Compare & Correlate · Explicit
Melchizedek
A king-priest who appears for three verses in Genesis, is named once more in a psalm, and is read at length in Hebrews. The psalm reads Genesis; Hebrews reads both, and builds its sharpest point on what Genesis does not say. Each arrow joins the two texts its verse joins.
Explicit: A later verse makes this link, and it is printed on the arrow.
Melchizedek. Explicit — a later text makes this connection, and the verse that makes it is printed on the arrow.
- מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק Malki-tsedeq, “Melchizedek” — 2 verses in the annotated Hebrew corpus: Genesis 14:18, Psalms 110:4
The words, as the corpus holds them (each checked present, or absent, in the verses cited beside it):
- מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק Malki-tsedeq, “Melchizedek”
- מֶלֶךְ melekh, “king”
- כֹּהֵן kohen, “priest”
- לֶחֶם lechem, “bread”
- יַיִן yayin, “wine”
- בָּרַךְ barakh, “bless”
- מַעֲשֵׂר ma'aser, “tenth”
- אָב av, “father”
- אֵם em, “mother”
- בֵּן ben, “son”
- יָלַד yalad, “bear, beget”
- עוֹלָם olam, “forever”
Sources:
- Hebrew words, absences and the count of the name checked against the annotated corpus by tests/test_correlations.py; Greek references checked against SBLGNT for existence only.
Row by row
| Genesis 14 | Psalm 110 | Hebrews 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| King and priest | king of Salem, priest of God Most HighGenesis 14:18 | you are a priest forever, after the order of MelchizedekPsalms 110:4 | this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High GodHebrews 7:1 |
| Linking verse: Psalms 110:4 — “after the order of Melchizedek” | |||
| Bread, wine, blessing | brought out bread and wine, and blessed AbramGenesis 14:18-19 | not mentioned | met Abraham returning from the kings, and blessed himHebrews 7:1 |
| Linking verse: Hebrews 7:1 — “met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him” | |||
| The tenth | Abram gave him a tenth of everythingGenesis 14:20 | not mentioned | the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoilsHebrews 7:4 |
| Linking verse: Hebrews 7:4 — “Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils” | |||
| The name | Melchizedek, king of SalemGenesis 14:18 | the name, and no more of himPsalms 110:4 | king of righteousness, and king of peaceHebrews 7:2 |
| Linking verse: Hebrews 7:2 — “by translation of his name, king of righteousness; king of Salem, that is, king of peace” | |||
| No genealogy | no father, mother, son or birth namedGenesis 14:18-20 | not mentioned | without father, without mother, without genealogyHebrews 7:3 |
| Linking verse: Hebrews 7:3 — “without father, without mother, without genealogy” | |||
| Hebrews argues from what Genesis does not say. The absence is Genesis's; the reading of it is Hebrews'. | |||
| Forever | no word of how longGenesis 14:18-20 | a priest foreverPsalms 110:4 | it is witnessed of him: you are a priest foreverHebrews 7:17 |
| Linking verse: Hebrews 7:17 — “you are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek” | |||
Where it appears in the text
- Genesis 14 — Melchizedek meets Abram with bread and wine
- Psalms 110 — a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek
- Hebrews 7 — Hebrews reads Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 together
In the app this comparison opens beneath each of those chapters. Open it in TheophilusBible.