43 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 first declares what Melchizedek was, that he was...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 refutation; others have supposed that he was the Son of...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
The doctrine of the priestly office of Christ is so excellent in itself, and so essential a part of the Christian faith, that the apostle loves to dwell upon it. Nothing made the Jews so fond of the Levitical dispensation as the high esteem they had of their priesthood, and it was doubtless a sacred and most excellent institution; it was a very...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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; 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. His very names being instructive, Righteousness...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 δεκατηναποπαντων, "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 others; only of the spoils of the enemy, as in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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: or this is to be interpreted, not of his...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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. Melchisedec just passed across the page; he has no predecessor, he has no successor. We see him in Scripture, and we know nothing of his descent we know nothing of his death; we only...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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, [See comments on Hebrews 7:2] and Melchizedek's greatness is aggravated, not only from this act of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 twenty four places the priests are called Levites;...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 superiority: received tithes of Abraham; not from the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 the people who were blessed by them; and so...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 Melchizedek; who is not opposed to men, as if he was not...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. Thus the old priesthood, the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood, did homage unto the Melchisedec...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 they, and his priesthood a more excellent one than...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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; which, as it proves Melchizedek to be greater...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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, and from that of his people under the Gospel,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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? We read in the psalm just now, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec,” which proves that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 dispensation; for nothing is more certain than that it is...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. The law of the priesthood alters since the person of the priest, the character of the priest, and the very office of the priest had altered too.