Hebrews 7:1

Hebrews 7:1

For this Melchizedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

a. NLT: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

b. NIV: This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.

c. YLT: For this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who did meet Abraham turning back from the smiting of the kings, and did bless him,

d. Amplified Bible: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem [and] priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

e. Worrell Translation: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him.

f. Wuest Translation: For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of God the Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him.

1. “For this Melchizedec,

a. For [Strong: 1063 gar gar a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles):--and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet.]

b. this [Strong: 3778 houtos hoo'-tos, including nominative masculine plural houtoi hoo'-toy, nominative feminine singular haute how'-tay, and nominative feminine plural hautai how'-tahee from the article 3588 and 846; the he (she or it), i.e. this or that (often with article repeated):--he (it was that), hereof, it, she, such as, the same, these, they, this (man, same, woman), which, who.]

c. Melchizedec [Strong: 3198 Melchisedek mel-khis-ed-ek' of Hebrew origin (4442); Melchisedek (i.e. Malkitsedek), a patriarch:--Melchisedec.]

1). There are only two references to Melchizedic in the Old Testament .

a). Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedec the king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

b). Psalm 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 

2. “…king of Salem, priest of the most high God…”

a. king [Strong: 935 basileus bas-il-yooce' probably from 939 (through the notion of a foundation of power); a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively):--king.]

b. of Salem [Strong: 4532 Salem sal-ame' of Hebrew origin (8004); Salem (i.e. Shalem), a place in Palestine:--Salem.]

1). Ellicott’s Commentary: Jewish tradition affirms strongly that this Salem occupied the site on which Jerusalem afterwards stood; and certainly Salem is a poetic name of Jerusalem (Psalm 76:2). This tradition, found in Josephus and in the earliest of the Targums, agrees well with the circumstances of the narrative as far as we can follow them, and seems to deserve acceptance. Jerome maintained that Salem was situated near Scythopolis, where in his day were pointed out ruins of “Melchizedek’s palace.”

2). Though we have no mention of this person other than here and in Psalm’s, Melchizedek was an actual king over a city called Salem which was the area that eventually would become Jerusalem. He was not only a king but also a legitimate priest of God

c. priest [Strong: 2409 hiereus hee-er-yooce' from 2413; a priest (literally or figuratively):--(high) priest.]

d. of the most high [Strong: 5310 hupsistos hoop'-sis-tos superlative from the base of 5311; highest, i.e. (masculine singular) the Supreme (God), or (neuter plural) the heavens:--most high, highest.]

e. God [Strong: 2316 theos theh'-os of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).]

1). In chapter 7, the writer of Hebrews tells us what he started to say in Chapter 5:10, but he stopped and gave a severe warning about the stages of apostasy and committing an unpardonable sin. Then in Hebrews 6:20-7:1, he picks up the theme again.

2. “…who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.”

a. who [3588 ho, ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

b. met [Strong: 4876 sunantao soon-an-tah'-o from 4862 and a derivative of 473; to meet with; figuratively, to occur:--befall, meet.]

c. Abraham [Strong: 11 Abraam ab-rah-am' of Hebrew origin (85); Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch:--Abraham.]

d. returning [Strong: 5290 hupostrepho hoop-os-tref'-o from 5259 and 4762; to turn under (behind), i.e. to return (literally or figuratively):--come again, return (again, back again), turn back (again).]

e. from [Strong: 575 apo apo' a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative):--(X here-)after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for(-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-)on(-ce), since, with. In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.]

f. the [Strong: 3588 ho, ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

                                                       

g. slaughter [Strong: 2871 kope kop-ay' from 2875; cutting, i.e. carnage:--slaughter.]    [Thayer:  the act of cutting, a cut, a cutting in pieces, slaughter.]

h. of the [Strong: 3588 ho, ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

i. of the kings [Strong: 935 basileus bas-il-yooce' probably from 939 (through the notion of a foundation of power); a sovereign (abstractly, relatively, or figuratively):--king.]

1). The kings referred to here were the four kings from the Mesoptamian area, who not only ransacked most of the kingdoms around where Abram lived but also took Lot Abram’s nephew captive, (Genesis 14:1-24).

j. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

k. blessed [Strong: 2127 eulogeo yoo-log-eh'-o from a compound of 2095 and 3056; to speak well of, i.e. (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper):--bless, praise.]

l. him [Strong: 846 autos ow-tos' from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

1). The king of Sodom and Melchizedek the king of Salem who was also the priest of the one true God, came out to meet Abram returning from the war.

a). Genesis 14:17, 18 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

b). There is no question in my mind that the meeting of Melchizedec with Abram is a sort of spiritual closure that began with a covenant in Genesis 14:13, where Abraham swore with his uplifted hand that not only would he tithe what he recovered, but also that he would give everything left to the king of Sodom to prevent him from saying that he made Abraham rich.