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For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about priests.
Hebrews 7:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
  • KJV For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
  • NKJV For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
  • NASB For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests.
  • NLT What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

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

It is evident that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe Moses never associated with priesthood. Christ's Judahite lineage confirms a non-Levitical priesthood.

Overview

Jesus sprang from Judah, the royal tribe of David, not from Levi. Since the law assigned no priestly role to Judah, Christ's priesthood must rest on a different basis, the order of Melchizedek. This unites kingship and priesthood in Jesus, fulfilling the priest-king pattern of Melchizedek and Psalm 110.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Mic 5:2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
  • Isa 11:1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
  • Luke 3:33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
  • Rev 5:5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
  • Gen 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
  • Rev 22:16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
  • Rom 1:3regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
  • Matt 1:3–16Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
  • Ruth 4:18–22Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
  • Luke 2:23–33(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”),
  • Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
  • Gen 46:12The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
  • Num 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
  • Luke 1:43And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  • Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
  • John 20:13“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”
  • Rom 2:3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
  • Phil 3:8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
  • John 20:28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 7:14YouTube · 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 7:14 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.