Consider how great was this priestking, to whom... The
ou|to"
looks back to Heb. 7:1-4; and the greatness of Melchizedek is not first inferred from Abraham's gift.
oJ patriavrch"
]
Abraham
...Abraham
the patriarch.
The title of honour stands emphatically at the end of the sentence. It is used again Acts 2:29 (of David) and Acts 7:8 f. (of the sons of Jacob) and several times in the Books of Chronicles of the chiefs of the fathers (1 Chron. 9:9 Compl.; 24:31, & c.) and captains (2 Chron. 23:20), but not elsewhere in LXX. The first thought is of Abraham as the father of Israel; but beyond this he is the father of the whole family of faith: Rom. 4:11 f.
Quasi diceret, Quem vos excellentiorem omnibus hominibus aestimatis, hic decimas obtulit Melchisedech qui in figura Christi praecessit (Primas.).
Heb. 7:5, 6 a. This is the first of the special marks of superiority by which the priesthood of Melchizedek was distinguished. The Levitical priests tithed their brethren: Melchizedek, a priest of another race, tithed Abraham their common father. His priesthood was absolute and not a priority in the same family.
7:5.
kai; oiJ me;n ejk t. uiJ. L.
...
lamb.
]
And
to come to particulars (7:8, 9),
while the descendants of Levi
on receiving
(or,
as receiving
) the priesthood... The phrase is capable of several interpretations. The whole may form a compound subject, they
ejk tw'n uiJ. L.
that receive the priest's office; or the second part may be predicative, they
ejk tw'n uiJ. L.
, as (on) receiving the priest's office. And again, the preposition
ejk
may be derivative (those who traced their descent from), or partitive (those from among). The parallel clause
oJ mh; ejx aujtw'n gen
. appears to be decisive in favour of the derivative sense of
ejk
, and to favour the predicative interpretations of
iJerat. Lamb.
At the same time the description of the priests as descended from the sons of Levi and not from Levi or from Aaron is remarkable. By the use of this phrase the writer probably wishes to carry back the thought of the Mosaic priesthood to its fundamental idea. Levi and his descendants represented the dedication of Israel to God with all the consequent duties and privileges which were afterwards concentrated in priests and High-priest. Thus the phrase will mean those who tracing their descent from a dedicated tribe witnessed to the original destiny of Israel.
The same thought appears to underlie the titles characteristic of Deuteronomy the priests, the Levites (Deut. 17:9, 18; 18:1; 24:8; 27:9), the priests, the sons of Levi (21:5; 31:9). Comp. Josh. 3:3; 8:33. th;n iJer. lamb. ] Vulg. sacerdotium accipientes. This phrase (as distinct from iJerateuvonte" ) brings out the thought that the office was specifically committed to them. It was of appointment and not by nature. Comp. Ecclus. 45:7.
JIerativa
(
-eiva
) occurs in N.T. only here and in Luke 1:9. In relation to
iJerwsuvnh
(Heb. 7:11 n., 12, 24) it expresses the actual service of the priest and not the office of priesthood. The tithes were given to the children of Levi for their service, Num. 18:21. Comp. Ecclus. 45:7, 20:
iJerateuvein
, Luke 1:8 (to perform the priest's office),
iJeravteuma
, 1 Pet. 2:5, 9 (a body of ministering priests).
ejnt. e[cousin
] In this case the claim to the tithe rested on a specific ordinance (
kata; to;n novmon
). Abraham spontaneously recognised