INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 7 The apostle having made mention of Melchizedek in the latter part of the preceding chapter, proceeds in this to give some account of him, and of the excellency of his priesthood, and to show that Christ is a priest of his order, and is superior to Aaron and his sons. He fi... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS MELCHISEDEC, KING OF SALEM,.... Various have been the opinions of writers concerning Melchizedek; some have thought him to be more than a man; some, that he was an angel; others, that he was the Holy Ghost; and others, that he was a divine person superior to Christ, which needs no refutatio... [ Continue Reading ]
TO WHOM ALSO ABRAHAM GAVE A TENTH PART OF ALL,.... Or tithes, as in Genesis 14:20. Philo the Jew b renders the Hebrew phrase, מעשר מכל, just as the apostle does δεκατην απο παντων, "a tenth part of all", or "out of all"; not of all that he brought back, as Lot's goods, or the king of Sodom's, or any... [ Continue Reading ]
WITHOUT FATHER, WITHOUT MOTHER, WITHOUT DESCENT,.... Which is to be understood not of his person, but of his priesthood; that his father was not a priest, nor did his mother descend from any in that office; nor had he either a predecessor or a successor in it, as appears from any authentic accounts:... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW CONSIDER HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS,.... Melchizedek, of whom so many great and wonderful things are said in the preceding verses: and as follows, UNTO WHOM THE PATRIARCH ABRAHAM GAVE THE TENTH OF THE SPOILS; of Abraham's giving tithes to him, Hebrews 7:2 and Melchizedek's greatness is aggravated,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND VERILY THEY THAT ARE OF THE SONS OF LEVI,.... Or Levites; who are of the tribe of Levi, whose descent is from him: WHO RECEIVE THE OFFICE OF THE PRIESTHOOD; as some of them were priests, though not all; and the Levites therefore are sometimes called priests. R. Joshua ben Levi says, that in twe... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE WHOSE DESCENT IS NOT COUNTED FROM THEM, c] That is, Melchizedek, whose genealogy or pedigree is not reckoned from the Levites, nor from any from whom they descend his lineal descent is not the same with theirs; and so did not receive tithes by any law, as they did, but by virtue of his superi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WITHOUT ALL CONTRADICTION THE LESS IS BLESSED OF THE GREATER. This is a self-evident truth, and is undeniable; it admits of no controversy, and cannot be gainsaid, that he that blesseth is greater in that respect than he that is blessed by him; as the priests were greater in their office than th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HERE MEN THAT DIE RECEIVE TITHES, c,] The priests and Levites were not only men, and mortal men, subject to death, but they did die, and so did not continue, by reason of death, Hebrews 7:24 BUT THERE HE RECEIVETH THEM, OF WHOM IT IS WITNESSED THAT HE LIVETH which is to be understood of Melchiz... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS L MAY SO SAY,.... With truth, and with great propriety and pertinence: LEVI ALSO WHO RECEIVETH TITHES; or the Levites, who receive tithes according to the law of Moses from the people of Israel: PAID TITHES IN ABRAHAM; that is, to Melchizedek; and therefore Melchizedek must be greater than... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE WAS YET IN THE LOINS OF HIS FATHER,.... Abraham; namely, Levi and his whole posterity; which is to be understood seminally, just as all mankind were in the loins of Adam, when he sinned and fell, and so they sinned and fell in him; and so Levi was in Abraham's loins, WHEN MELCHISEDEC MET HIM... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THEREFORE PERFECTION WERE BY THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD,.... The priesthood which was established in the tribe of Levi; so called, to distinguish it from that which was before this institution, from the times of Adam, as well as from the priesthood of Melchizedek, and from the priesthood of Christ,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE PRIESTHOOD BEING CHANGED,.... Not translated from one tribe, family, or order, to another, but utterly abolished; for though it is called an everlasting priesthood, yet that is to be understood with a limitation, as the word "everlasting" often is, as relating to things under that dispensati... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE OF WHOM THESE THINGS ARE SPOKEN,.... In Psalms 110:4 and in the type of him Melchizedek, in the preceding verses; for not Melchizedek is here meant, but the Lord Jesus Christ, as appears by what follows; the antitype of Melchizedek, the Lord our righteousness, the Prince of peace, the priest... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IT IS EVIDENT THAT OUR LORD SPRANG OUT OF JUDAH,.... Out of the tribe of Judah; it is certain that the Messiah was to spring from that tribe, Genesis 49:10 he was to be of the family of Jesse, and of the house of David; and hence he is sometimes called David himself; and so the Jews expect that... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT IS YET FAR MORE EVIDENT,.... From a fact which cannot be denied; FOR THAT AFTER THE SIMILITUDE OF MELCHISEDEC THERE ARISETH ANOTHER PRIEST; or another has risen, even Jesus the son of David, of the tribe of Judah; another from Aaron, one that is not of his family or tribe, but one like to Me... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO WAS MADE,.... Not as man, much less as God; but as a priest, constituted and appointed one: NOT AFTER THE LAW OF A CARNAL COMMANDMENT: either the ceremonial law in general, which was a carnal one, if we consider the persons to whom it belonged, the Israelites according to the flesh; it was incu... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE TESTIFIETH,.... That is, either David, the penman of the psalm, or rather the Holy Ghost, the enditer of it, or God in the Scripture, in Psalms 110:4 of this form of citing Scripture, Hebrews 2:6. THOU ART A PRIEST FOR EVER AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC; see Hebrews 5:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THERE IS VERILY A DISANNULLING OF THE COMMANDMENT,.... Not the moral law; though what is here said of the commandment may be applied to that; that is sometimes called the commandment, Romans 7:12 it went before the promise of the Messiah, and the Gospel of Christ, and the dispensation of it; it... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LAW MADE NOTHING PERFECT,.... Or no man; neither any of the priests that offered sacrifices, nor any of the people for whom they were offered: it could not perfectly make atonement for sin; nor make men perfectly holy or righteous; it could neither justify nor sanctify; neither bring in a pe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND INASMUCH AS NOT WITHOUT AN OATH,.... Our version supplies as follows, HE WAS MADE PRIEST; which well agrees with what is said in the next verse; the Syriac version renders it, "and which he confirmed to us by an oath"; that is, the better hope, Christ and his priesthood, said to be brought in,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THESE PRIESTS WERE MADE WITHOUT AN OATH,.... The priests of the tribe of Levi, and of the order of Aaron, were installed into their office, and invested with it, without an oath; no mention is made of any when Aaron and his sons were put into it in Moses's time; nor was any used afterwards, neit... [ Continue Reading ]
BY SO MUCH WAS JESUS MADE A SURETY OF A BETTER TESTAMENT. Or "covenant", for the word signifies both; and what is intended may be called both a testament and a covenant; a testament, because it is founded in the good will and pleasure of God, and respects an inheritance bequeathed by God the Father... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY TRULY WERE MANY PRIESTS,.... There were many common priests at a time; and though there was but one high priest at a time, yet there were many of them in a line of succession from Aaron down to the apostle's time. The Jews say u, that under the first temple eighteen high priests ministered,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THIS MAN, BECAUSE HE CONTINUETH EVER,.... Though he died, death did not forbid him to continue, as it does other men; he was not forced to die, he died voluntarily; and he continued but for a small time under the power of death; besides, his death was a branch of his priestly office: so that he... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE HE IS ABLE ALSO TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST,.... Because he continues ever, and has an unchangeable priesthood. This is to be understood not of temporal salvation, nor of providential favours, but of spiritual and eternal salvation; and includes a deliverance from all evil, here and here... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR SUCH AN HIGH PRIEST BECAME US,.... Is suitable to us, answers to our cases and necessities, is every way such an one as is wanted: [WHO] IS HOLY; by nature, originally and underivatively, perfectly and completely, internally as well as externally; he was typified by the high priest, who had hol... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO NEEDETH NOT DAILY, AS THOSE HIGH PRIESTS,.... They being sinners, and he not: TO OFFER UP SACRIFICE FIRST FOR HIS OWN SINS AND THEN FOR THE PEOPLE'S; as they did on the day of atonement; see Leviticus 16:6 upon which place the Jews c make the same remark the apostle does here; "he (the high pr... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LAW MAKETH MEN HIGH PRIESTS WHICH HAVE INFIRMITY,.... Every word has an emphasis on it, and shows the difference between Christ and these priests: they were many; they were made priests by the law, the law of a carnal commandment, which made nothing perfect, and was disannulled; they were me... [ Continue Reading ]