our spiritual conflicts, trusting in his
Word and
strength, ascribing our victories to his
Grace, and desiring to
be met and blessed
By him in all our ways.
11-25 The priesthood and
Law By which
Perfection could not
come, are done away; a
Priest is risen, and a
Dispensation now
set up,
By which true believers may be made perfect. That there
is such a change is
Plain. The
Law which made the Levitical
priesthood, showed that the priests were frail, dying creatures,
not able to save their own lives, much less could they save the
souls of those who came to them. But the High
Priest of our
profession holds his office
By the power of endless
Life in
himself; not only to keep himself alive, but to give spiritual
and eternal
Life to all who rely upon his
Sacrifice and
intercession. The better
Covenant, of which
Jesus was the
Surety, is not here contrasted with the
Covenant of
Works,
By
which every transgressor is shut up under the
Curse. It is
distinguished from the
Sinai Covenant with
Israel, and the legal
Dispensation under which the
Church So long remained. The better
Covenant brought the
Church and every believer into clearer
Light, more perfect liberty, and more abundant privileges. In
the order of
Aaron there was a multitude of priests, of high
priests one after another; but in the priesthood of
Christ there
is only one and the same. This is the believer's safety and
happiness, that this
Everlasting High
Priest is able to save to
the uttermost, in all times, in all cases. Surely then it
becomes us to desire a spirituality and
Holiness, as much
Beyond
those of the Old
Testament believers, as our advantages exceed
theirs.
26-28 Observe the description of the personal
Holiness of
Christ. He is free from all habits or principles of
Sin, not
having the least disposition to it in his nature.
No Sin dwells
in him, not the least sinful inclination, though such dwells in
the best of Christians. He is harmless, free from all actual
transgression; he did
No violence, nor was there any deceit in
his mouth. He is undefiled. It is hard to keep ourselves pure,
So as not to partake the guilt of other men's sins. But none
need be dismayed who come to
God in the name of his beloved Son.
Let them be assured that he will deliver them in the time of
trial and suffering, in the time of prosperity, in the
Hour of
Death, and in the
Day of
Judgment.