Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time.
Hebrews 7:1-3 NET
Genesis 14 records the story of a battle during which Abraham’s nephew Lot was captured and then rescued by Abraham. After the rescue, there is a short account of Abraham meeting Melchizedek (Gen. 14:17-20). Little is said here about Melchizedek other than he was the king of Salem, priest of God Most High, he blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tithe of the recovered plunder.
Melchizedek is mentioned one other time in the Old Testament. Psalm 110 is a messianic psalm. And Psalm 110:4 refers to one who is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews refers to this verse several times, identifying Jesus as having this priesthood.
Who Is Melchizedek?
But who is this mysterious Melchizedek? Some see him as a mythological figure. Others as a pre-incarnate Jesus. But Genesis portrays him as a real historical figure—one who is both a king and a priest. And not just any king and priest. Salem probably was the city that became Jerusalem. And he was a priest of God Most High. Somehow, he had come to know and serve, not the gods of the Canaanites, but the one true God, the God of Abraham. And by offering him a tithe, Abraham acknowledged his authority as king and priest.
Beyond that, the account is silent. The author of Hebrews builds on that to say that Melchizedek was without a father or mother and without a beginning or end. While some see this as literally true of Melchizedek, it is more likely that the author of Hebrews was just using the lack of family information for Melchizedek to illustrate an eternal type of priesthood, in contrast to those descending from Aaron.
And so this Melchizedek, with his brief appearance in Genesis, became a “type” or model of the eternal priesthood of Jesus. A priest who lives forever and so is able to save completely those who come to him (Heb. 7:24-25).
