Hebrews 7:16

Hebrews 7:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
• New International Version (NIV)one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.
• New King James Version (NKJV)who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

Context of Hebrews 7:16

14What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. 15This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 18Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless.

Hebrews 7:16 word by word

ὃς οὐ κατὰ νόμον ἐντολῆς σαρκίνης γέγονεν ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ζωῆς ἀκαταλύτου·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• is madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• notοὐou · noG3756
• afterκατάkata · according toG2596
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• of aἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• carnalσαρκικόςsarkikos · fleshlyG4559
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• the powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• of anζωήzōē · lifeG2222
• endlessἀκατάλυτοςakatalutos · indestructibleG179

Cross-references for Hebrews 7:16

• Hebrews 9:9This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.
• Hebrews 10:1The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.
• Galatians 4:3And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
• Colossians 2:14He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
• Hebrews 7:3There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.
• Revelation 1:18I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Commentaries on Hebrews 7:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Who is made - Appointed to this high office by God himself, not succeeding one that was disabled or dead, according to that law or ordinance directed to weak and perishing men, who could not continue by reason of death. This is probably all that the apostle intends by the words carnal commandment, · for carnal does not always mean sinful or corrupt, but feeble, frail, or what may be said of or concerning man in his present dying condition. But after the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Who is made - That is, the other priest is made, to wit, the Messiah. He was made a priest by a special law. Not after the law of a carnal commandment - Not according to the Law of a commandment pertaining to the flesh. The word “carnal” means “fleshly;” and the idea is, that the Law under which the priests of the old dispensation were made was external, rather than spiritual; it related more to outward observances than to the keeping of the heart. That…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-25Verses 11-25 The priesthood and law by which perfection could not come, are done away; a Priest is risen, and a dispensation now set up, by which true believers may be made perfect. That there is such a change is plain. The law which made the Levitical priesthood, showed that the priests were frail, dying creatures, not able to save their own lives, much less could they save the souls of those who came to them. But the High Priest of our profession holds…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17This change in how God appoints priests (Hebrews 7:11–14) is clear through Jesus being appointed as a different kind of priest. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is a priest forever. His resurrection from the dead shows he has the power of an indestructible life. Since his priesthood, in the order of Melchizedek, is superior to the Levites' (7:1–10), he replaces them as priest.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. carnal ... endless--mutually contrasted. As "form" and "power" are opposed, 2Ti 3:5; so here "the law" and "power," compare Ro 8:3, "The law was weak through the flesh"; and He 7:18, "weakness." "The law" is here not the law in general, but the statute as to the priesthood. "Carnal," as being only outward and temporary, is contrasted with "endless," or, as Greek, "indissoluble." Commandments is contrasted with "life." The law can give a commandment…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 7:16

• Jesus Continued
• Melchizedek
• Priest
• Succession
• Types

In the dictionaries

• Attendance
• Carnal
• Harmless
• Life
• Melchizedek
• Separate
• Adam in the New Testament
• Christ, Offices of
• Congregation
• Endless

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