Hebrews 5
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 60 – AD 69 · The early church · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
14 verses · 293 words · ~1 min read · ~2 min listen
The Perfect High Priest
1Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So also Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest, but He was called by the One who said to Him:
6And in another passage God says:
7During the days of Jesusʼ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. 8Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. 9And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him 10and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Milk and Solid Food
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of Godʼs word. You need milk, not solid food!
13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
Footnotes (3)
- a v5 Psalm 2:7; literally today I have begotten You
- b v6 Psalms 110:4
- c v12 Or of the oracles of God
Study notes on this chapter · 2
Melchizedek, priest of God Most High
Melchizedek, king of Salem, appears suddenly in Genesis to bless Abram and receive a tenth. Psalm 110 addresses the coming king as 'a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek'. Hebrews reads these together to show that Christ's priesthood is greater than Levi's, because it is of a different order and permanent.
When: Genesis (traditionally c. 2000 BC); Psalm 110 (Davidic era); Hebrews, before AD 70 (most likely).
Ways people read this (3)
- Melchizedek is a historical priest-king whose silence in the record makes him a fitting pattern for Christ.
- Some early writers thought Melchizedek was an appearance of the Son or an angel; most interpreters read Hebrews as presenting him as a type, not as Christ himself.
- Some Jewish texts from Qumran treat Melchizedek as a heavenly figure.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
You are my Son
A royal psalm in which God declares the anointed king to be his son. The New Testament applies these words to Jesus in Paul's preaching about the resurrection and in Hebrews (the voice at Jesus' baptism also echoes them).
When: A royal psalm from the era of Israel's monarchy; applied in Acts and Hebrews, c. AD 30–65.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.