Genesis 14:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

NIV: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,

NASB: And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

CSB: Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.

NLT: And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine.

KJV: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

NKJV: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

As Abram returns from his defeat of mighty Chedorlaomer and the forces of the kings of the east, he brings with him Lot and all of Lot's possessions. Abram's forces have also captured all of the possessions and peoples of Sodom and the other sacked Canaanite city-states. In the previous verse, Bera, the king of Sodom (Genesis 14:2), has come out to meet Abram at a place called the Valley of Shaveh. Now another king joins them. Melchizedek is a mysterious figure who is described as both the king of Salem and a priest of "God Most High." He brings to conquering Abram a royal feast of bread and wine. The king of Sodom, apparently, brought nothing worth mentioning to the meeting.

Many Bible scholars speculate that Melchizedek may be what is referred to as a theophany: the Lord taking human form for a specific purpose before His arrival on earth as Jesus. Others suggest Melchizedek was merely a local king, faithful to God, sent by God to bless Abram. It's even possible that Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem, the future capital of Israel. According to linguists, Salem might be a shortened version of the word that would become eventually become the name Jerusalem. Either way, this figure will be monumental in our understanding of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 110:4, in which Jesus is referred to as "a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6). That writer also summarizes this moment in Genesis, pointing out that Melchizedek means "king of righteousness" and that "king of Salem" means "king of peace." The seventh chapter of Hebrews expands on these connections between Melchizedek and Jesus.

Genesis 14:17–24 tells the story of a meeting between Abram and two kings. Returning as the victor after having defeated the eastern kings and recapturing all their plunder, Abram is met by the king of Sodom and by Melchizedek, the mysterious king of Salem. Melchizedek, also known as a priest of God Most High, gives Abram bread, wine, and a blessing from God. Abram gives this priest ten percent of all the plunder. Sodom's king demands his people back, but offers to let Abram keep the riches. Abram refuses to keep anything. He doesn't want to be associated, in any way, with such an ungodly ruler.

This short chapter is packed with action, adventure, and war. An army from the east comes to reestablish its rule over the kings of the city-states of Canaan. Five kings from the Dead Sea region rebel, are defeated, and Sodom is looted. Abram's nephew Lot is captured and taken away. Abram and his own small army chase down the eastern kings, defeating them and recapturing all that was lost. Returning home, Abram is met by a mysterious king and priest of God Most High called Melchizedek.

At first, Genesis 14 seems unrelated to the previous chapter. Four kings from the east come to wage war against the kings and people groups of Canaan, including five kings from cities around the Dead Sea. The eastern kings defeat all challengers, looting Sodom and carrying off Lot and his entire family. Now Abram reappears in the story to chase down the departing army, defeat them in a single night, and retrieve all that was lost. On the way home, he is met by a mysterious king and priest of God Most High known as Melchizedek.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.