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And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:6 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB As he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
  • KJV As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
  • BSB And in another passage God says: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
  • NKJV As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;
  • NASB just as He also says in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to 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

Citing Psalm 110:4, the writer announces that Christ is 'a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,' a priesthood distinct from and greater than Aaron's.

Overview

Psalm 110:4 is the foundational text for the entire argument of Hebrews 7. Unlike the Levitical priests, Melchizedek's order is permanent ('forever'), pointing to a priesthood that does not pass away with death. By applying this to Christ, the writer signals that Jesus' priestly ministry is eternal and surpasses the temporary Aaronic system.

Cross-references & the web

Quotation

  • Ps 110:4Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Cross-references · 8

  • Ps 110:4Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
  • Heb 7:17for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
  • Heb 7:21(for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, “The Lord swore and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’”
  • Heb 7:3without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.
  • Heb 5:10named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
  • Gen 14:18–19Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
  • Heb 6:20where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
  • Heb 7:15This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hebrews videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hebrews 5:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HebrewsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 5:6 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.