UTN uW Translation Notes:

Hebrews 7 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

5. The Son as high priest (5:1–10:18) * Teaching: Melchizedek the priest (7:1–10) * Teaching: The Son is high priest in the order of Melchizedek (7:11–28)Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 7:17, 21, which are words from the Old Testament.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

High priests

In this chapter, the author frequently discusses high priests. He speaks about their “order,” which refers to the requirements, system, and service that go along with being a priest in that “order.” He focuses on two “orders.” First is the order of Aaron, made up of priests who are descended from Levi. These priests are required by Moses’ law and must offer sacrifices for themselves as well as for the rest of the people since they also sin. Also, each priest eventually dies and must be replaced by another. Second is the order of Melchizedek, made up of priests who have an “indestructible life.” This order only includes Melchizedek and Jesus. Jesus only offers sacrifices for the sins of other people, since he does not sin. Also, he never dies, so he can be a priest forever. Consider how to refer to these two different kinds of priests in this chapter. (See: priest and highpriest)

Melchizedek

In this chapter, the author refers to Melchizedek as he is described in Genesis 14:18–20, including how the story does not mention his father, mother, birth, or death. Scholars debate whether the author thought that Melchizedek was a supernatural being such as an angel, or whether the author simply describes the character Melchizedek without referring to the historical person named Melchizedek. What is clear is that the author thinks that Melchizedek was “made like” Jesus, not the other way around (See: 7:3). In other words, the author speaks about Melchizedek because the description of him in Genesis is a helpful way to think about Jesus. Since Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, Jesus, whom Melchizedek is like, is greater than Abraham’s descendants who became priests. (See: melchizedek)

Tithes

In 7:1–10, the author refers multiple times to giving and collecting “tithes” or “a tenth.” These words refer to the practice of separating out one tenth of what a person earned or grew and giving it to someone else. In the law that God gave through Moses, the Israelites were required to give a “tenth” or “tithe” to priests. This enabled the priests to perform their service without having to do other work. The author uses the “tithes” language to show that Abraham, Levi’s great-grandfather, paid a “tithe” to Melchizedek. That means that the descendants of Abraham who received “tithes” actually paid “tithes” through Abraham to Melchizedek. In the author’s argument, this shows that Melchizedek and his priesthood are greater than Levi and his priesthood. (See: tenth)

“Swearing” and the “oath”

Just as in chapter 6, the author refers multiple times to “swearing” and using an “oath.” In this context, “swearing” refers to the action of guaranteeing a promise, while the “oath” refers to the guaranteeing words themselves. The author implies that words spoken with an “oath” have more significance or indicate something greater than words without an “oath.” If your readers would misunderstand “swearing” and “oath,” you could use language that comes from how people guarantee what they say in your culture. (See: oath)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The “loin” of Abraham

In 7:5, 10, the author refers to the “loin” of Abraham. This word is a polite way to refer to the male sexual organ. In 7:5, the author’s point is that all the Israelites are descended from Abraham, since they all come from his “loin.” In 7:10, the author’s point is that Levi, the great-grandson of Abraham, could be considered to be inside Abraham’s “loin” before Abraham and Sarah had their son, Isaac. In the author’s culture, one could speak of the descendants of a man as if they were inside the man’s sexual organ. Consider natural ways to express these ideas in your language, and see the notes on these two verses.