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

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. 4Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 7And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

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 5:4And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
• Exodus 28:1“Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel so they may minister to me and be my priests.
• Numbers 16:10Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?
• Numbers 17:3Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe.
• Numbers 18:7But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
• Leviticus 27:30“One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.
• Numbers 18:26“Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the Lord as a sacred offering.
• 2 Chronicles 31:4In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord.
• Nehemiah 13:10I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields.
• Hebrews 7:10For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.
• Genesis 35:11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
• Genesis 46:26The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sons’ wives, was sixty-six.
• Exodus 1:5In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there.
• 1 Kings 8:19but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor 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