In verses 4 to 25 a logical argument is developed. The major premise is clear: the order of Melchizedek is greater than the Aaronic order. The minor premise states Christ is of the order of Melchizedek. So the conclusion is irrefutable: Christ is greater than Aaron or anyone in the Aaronic order. In spite of the controversy throughout Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews logically and simply puts forth the argument of how Christ is greater than the Aaronic priesthood (as well as angels and Moses in the earlier parts of Hebrews).
The personal superiority of Melchizedek over the patriarch Abraham is guaranteed by the fact that Abraham “gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.” And though Melchizedek had no connections with the Levitical order, he still both received this tithe from Abraham and blessed him. This act of blessing reinforced his superiority to the patriarch. Moreover, he was evidently superior to the Levites as well, who collected tithes but were nonetheless subject to death. By contrast the tithe collected from Abraham was collected by him who is declared to be living. Furthermore, in a sense Levi paid the tithe through Abraham “for he was still in the loins of his forefather.” With the phrase, “so to speak,” the writer knew that Levi did not literally pay tithes to Melchizedek, but on the principle that an ancestor is greater than their descendants, Abraham’s act affirmed Melchizedek’s superiority even to the Levitical priests themselves. Melchizedek thus has a greatness which the Old Testament record clearly attests.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his forefather when Melchizedek met him. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham (vv. 4-6).
- Notice that Abraham not only tithed but he gave the best he had.
- Melchizedek blessed Abraham (vv. 6-7).
- The greater blesses the lesser
- Melchizedek lives on and had an eternal priesthood (in the sense no record of his death has been found).
- Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham.
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 4: Three superiorities of the order of Melchizedek are presented in Hebrews 7:4-8. First, Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham (vv. 4-6). Second, he blessed Abraham (vv. 6-7). Third, Melchizedek lives on (in the sense no record of his death has been found).
This verse repeats the writer’s emphasis on Melchizedek’s greatness, this strange priest-king from Salem. No one could dispute the greatness of Abraham. Jews saw him as the father of Israel. Christians saw him as the “father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11). The writer of Hebrews designated Abraham as “the patriarch.” In the original language the word for “patriarch” ended the verse, a position of emphasis.[1] Essentially, the text declares, “It was our patriarch Abraham himself who gave the tithe to this great man.” The great Abraham gave his tithe to the even greater Melchizedek.
Notice also that Abraham not only tithed, but he tithed the best. He did not just give Melchizedek the leftovers or the bottom of the pile. Abraham gave a tenth of the top or choicest of spoils.
Verses 5–6a: The Law provided that the people should pay tithes to the Levites (Num. 18:21, 24). The Levites paid tithes to the priests, so that one could actually say that the people paid tithes to the priests (Num. 18:26–32). The people who paid the tithes in the Old Testament and the priests who received them were “countrymen” (NASB) or “brothers”(ESV). The priests receiving the tithes were not superior to the payees. They were kinsfolks to them. Their ability to collect tithes did not come from any inherent superiority but from the commandment in the Law.
Melchizedek, however, was different. He did not receive tithes from any special commandment in the Law but from his inherent superiority. Abraham’s spontaneous action implied Melchizedek’s superiority.
Melchizedek did not trace his lineage from Levi (he was alive way before Levi was ever born). He was not a brother to the Levites. He stood out as a lonely figure of grandeur. He did not receive tithes from his brothers, but from Abraham. Abraham’s willing surrender of a tenth of his spoils to Melchizedek further revealed the majesty of this mysterious priest.
Verses 6b–7: Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham, but he also blessed the patriarch. The act of blessing showed the acceptance of the implied superiority. Anyone who read the account in the Old Testament would see this principle without additional explanation. Abraham acknowledged the greatness of Melchizedek by accepting the blessing from him. Jewish readers would perceive that “the lesser is blessed by the greater.”
But without any dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater, and we can see this when Abraham blessed Isaac; Isaac blessed Jacob; Jacob blessed his sons. We can see it in that regard. Think about when Jacob came down into Egypt and Joseph introduced Jacob to Pharaoh, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, meaning God looked on Jacob as being greater than Pharaoh. That is really interesting. Without dispute, the greater blesses the lesser.
Verse 8: This verse draws from the silence of Scripture to undergird Melchizedek’s greatness. The Levitical priesthood is contrasted with the priesthood of Melchizedek. The Old Testament priests were mortal men. After a few years of service to God, they would die. Melchizedek, however, served in a priesthood which enjoyed a continual existence. Records show the death of generation after generation of Levitical priests, but not of Melchizedek. Levites transferred their position and duties to their heirs. Israelites paid tithes to these mortals. Abraham paid his tithes to one whom Scripture never showed to be anything except a living person. Scripture’s silence could thus be seen as a type representing the eternal priesthood of Christ.
Hebrews will show that Jesus lived forever by the writer’s statements in 7:16, 24. The Bible recorded that Christ died and rose again from the dead. He is now alive for eternity. The doctrine is made practical with the observations of 7:23–25.
Verses 9–10: One final piece of evidence testifies to the superiority of Melchizedek to that of the Levitical priests. In one sense we might say that even Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek. The writer of Hebrews prepared the readers that the writer’s argument would take an unusual twist with the statement, “And, so to speak.” The writer’s argument would carry more force to a Jew familiar with the concept of solidarity or unity of purpose and interest than to a twenty-first-century American emphasizing individuality. The idea is that neither the father nor the children would be independent of one another. Levi here is more than an individual. He served as ancestor and representative of the Jewish priesthood.
Since Levi was Abraham’s great-grandson and was unborn when Abraham met Melchizedek, he could be described as already in Abraham’s loins. Biblical thought accepted the idea that an ancestor contained within himself all of his descendants.[2]
Although Levi had not yet been born when Abraham paid the tithes, we could view him as paying tithes to Melchizedek by this manner of reckoning. The payment of tithes by Abraham could be transferred to his offspring Levi and to all the priesthood. If we view the statement from the standpoint of solidarity, the payment of tithes by Levi through Abraham becomes more evident than Levi’s right to receive tithes from others. If Levi paid the tithes to Melchizedek, this demonstrates even more clearly the superiority of Melchizedek.
The well-known argument of Levi being in the loins of Abraham when Abraham tithed to Melchizedek seems to be paralleled by Paul’s theology in Romans 5:12. At any rate, the Levitical order is clearly presented as being inferior to the order of Melchizedek in these verses. Just a little bit further on this. Remember, Abraham’s son was Isaac (the main one as it relates to Jewish history), Isaac’s son was Jacob, Jacob had 12 sons. First, Rueben, then Simeon, and Levi is the third. So Levi, the third son, is in the loins of Jacob, who is in the loins of Isaac, who is in the loins of Abraham. Abraham had not even had Isaac as a son yet. Abraham had not had Isaac in Genesis 14, and yet Levi in Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, so this may explain Romans 5:12 where it talks about in Adam, all sinned. So that if you go back far enough, all of us were in Adam. This is called the seminal interpretation in Romans 5:12. We were in the seed of Adam when he sinned. Think about a very large box and inside of that is another box, inside of that is another box, inside of that is another box, and so on with smaller and smaller boxes inside the previous box. The big box, of course, is Adam and you go down the various boxes, and finally, with the little box in the middle, so that every person was in Adam’s box. This is the argument, so that when Adam sinned, we sinned.
In these seven verses are listed four evidences of the greatness of the priesthood of Melchizedek:
1. Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham (vv. 4-6).
2. Melchizedek blessed Abraham (vv. 6-7).
3. Melchizedek lives on and had an eternal priesthood (in the sense no record of his death has been found).
4. Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham.
[1] Thomas Lea, “Hebrews” in Holman New Testament Commentary – Hebrews & James, vol 10, edited by Max Anders (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), np.
[2] Thomas Lea, “Hebrews” in Holman New Testament Commentary – Hebrews & James, vol 10, edited by Max Anders (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), np.