Hebrews 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:) Greek order, 'For they indeed (the existing legal priests) without the (solemn) promise on oath [horkomosias] are priests made' (Tittmann). BY HIM - by God. UNTO HIM - the Lord, the Son of God (). NOT REPENT - never change His purpose. AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC - So A Delta f. Omitted in 'Aleph (') B C, Vulgate....

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 lo...

Verse 21. _THOSE PRIESTS_] The Levitical, _were made without an_ _oath_, to show that the whole system was changeable, and might be abolished. _BUT THIS_] The everlasting priesthood of Christ, _with an oath_, to show that the Gospel dispensation should never change, and never be abolished. _BY HIM_] God the Father, _that said unto him_-the promised Messiah, Psalms 110:4, _The Lord sware_, to show the immutability of his counsel, _and will_ _not repent _- can never change his mind nor purpose, _Thou art a_ _priest for ever_-as long as time shall run, and the generations of men be continued on earth. Till the necessity of the mediatorial kingdom be superseded by the fixed state of eternity, till this kingdom be delivered up unto the Father, and God shall be all in all, shall this p

FOR THOSE PRIESTS WERE MADE WITHOUT AN OATH - The Levitical priests were set apart and consecrated without their office being confirmed to them by an oath on the part of God. They received it by regular descent, and when they arrived at a suitable age they entered on it of course. Jesus received his office by special appointment, and it was secured to him by an oath. The word rendered “oath” is in the margin “swearing of an oath.” This is the proper meaning of the Greek word, but the sense is not materially varied. BUT THIS WITH AN OATH - This priest, the Lord Jesus, became a priest in virtue of an oath. THE LORD SWARE - see the note at Hebrews 6:13. The reference here is to Psalms 110:4. “Th

EXPOSITION THE PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. The exposition of Christ's heavenly priesthood is now at length taken up and carried out. It extends to Hebrews 10:19, forming the central part of the whole Epistle; and in the course of it is set forth also how the whole Jewish economy did in fact only prefigure and prepare for this one availing priesthood of the true High Priest of mankind. The peculiar thesis of Hebrews 7:1. is "after the order of Melchizedek," the question being—What is signified by this designation of the Messiah in the hundred and tenth psalm? The remarkable import of that psalm, in that it assigns priesthood as well as royalty to the Son, wa

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, neither by God, nor by the priests, nor by the people; it is true indeed that after the sect of the Sadducees arose, the high priest on the day of atonement, was obliged to take an oath that he would not change any of the customs of the day t; but then this regarded not his investiture, but the execution of his office; and was an oath of his and not of the Lord's, which is here designed: BUT THIS WITH AN OATH; that is, Christ was made an high priest with an oath, even with an oath of God; which gives his priesthood the preference to the Levitical priesthood, which was without one: and this oath w...

Hebrews 7:15. _And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof._ The old Levitical law is disannulled; it became weak and unprofitable; and now a higher and better dispensation is ushered in with a greater and undying priesthood. Hebrews 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._ That is all it did: it was a stepping-stone towards something better. «

HEBREWS 7:21 eivj to.n aivw/na {A} On the one hand, the omission of the phrase kata. th.n ta,xin Melcise,dek could be explained if the eye of the scribe wandered from kata, to the kata, that follows Melcise,dek. On the other hand, many scribes would have felt the temptation to add the phrase here (from ver. Hebrews 7:17). The Committee judged that the second possibility was much the stronger. 7 ------------------------- 7 See also G. Zuntz, _The Text of the Epistles,_ 1953, p. 163....

CHAPTER 7 _ 1. The priesthood of Melchisedec in contrast with the Levitical priesthood (Hebrews 7:1)_ 2. The holy and heavenly priesthood of Christ (Hebrews 7:20) Hebrews 7:1 The interrupted argument concerning the priesthood of Christ is now resumed. It connects with Hebrews 5:10. There we find Melchisedec mentioned for the first time, and here the historical Melchisedec is first of all described. The record is given in Genesis 14:18. He met Abraham, who returned from the smiting of the Kings, and blessed him. Abraham gav

THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. It is shown that Scripture itself makes reference to a type of priesthood which is quite distinct from the Levitical. The nature of this priesthood is set forth (Hebrews 7:1) in terms of the description given in Genesis 14 of the priest Melchizedek. That some peculiar significance attached to him may be inferred from his name, and the name of his city. Still more suggestive is the fact that nothing is said as to his parentage, or his descent, or his birth and death. He was not one of a family of priests, but stands solitary, a priest in his own right, who never assumed and never lost his office. In all his attributes he comes before us as an earthly type of the Son of God (Hebrews 7:1)....