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Hebrews 7:6
ESV But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
NIV This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
NASB But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
CSB But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
NLT But 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.
KJV But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
NKJV but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

What does Hebrews 7:6 mean?

Verse 6 continues the point made in verse 5: that Melchizedek's tithe was more important than the tithe collected by the Levitical priests. Melchizedek was not a fellow Israelite, and his priesthood predates the law of Moses. For Abraham to give Melchizedek a tithe, then, proves that Melchizedek was the greater figure. Further, Melchizedek is said to have blessed Abraham (Genesis 14:18–20). This strongly implies that Abraham was the lesser figure: blessings naturally flow from the superior to the inferior (Hebrews 7:7).

The purpose of this comparison is to show that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham, and therefore superior to all of the priests who came from Abraham's line. This, in turn, supports the use of Melchizedek in the book of Hebrews. Melchizedek, a figure of the Old Testament, is used as a symbolic foreshadowing of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The superiority of Melchizedek's priesthood, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, is the major theme of chapter 7, starting in verse 11.
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