Hebrews 7:5

Hebrews 7:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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:
• New International Version (NIV)Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;

Context of Hebrews 7:5

3Nobody wrote down that Melchizedek had a father or a mother. Nobody wrote down that he had any ancestors. Nobody wrote about when he was born or when he died. In that way, it seems like Melchizedek was a priest for ever. He is like the Son of God who continues to be a priest for all time. 4So think about how great this man, Melchizedek, was! Even Abraham, the ancestor of all Israel's people, gave gifts to Melchizedek. Abraham gave him a tenth part of everything that he had won in the fight. Men from Levi's family group who become priests receive gifts from their own people. God's Law says that the people must give the Levite priests a tenth part of what they have. But the priests and the other people are all Israelites. They all come from Abraham's family. 6As for Melchizedek, he did not come from Levi's family. But he still received a tenth part of what Abraham had. He also asked God to bless Abraham. But Abraham was the one who had already received God's promises. 7It is always the more important person who asks God to bless a less important person. We certainly know that!

Hebrews 7:5 word by word

καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Λευὶ τὴν ἱερατείαν λαμβάνοντες ἐντολὴν ἔχουσιν ἀποδεκατοῦν τὸν λαὸν κατὰ τὸν νόμον, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν, καίπερ ἐξεληλυθότας ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος Ἀβραάμ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• verilyμένmen · on the other handG3303
• they that areλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the sonsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the sonsυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of LeviΛευΐLeui · LeviG3017
• the office of the priesthoodἱερατείαhierateia · priesthoodG2405
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• a commandmentἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• to take tithes ofἀποδεκατόωapodekatoō · to titheG586
• the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• according toκατάkata · according toG2596
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ofἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• thoughκαίπερkaiper · althoughG2539
• they come outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• the loinsὀσφῦςosphus · loinsG3751
• of AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11

Cross-references for Hebrews 7:5

• Hebrews 5:4Nobody decides for himself to become a leader of the priests. God himself must choose him. That is how Aaron became a priest.
• Exodus 28:1Bring your brother Aaron and his sons from among the other Israelites. They will serve me as my priests. That will be Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
• Numbers 16:10He has brought you, Korah, and all the other descendants of Levi near to himself. But it seems that you want to be priests as well.
• Numbers 17:3Write Aaron's name on the stick from the tribe of Levi.
• Numbers 18:7But only you, Aaron, and your sons will serve me as priests. You will work at the altar and in the Holy Place behind the curtain. I have chosen you to serve me as my priests. That is my gift to you. Any other person who comes near the Holy Place must die.’
• Leviticus 27:30One tenth of everything that comes from the land is holy to the Lord. It may be grain or fruit. It belongs to the Lord.
• Numbers 18:26‘You must say to the Levites, “You will receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given to you from them. I have not given any land to you. I have given the tithes to you instead. When you receive those tithes, you must offer one tenth of it to the Lord. That will be a tithe of the tithe.
• 2 Chronicles 31:4King Hezekiah told the people who lived in Jerusalem to bring their offerings too. They must provide the proper gifts for the priests and the Levites. Then they would serve the Lord in the way that his law taught them to do.
• Nehemiah 13:10I also discovered that there was no food that should have been there for the Levites. As a result, the Levites and the singers had returned to work in their fields. They were not doing their work in God's temple.
• Genesis 35:11Then God said to him, ‘I am Almighty God. Give birth to many children so that your descendants become very many. They will become many nations and some of them will be kings.
• Genesis 46:26Jacob's descendants who went with him to Egypt were 66. That does not include his son's wives.
• Exodus 1:5Jacob himself had 70 descendants. His other son, Joseph, was already in Egypt.
• 1 Kings 8:19But you will not build the temple. Instead, one of your own sons will build it to give honour to me.”

Commentaries on Hebrews 7:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5They that are of the sons of Levi - The priests who are of the posterity of the Levites, and receive the priesthood in virtue of their descent from Aaron, have authority from the law of God to receive tithes from the people. According to the law - That is, the Levites received a tenth from the people. The priests received a tenth of this tenth from the Levites, who are here called their brethren, because they were of the same tribe, and employed in the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And verily they that are of the sons of Levi - The meaning of this verse is, that the Levitical priests had a right to receive tithes of their brethren, but still that they were inferior to Melchizedek. The apostle admits that their superiority to the rest of the people was shown by the fact that they had a right to require of them the tenth part of the productions of the land for their maintenance, and for the support of religion. But still he says, that…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-10Verses 4-10 That High Priest who should afterward appear, of whom Melchizedec was a type, must be much superior to the Levitical priests. Observe Abraham's great dignity and happiness; that he had the promises. That man is rich and happy indeed, who has the promises, both of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This honour have all those who receive the Lord Jesus. Let us go forth in our spiritual conflicts, trusting in his word and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6Collecting the tithe was both a duty and an honor for the priests under the law of Moses (Numbers 18:21–32). from the people: This refers to all the people of Israel. Although Melchizedek was not a descendant of Levi, he collected a tenth from Abraham, the ancestor of the Levites. This shows Melchizedek’s greater status over both Abraham and his descendants, including the priests (Hebrews 7:8–10).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. sons of Levi--namely, those alone who belonged to the family of Aaron, to whom the priesthood was restricted. Tithes originally paid to the whole tribe of Levi, became at length attached to the priesthood. according to the law--sanctioned by Jehovah (He 9:19). of their brethren--with whom, in point of natural descent, they are on a level. though, &c.--Though thus on a level by common descent from Abraham, they yet pay tithe to the Levites, whose…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 7:5

• Abraham
• Melchizedek
• Priest
• Succession
• Tithes
• Types

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Levi
• Abraham, Abram
• Levi, Levite
• Matthew, Levi
• Attendance
• Brother
• Harmless
• Melchizedek
• Separate

Commentaries on Hebrews 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings