Melchizedek is a mysterious figure
who appears briefly in the Old Testament
and becomes a major type of
Jesus Christ as High Priest
in the book of Hebrews.
His name means
“king of righteousness,”
and he is also called
“king of Salem”
(which means “king of peace”).
He is both a king and a priest,
and his priesthood is presented as
superior to the Levitical priesthood.
Melchizedek appears in Genesis 14:18-20 after Abraham’s victory over the kings who had captured Lot. He is introduced as:
“Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
This is the only historical narrative about him in the Old Testament. He is mentioned again in Psalm 110:4, a messianic psalm:
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”
The writer of Hebrews develops the significance of Melchizedek at length in chapters 5–7, showing how he prefigures Christ:
The point is not that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (though some have held that view), but that his unique priesthood provides a pattern that finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus.
Melchizedek helps explain how Jesus can be a legitimate High Priest even though He was not from the tribe of Levi. Jesus’ priesthood is of a different and superior order — one that is eternal, based on God’s oath, and able to bring perfection and full access to God.
Melchizedek is one of the most intriguing figures in Scripture. Though he appears only briefly, the New Testament uses him to illuminate the unique and eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. In Melchizedek we see a king of righteousness and peace who blesses Abraham and receives tithes — a fitting picture of the greater King-Priest who would come and whose priesthood continues forever.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.