Hebrews 7:4-6

7:4 But see how great he must be, if¹ Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe² of his plunder. 7:5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office³ have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen,⁴ although they too are descendants of Abraham.⁵ 7:6 But Melchizedek⁶ who does not share their ancestry⁷ collected a tithe⁸ from Abraham and blessed⁹ the one who possessed the promise.

Hebrews 7:9-12

7:9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. 7:10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins¹⁰ when Melchizedek met him.

Jesus and the Priesthood of Melchizedek

7:11 So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood – for on that basis¹¹ the people received the law – what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order? 7:12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come¹² as well.

¹tn Grk “to whom.”

²tn Or “a tenth part.”

³tn Or “the priesthood.”

⁴tn Grk “from their brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

⁵tn Grk “have come from the loins of Abraham.”

⁶tn Grk “the one”; in the translation the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified for clarity.

⁷tn Grk “is not descended from them.”

⁸tn Or “a tenth part.”

⁹sn The verbs “collected…and blessed” emphasize the continuing effect of the past actions, i.e., Melchizedek’s importance.

¹⁰tn Grk “in the loins of his father” (a reference to Abraham). The name “Abraham” has been repeated in the translation at this point (cf. v. 9) in order to clarify the referent (i.e., what ancestor was in view).

sn The point of the phrase still in his ancestor’s loins is that Levi was as yet unborn, still in his ancestor Abraham’s body. Thus Levi participated in Abraham’s action when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.

¹¹tn Grk “based on it.”

¹²tn Grk “of necessity a change in the law comes to pass.”