Hebrews 5:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."

NIV: And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

NASB: just as He also says in another passage, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.'

CSB: also says in another place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

NLT: And in another passage God said to him, 'You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.'

KJV: As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

NKJV: As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;

In this passage, the writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus can serve as our High Priest because He meets all of the necessary requirements. Jesus is fully man, so He can be a priest of men (Hebrews 2:17), and He is placed in His position by God (Hebrews 5:5). In order to prove this, the writer re-uses some of the same Old Testament quotations which were cited earlier in Hebrews. This is not an accident. The writer is leading to an even greater point about who Jesus is and how the Old Testament predicted His ministry.

The quote here is from Psalm 110:4. Psalm 110 also includes the "LORD says to my Lord" verse which Jesus quoted in Matthew 22:44 and Mark 12:35–37. The entire psalm presents the King as a Priest, even though the Aaronic line was never kingly. At no point in Israel's history, prior to Christ, was the king also the high priest. And yet, other Old Testament prophets also looked forward to a time when those roles would be joined in one person (Zechariah 6:12–13). This makes Psalm 110 a prophetic vision of David, seeing the ultimate victory of a Messiah, a Priest-King, who finally defeats all of His enemies.

The writer of Hebrews is particularly interested in the figure of Melchizedek, from Genesis 14:18. Melchizedek's name means "King of Righteousness," he is described as the King of Salem, which means "peace," and is also said to be a high priest. All of this is mentioned by the writer of Hebrews to set up the point made in verses 7 through 10. This point, unfortunately, will be difficult for many of the original readers to grasp, since they are currently stuck in spiritual immaturity (Hebrews 5:11–14).

Hebrews 5:1–10 explains how Jesus fits the requirements of a high priest. Earlier verses showed that the Messiah promised by the Old Testament would be entirely human (Hebrews 2:17). That humanity allows Christ to sympathize with our temptations and weaknesses. Here, the writer of Hebrews points out that this also makes Jesus qualified to be our ultimate High Priest. Because of His humanity, His prayers, His sacrifice for sin, and His appointment by God, Jesus' status is far superior to any other figure.

Hebrews chapter 5 completes the previous commentary about Jesus' humanity. His human existence qualifies Him to understand other men and to offer sacrifice to God on our behalf. Jesus also fulfills the roles of both high priest and king, which the author demonstrates by returning to the Old Testament. The figure of Melchizedek is used to illustrate this point: that Christ, unlike any before, was able to be both the kingly Son of David and the High Priest for all people. The deeper meaning of this example, however, may well be lost on the letter's audience, since they are languishing in spiritual immaturity.

The book of Hebrews shows how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God's purpose for mankind. For the sake of Jewish Christians, in particular, the author explains that Christ is superior to all other figures, and His covenant is superior to all other relationships. Chapter 5 continues the point made in chapter 4, that Christ's humanity makes Him a uniquely qualified High Priest. This passage bridges that idea into the writer's next warning: spiritual immaturity. This call to avoid apathy will run through all of chapter 6, before the writer returns to Jesus' priesthood in chapter 7.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.