and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Parallel translations
- WEB named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
- KJV Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
- NKJV called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
- NASB being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
- NLT And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
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
God designated Jesus a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, confirming the unique, non-Levitical character of his priesthood.
Overview
The writer repeats the Melchizedek theme from verse 6 to fix it firmly before pausing to rebuke his readers' immaturity. This designation by God Himself grounds the legitimacy and superiority of Christ's office. It anticipates the sustained exposition of Melchizedek that resumes in chapter 7.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Heb 5:5–6So also Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest, but He was called by the One who said to Him: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”
- Heb 6:20where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.
How Hebrews 5:10 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.