For it is testified: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Parallel translations
- WEB for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
- KJV For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
- NKJV For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
- NASB For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
- NLT And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever 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
Scripture testifies, 'You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.' Psalm 110:4 confirms the eternal, Melchizedek-pattern priesthood of Christ.
Overview
The writer again cites Psalm 110:4 to ground his argument in God's own word. The key term is 'forever,' which establishes the permanence of Christ's priesthood. This eternal office is the foundation of the better hope and better covenant he is unfolding.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 110:4The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Heb 5:6And in another passage God says: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Heb 7:21but Jesus became a priest with an oath by the One who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”
- Heb 7:15And this point is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
- Heb 5:10and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
- 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 7:17 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.