Who was Melchizedek in the Bible?

What does the Bible say about Melchizedek?

He first appears when Abram returns from a battle:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

It is only three verses, but they stand out: Melchizedek is king and priest at the same time, long before Israel’s priesthood existed, and Abram recognizes his authority.

What does the name Melchizedek mean?

In Hebrew, Malki-tsedeq means “my king is righteousness” or “king of righteousness”. He was king of Salem, a name meaning “peace”, which tradition identifies with Jerusalem.

Melchizedek in Psalm 110

Much later in the biblical story, a psalm linked to David speaks of a king who is also a priest:

The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek in the letter to the Hebrews

The New Testament returns to him in Hebrews 5 to 7. The author uses Melchizedek to explain that Jesus is a priest of another order, different from that of the Levites:

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

The phrase “without father, without mother, without descent” does not mean he had no parents, but that the Genesis text says nothing about them — which makes him, for the author, an image of a priesthood that does not depend on ancestry.

How each tradition sees Melchizedek

• Jewish: the Talmud identifies Melchizedek with Shem, the son of Noah. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, one text (11Q13) presents Melchizedek as a heavenly figure who brings liberation at the end of time.
• Catholic: the bread and wine Melchizedek offered are seen as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, and he is remembered in Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon).
• Protestant: the emphasis is on the reading of Hebrews: Christ is a priest “for ever”, once for all, after the order of Melchizedek.
• Other groups: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints names its higher priesthood after Melchizedek.

Was Melchizedek Jesus?

Some Christian readers through history have seen Melchizedek as an appearance of Christ before the incarnation. The more common reading, however, is that he was a historical figure who serves as a “type” or picture of Christ: Hebrews says he was “made like unto the Son of God”, not that he was the Son himself.

To understand how the books were written and gathered, see who wrote the Bible.

Read next

• The Book of Enoch: what it is, what it says and why it is not in the Bible
• Who wrote the Bible? Authors, languages and dates