Hebrews 7:3

Hebrews 7:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
• New King James Version (NKJV)without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Context of Hebrews 7:3

1For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. 4Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they are descended from Abraham.

Hebrews 7:3 word by word

ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητος, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, ἀφωμοιωμένος δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές.¶Read the interlinear

• Withoutἀπάτωρapatōr · fatherlessG540
• withoutἀμήτωρamētōr · motherlessG282
• withoutἀγενεαλόγητοςagenealogētos · without genealogyG35
• havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• neitherμήτεmēte · neitherG3383
• beginningἀρχήarchē · beginningG746
• of daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• endτέλοςtelos · goal/taxG5056
• of lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
• but madeἀφομοιόωaphomoioō · to make likeG871
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• he remainsμένωmenō · to stayG3306
• a priestἱερεύςhiereus · priestG2409
• perpetuallyεἰςeis · towardG1519
• perpetuallyδιηνεκήςdiēnekes · perpetualG1336

Cross-references for Hebrews 7:3

• Exodus 6:18And the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.
• 1 Chronicles 6:1The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
• Hebrews 7:17For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Commentaries on Hebrews 7:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Without father, without mother - The object of the apostle, in thus producing the example of Melchisedec, was to show, That Jesus was the person prophesied of in the 110th Psalm; which psalm the Jews uniformly understood as predicting the Messiah. To answer the objections of the Jews against the legitimacy of the priesthood of Christ, taken from the stock from which he proceeded. The objection is this: If the Messiah is to be a true priest, he must come…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Without father - The phrase “without father” - ̓́ apatōr- means literally one who has no father; one who has lost his father; one who is an orphan. Then it denotes one who is born after the death of his father; then one whose father is unknown - “spurious. Passow.” The word occurs often in these senses in the classic writers, for numerous examples of which the reader may consult Wetstein in loc. It is morally certain, however, that the apostle did not…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3We have no record of Melchizedek’s family, which is important because the Levitical priesthood required ancestry. He seems to appear from nowhere, as if his life has no beginning or end. The author interprets Genesis 14:17–20 with Psalm 110:4, seeing Melchizedek as symbolizing an eternal priesthood. He remains a priest forever, unlike a Levite whose priesthood ends at death (Hebrews 7:8, 23). like the Son of God: Melchizedek was not an Old Testament…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Without father, &c.--explained by "without genealogy" (so the Greek is for "without descent); compare He 7:6, that is, his genealogy is not known, whereas a Levitical priest could not dispense with the proof of his descent. having neither beginning of days nor end of life--namely, history not having recorded his beginning nor end, as it has the beginning and end of Aaron. The Greek idiom expressed by "without father," &c., one whose parentage was…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 7:3

• Abraham
• Jesus Continued
• Melchizedek
• Priest
• Succession
• Tithes
• Types

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Son of God
• Attendance
• Harmless
• Melchizedek
• Separate
• Adam in the New Testament
• Archaeology; Archaeology and Criticism
• Christ, Offices of

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