Overview of Hebrews 7:1–28

In 6:20 our author returned to the wording of Psalm 110:4, “priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” ready at last to explore this theme he had previously deferred (Heb. 5:6, 10–11). The two OT passages in which Melchizedek appears, Genesis 14:17–20 and Psalm 110:4, are enlisted to demonstrate that this priestly order is superior to that of Israel’s priestly tribe, the Levites, and the priestly family of Aaron and his descendants. First, the Genesis account of the meeting between Melchizedek and the patriarch Abraham is shown to forecast the eventual appearance of one whose qualification for priestly office does not depend on genealogy and whose mediatorial status surpasses that of Abraham, Levi, Aaron, and their descendants (Heb. 7:1–10). These points of contrast are then elaborated from Psalm 110:4, which adds God’s unchangeable oath as further securing the eternal tenure of the final priest (Heb. 7:11–28).