Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
Parallel translations
- KJV And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
- BSB Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
- NKJV Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the 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.
- NLT And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, brought bread and wine and met Abram. This mysterious priest-king becomes a key picture of Christ.
Overview
Melchizedek appears suddenly as both king and priest, a rare combination later applied to the Messiah. His bread and wine refreshed Abram and have long reminded readers of the Lord's Supper. Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5-7 draw on this figure to show that Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, superior to the Levitical priesthood and able to bless and intercede eternally.
Cross-references & the web
Type → fulfillment
- Heb 7:17for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 110:4Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Heb 6:20where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
- Heb 5:6As he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
- Heb 5:10named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
- Ps 76:2His tabernacle is also in Salem; His dwelling place in Zion.
- Ps 57:2I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for me.
- Acts 16:17Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”
- Heb 7:10–22for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.
- Matt 26:26–29As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
- Ps 7:17I will give thanks to Yahweh according to his righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.
- Gal 6:10So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
- Acts 7:48However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,
- Ruth 3:10He said, “You are blessed by Yahweh, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, because you didn’t follow young men, whether poor or rich.
- Ps 50:14Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.
- 2 Sam 2:5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
- Mic 6:6How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 14:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.