RSV ~ Hebrews 7 Notes

Heb 7:1-28 | ISB Notes

The priesthood of Christ is examined at two levels: it is connected with the royal priesthood of Melchizedek and contrasted with the Levitical priesthood of Aaron (CCC 1544).

Heb 7:2 | ISB Notes

king of righteousness: The meaning of “Melchizedek” in Hebrew.

king of peace: The city name “Salem” is related to the Hebrew term for “peace”.

Heb 7:3 | ISB Notes

without father … mother: Not literally, but in contrast to the requirements for priestly ministry in Israel, where a prospective candidate had to show proof of Aaronic descent on his father’s side and a compatible genealogy on his mother’s side. Failure to meet these requirements rendered aspiring men ineligible for priestly service (Ezra 2:61-63; Neh 7:63-65). Neither Melchizedek nor Jesus was bound by these restrictions; indeed, neither had a Levitical genealogy (Heb 7:6, 14). Some take the silence of Scripture about the life-span and parents of Melchizedek as an allegorical sign of the eternal generation of God the Son. This is a valid theological point, but it is not the point being made in Hebrews. neither beginning …

nor end: Not literally, but in contrast to the age limits set for the Aaronic priesthood, where ministry began at 30 and ended at 50 (Num 4:3, 43). Melchizedek was not limited to two decades of ministry, for no such age restriction was in force in pre-Levitical times. Jesus likewise exercises his priesthood for as long as he lives— for ever (Heb 7:24).

for ever: The Greek expression here is both different and weaker than the one translated “for ever” in 6:20 and 7:17, 21, 28. The sense is that Melchizedek was priest “for a long time”, whereas Jesus remains a priest “for all eternity”.

Heb 7:4-10 | ISB Notes

Genesis implies that Melchizedek outranks Abraham, first, because he blessed the patriarch (Heb 7:6; Gen 14:19) and, second, because he received a tithe from the patriarch just as a priest receives offerings from the laity (Heb 7:4; Gen 14:20).

Heb 7:5 | ISB Notes

the law to take tithes: A reference to Num 18:2129.

• The tribe of Levi was given no land inheritance in Israel but was supported by the lay tribes in return for its ministerial service. A tithe is 10 percent of a family’s produce and income.

Heb 7:8 | ISB Notes

mortal men: Levitical priests (7:23).

he lives: Melchizedek (7:3).

Heb 7:11-19 | ISB Notes

God’s oath to reestablish the priesthood of Melchizedek (7:17) implies that the priesthood of Aaron was deficient and destined to pass away. The problem: its laws and liturgies were powerless to cleanse and perfect the worshiping People of God (7:19; 9:9-10; 10:1-4). For a similar line of reasoning, See note on Heb 8:7.

Heb 7:12 | ISB Notes

change in the priesthood: Insofar as Ps 110:4 envisions a change from the Levitical priesthood of Aaron to the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ, it follows that the Mosaic laws of worship must also give way to the messianic laws of worship (7:18-19). Essentially this is a change from sacrificial rites that involve the blood of animals (10:4) to sacramental rites such as Baptism (10:22) and the Eucharist (6:4; 13:10), whose efficacy derives from the blood of Christ (9:11-14). In all probability, the maxim that a new priesthood brings new laws is based on a pattern established in the Bible. In fact, when the family priesthood of patriarchal times gave way to the clerical priesthood of Aaron in Mosaic times, this change was followed by the promulgation of an extensive code of law concerning the rites of liturgical worship (mainly in the Book of Leviticus). For more details, see essay: Priesthood in the Old Testament at Num 18.

Heb 7:14 | ISB Notes

from Judah: Jesus was not a Levite of the priestly family of Aaron but a Judahite of the royal family of David (Mt 1:1-16).

Heb 7:17 | ISB Notes

You are a priest for ever: The words of Ps 110:4.

• This is the oath of perpetual priesthood that Yahweh swore to confer on the royal heir of David. It has provisional reference to Solomon, who exercised a limited priestly ministry (1 Kings 3:15; 8:63; 9:25), just as David had done (2 Sam 6:12-19). But only the Davidic Messiah, risen to an immortal life (Heb 7:16), qualifies for the everlasting priesthood envisioned by the psalm (Heb 7:23-25).

Heb 7:21 | ISB Notes

without an oath: The priesthood of Aaron, established without a divine oath, is a revocable and changeable arrangement.

Heb 7:22 | ISB Notes

the surety: A legal term for someone who puts his life on the line for someone else (Sir 29:15; cf. Gen 43:9).

Heb 7:25 | ISB Notes

lives to make intercession: Jesus exercises an ongoing priestly ministry in heaven, where he intercedes for the saints at the Father’s right hand (8:1-2; Rom 8:34; CCC 519, 662).

Heb 7:27 | ISB Notes

daily … his own sins: The author appears to telescope the daily sacrifices offered by priests every morning and evening (Num 28:1-8) and the annual sacrifices of the Day of Atonement, which the high priest offered for the sins of Israel, including his own (Lev 16:11-19). This is in contrast to Christ, who offered only one sacrifice, and that for his people and not for himself. For a similar use of this technique, see note on Heb 9:12.

once for all: Several times Hebrews stresses how the single sacrifice of Jesus is definitive and unrepeatable (9:12, 26) (CCC 1085).

Heb 7:28 | ISB Notes

men in their weakness: The high priests of Israel were sinful (7:27) and mortal (7:23), and the Law they administered brought nothing to perfection (7:19). The high priest of the New Covenant is sinless (7:26) and immortal (7:24), and he embodies the perfection of humanity (5:9) made possible in the new economy of grace (10:14; 12:23) (cCC 1540).