And to the extent that it was not without an oath
Parallel translations
- WEB Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath
- KJV And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:
- BSB And none of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath,
- NKJV And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath
- NLT This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath,
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
Christ's priesthood, unlike the Levitical, was established with a divine oath. God's oath marks the superiority and permanence of Jesus' office.
Overview
The writer notes that Jesus became priest with an oath, whereas the Levites received their office without one. This oath, from Psalm 110:4, adds solemn confirmation and permanence to his priesthood. It signals that Christ's office rests on God's unchangeable purpose.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Num 18:7You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil. You shall serve. I give you the service of the priesthood as a gift. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
- Heb 5:6As he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
- Ps 110:4Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
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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 7:20 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
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