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For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
Hebrews 7:14 · New King James Version
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.
  • BSB For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about priests.
  • 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, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
  • Isa 11:1A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
  • Luke 3:33the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
  • Rev 5:5One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals.”
  • Gen 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.
  • Rev 22:16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”
  • Rom 1:3concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
  • Matt 1:3–16Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.
  • Ruth 4:18–22Now this is the history of the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron,
  • Luke 2:23–33(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
  • Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
  • 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 were Hezron and Hamul.
  • Num 24:17I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.
  • Luke 1:43Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  • Jer 23:5–6“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
  • John 20:13They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”
  • Rom 2:3Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
  • Phil 3:8Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ
  • John 20:28Thomas answered him, “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.