Passage

Hebrews 7.9-10

Book: Hebrews · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

7. But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better. 8. And here men that die receive tithes; but there one, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9. And, so to say, through Abraham even Levi, who receiveth tithes, hath paid tithes; 10. for he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.

Now if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it hath the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be reckoned after the order of Aaron? 12. For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. (Hebrews 7:7-12, ASV)

WEB

7. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8. Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives.

9. We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes, 10. for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Now if there were perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12. For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law. (Hebrews 7:7-12, WEB)

KJV

7. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12. For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. (Hebrews 7:7-12, KJV)

YLT

7. and apart from all controversy, the less by the better is blessed 8. and here, indeed, men who die do receive tithes, and there [he], who is testified to that he was living,

9. and so to speak, through Abraham even Levi who is receiving tithes, hath paid tithes, 10. for he was yet in the loins of the father when Melchisedek met him.

If indeed, then, perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, for the people under it had received law, what further need, according to the order of Melchisedek, for another priest to arise, and not to be called according to the order of Aaron? 12. for the priesthood being changed, of necessity also, of the law a change doth come, (Hebrews 7:7-12, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: the anonymous author of Hebrews. Pauline authorship was doubted in antiquity and Origen concluded that who wrote it, God knows
Audience: Jewish believers under pressure to fall back from Christ into the older covenant observances
Location: unknown; the closing greeting from those of Italy (13:24) points in two directions at once
Time period: most likely before AD 70, since the sacrificial system is discussed as still operating

Theological reading

And, so to say, through Abraham even Levi, who receiveth tithes, hath paid tithes; for he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.

The argument is that Levi, ancestor of the priestly tribe, paid tithes to Melchizedek while still unborn in Abraham, and so the Levitical priesthood is subordinate to the Melchizedekian one that Christ holds.

Two features deserve attention.

The author flags his own move. So to say (hos epos eipein) is a hedge, and it is the only place in the letter where he qualifies an argument this way. He knows the reasoning is unusual and marks it rather than smuggling it past the reader. That is a mark of care worth noting when the passage is dismissed as fanciful.

The reasoning presupposes corporate solidarity. A descendant acts in an ancestor. Modern individualism finds this alien, but it is the same structure Paul uses at Romans 5:12-19, where Adam's act determines the standing of those he represents, and it underlies Federal Headship and Original Sin. Readers who accept the Adam argument and reject this one are applying the principle selectively.

The conclusion the author draws is limited and specific: the greater blesses the lesser (v. 7), so a priesthood that paid tithes cannot be superior to the one that received them. The argument is about rank, and it prepares for the claim at verse 12 that a change of priesthood requires a change of law.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G3962 - pater, pater, Strong's G3962

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Animal Sacrifice Objection Defeater, via Hebrews 7.10, Hebrews 7.9

Concepts:

Lexicon:

H3548 - kohen, via Hebrews 7.1-22, Hebrews 7.4-10

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.