Was Melchizedek Jesus? A Biblical Interpretation

Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of God Most High who met Abraham after Abraham’s victory over Chedorlaomer and his allies. The Bible does not explicitly say that Melchizedek was Jesus Christ, but it presents him as a uniquely significant royal priest whose ministry points forward to Christ.

Some interpreters believe that Melchizedek was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus, also called a Christophany. Others conclude that Melchizedek was a historical human king and priest who served as a type of Christ. The strongest direct reading of Hebrews 7 identifies Melchizedek as resembling the Son of God rather than being the Son of God himself, although the question cannot be settled without acknowledging the arguments on both sides.

Melchizedek in Genesis 14

In Genesis 14, we learn of a great battle between kings in the Valley of Siddim, south of the Dead Sea. Chedorlaomer and his allies are victorious in battle, taking the spoils of their enemies, including Lot, Abram’s nephew, and all his possessions.

Abram learns of the sequestration, pursues and defeats Chedorlaomer, and returns Lot to his home, along with his possessions and kinsmen. In this context, Melchizedek, king of Salem, appears. Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and disappearance in the book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious.

Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham’s defeat of Chedorlaomer and his three allies. When Abraham passes by the city of Salem, Melchizedek comes out to meet him, greeting Abraham with a feast and a blessing.

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Genesis 14:18) He serves Abram bread and wine and blesses him with these words:

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! (Genesis 14:19-20)

Melchizedek pronounces a blessing on Abraham in the name of El ‘elyon, the Creator/Possessor of the skies and land. His blessing is a recognition of Abraham’s special relationship with God, recalling God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that all the families of the earth will find blessing in him.

In return, Abraham blesses Melchizedek by paying him a tithe, one-tenth of what he has (Genesis 14:20). Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the items he had gathered. By this act Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a priest who ranked higher spiritually than he.

We are then left with the expectation that Melchizedek and the city he rules will experience God’s blessing some time in the future. While there are many gaps in the narrative, Melchizedek is introduced here to show that Abraham encountered Yahweh in and through a royal priest in Jerusalem long before the time of the Levitical priesthood and long before the time of David.

This encounter establishes the category of a royal priesthood in Jerusalem that will be further developed throughout the story of the Bible. Melchizedek is the first explicit royal priest in the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve’s roles as royal priests are implied, but Melchizedek is clearly called a royal priest.

Who was Melchizedek?

Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” was a king of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of the Most High God (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6-11; 6:20-7:28).

He rules Salem, literally, in Hebrew, Shalem, which later in the Hebrew Bible is identified as Jerusalem (see Psalm 76:1-2, where “God’s tent is in Salem, his dwelling is in Zion”). He is understood to be a genuine priest of the God of Israel, but before Israel ever existed and before Yahweh was known by that name (Exodus 3:12-15).

What we do know is that Melchizedek is a Canaanite who somehow knows Yahweh. As a “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18, Hebrew, El ‘elyon), he serves the one whom Abraham acknowledges as “the LORD, God Most High, maker of Heaven and Earth” (14:22).

And surprisingly, we’re not told that he’s from the line of Seth, Noah, or Shem. We aren’t told his family lineage. We aren’t told very much at all about this mysterious priest-king.

Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the entire Hebrew Bible (Genesis 14:17-20 and Psalm 110:4). We don’t hear about Melchizedek in the Bible again until Psalm 110.

Melchizedek in Psalm 110

In Psalm 110, written by David regarding the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, we hear again of Melchizedek as David asserts, regarding this Messiah, “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (v. 4).

Psalm 110 is attributed to David, and in this poem, David speaks of someone else who receives the covenant oath of Yahweh-someone whom David calls “lord,” a common term when addressing a king.

We can conclude that David is speaking of his future seed who will receive the messianic inheritance, based on 2 Samuel 7. In that story, God promises David that this seed (see Genesis 3:15) would come from his line of royal descendants, that David’s royal descendant would build a house for the Lord, and that God would establish this descendant over his kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-13; 1 Chronicles 17:14).

God would be a father to this seed (7:14), so we can conclude that God’s son would rule over a kingdom that would last forever (7:16). The psalmist depicts this seed as a conquering warrior exercising dominance over his enemies (Psalm 110:1).

But in a surprising twist, the psalmist announces that this king will also be a priest-not from the expected line of Aaron but a priest in “the order of Melchizedek.” And the psalmist claims that his royal priesthood will last forever.

Psalm 110 paints a clear portrait of this promised seed, the Messiah who would be a royal priest with both an eternal kingdom and an eternal priesthood.

What are a theophany and a Christophany?

There are two big words that you should be familiar as we tackle this subject: theophany and Christophany. Generally speaking, a theophany is when God appears to someone in a visible form.

Sometimes, the Lord appears as something inanimate, such as a burning bush (Exodus 3:2) or a storm (Job 38:1). But very often, God appears in the likeness of a man.

For example, before Samson was born, “the angel of the Lord” appeared to his parents (Judges 13:3). The word “angel” means messenger, and in this case we see that the messenger was in fact God himself.

How do we know this? Because after the angel of the Lord disappears, Samson’s father cries out “we shall surely die, for we have seen God” (Judges 13:22). This is a classic example of a theophany.

A Christophany is a closely related term, but a bit more specific. Before his incarnation, coming to earth in human flesh, the Son of God existed eternally with God the Father in heaven (John 1:1-14).

However, many theologians and bible scholars see appearances of the Son of God in the pages of the Old Testament, prior to his incarnation. For instance, people often see Jesus in the story of Daniel 3.

In the story, three young Hebrew men are thrown into a burning furnace as punishment for not worshipping the king’s statue. But when one of the soldiers looks into the burning furnace, he says, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25, emphasis mine).

This is a classic example of what many believe to be a Christophany. A Christophany is therefore understood as an appearance of the eternal Son of God before his incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth.

Why some interpreters believe Melchizedek was Jesus

Some propose that Melchizedek was actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, or a Christophany. This is a possible theory, especially given that Abraham received such a visit later, in Genesis 17-18, when Abraham saw and spoke with the Lord (Yahweh) in the form of a man.

In fact, Melchizedek is such a Christ-like figure, some would argue that Melchizedek must be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus himself. Consider the evidence:

• Like Jesus, he is both a king and a priest.
• Like Jesus, he is a “king of peace” and a “king of righteousness.”
• Like Jesus, “he remains a priest forever.”
• The author of Hebrews says that Melchizedek is “without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life.”

“King of righteousness” and “king of peace” are titles one could certainly apply to Jesus. Being fully God, the Son is indeed righteous.

Through His perfect life, innocent death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus has become our Priest, presenting Himself before the Father as the final sacrifice for our sins.

Bread and wine

It is salient that Melchizedek offered bread and wine to Abram, given that Jesus offered bread and wine as His body and blood to His disciples at the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

This could be Jesus, appearing as human and pointing to His future action for the disciples as He shows hospitality to Abram. The presence of bread and wine can therefore be read as a symbolic anticipation of Christ’s later priestly and sacrificial ministry.

On the other hand, it was not unusual to offer bread and wine to guests. The meal can be understood as an act of hospitality rather than a direct prediction of the Lord’s Supper.

The name and titles of Melchizedek

He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. Hebrews 7:2

If the description in Hebrews is literal, then it is indeed difficult to see how it could be properly applied to anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ. No mere earthly king “remains a priest forever,” and no mere human is “without father or mother.”

If Genesis 14 describes a theophany, then God the Son came to give Abraham His blessing (Genesis 14:17-19), appearing as the King of Righteousness (Revelation 19:11,16), the King of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and the Mediator between God and Man (1 Timothy 2:5).

“Without father or mother or genealogy”

He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. (Hebrews 7:3)

Reading this verse helps us to understand that qualifications for serving as a high priest included being able to trace one’s ancestry back to Aaron. The fact that Melchizedek was a priest, elevated though he was, would be evidence of his ancestry back to Aaron.

But instead, this verse tells that he had no ancestry at all. To read this verse at face value, one could argue that this is describing Jesus’ divine nature-as the Son of God, He is eternal.

Some Christians will take the description of Melchizedek in Hebrews 7 more literally, leading them to conclude that Melchizedek is in fact Jesus. Taken literally, this would mean that Melchizedek is an eternal being.

No mere earthly king “remains a priest forever,” and no mere human is “without father or mother.” Because no mention is made of Melchizedek’s genealogical heritage or his death, we can imagine him eternally acting as a priest after the pattern of Jesus.

The relationship between Melchizedek’s order and Christ

Hebrews 6:20 says, “[Jesus] has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” This term order would ordinarily indicate a succession of priests holding the office.

None are ever mentioned, however, in the long interval from Melchizedek to Christ, an anomaly that can be solved by assuming that Melchizedek and Christ are really the same person. Thus the “order” is eternally vested in Him and Him alone.

There are two ways one could read this verse. On one hand, Jesus could be “after the order of Melchizedek” in that Jesus follows from Himself, being called Melchizedek and appearing to serve and bless Abram.

On the other hand, Jesus is a priest in an order higher than all others, as Melchizedek was. In this reading, Melchizedek is not necessarily Jesus but represents a priestly order superior to the Levitical priesthood.

Why other interpreters believe Melchizedek was not Jesus

Others have suggested that Melchizedek was not just a human being, but was, in fact, the preincarnate, before taking on flesh, Christ. Others conclude that Melchizedek was merely a priest and king who lived and died during the time of Abram.

What follows is a presentation of both sides of this argument. The strongest case against identifying Melchizedek directly with Jesus comes from the language of Hebrews, the narrative of Genesis, and the biblical understanding of the priesthood.

“Resembling” indicates similarity rather than identity

But resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. (Hebrews 7:3)

The key word in this verse is “resembling.” This is perhaps the most compelling verse suggesting that Melchizedek and Jesus were not the same person, that Melchizedek merely resembled our Savior.

The author of Hebrews says that Melchizedek “resembles” Jesus, not that he is Jesus. The Greek word that we translate as “resembling” is aphomoioō, a word that makes its only appearance in the New Testament here in this verse.

There are a few related words that we translate as “picture” or “likeness” or “compare,” all of which lead me to conclude that if the author of Hebrews wanted us to see that Melchizedek was actually Jesus, he would have chosen a different word.

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews 7:15-16)

Where the previous verse uses the word “resembling,” this one uses “likeness” to express a similarity but not sameness between Melchizedek and Jesus.

Like Melchizedek, who was in a class by himself and was a priest without the need for ancestral qualification, Jesus is a priest by virtue of His divinity.

The Genesis account does not explicitly identify God

The story of Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is very different from other theophanies. In virtually all other theophanies, the person who is meeting with God has some awareness that they have been in the presence of the divine.

But in the story of Melchizedek, there is no moment where Abraham acknowledges that he has been in the presence of God. True, Melchizedek abruptly appears and disappears from the narrative, but there is nothing in Genesis 14 that explicitly leads us to see that God himself has been present.

The Genesis account calls Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of God Most High, but it does not say that he is the Lord, the angel of the Lord, or the Son of God.

If the description of Melchizedek is figurative, then the details of having no genealogy, no beginning or ending, and a ceaseless ministry are simply statements accentuating the mysterious nature of the person who met Abraham.

In this case, the silence in the Genesis account concerning these details is purposeful and better serves to link Melchizedek with Christ. Hebrews can use the absence of a recorded genealogy and death to present Melchizedek as a literary and theological pattern of the eternal priesthood of Christ.

Priests represent humanity

Earlier in Hebrews, the author says that every priest is chosen “from among men” (Hebrews 5:1). The whole point of the priesthood is that a chosen and anointed human stands before God as our representative.

Because Jesus is fully man, along with being fully God, he is now able to serve as our perfect priest. But before Jesus, the ultimate priest, the bible clearly teaches that priests are humans who serve in a representative role.

Jesus had a human nature-He has a human mother, having been born of the Virgin Mary. This makes it difficult to apply every part of Hebrews 7:3 directly to the incarnate Jesus, since Jesus does have a human genealogy through his human nature.

For this reason, the description of Melchizedek may concern the way Scripture presents him rather than claiming that he literally had no parents or earthly origin.

Melchizedek’s superiority to Abraham

The first thing that we see is that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. In fact, in this passage by implication, it’s going to be taught that he’s greater than David.

When Melchizedek meets Abraham, what does he do? “He blessed him, and to him Abraham appointed a tenth part of everything.”

So Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham shows that he is greater than Abraham. “It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.”

But not only that, Abraham’s tithing to Melchizedek shows the greatness of Melchizedek. “See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!”

So the fact that Abraham took a tenth of what he had gotten back from the Canaanites who had kidnapped his nephew Lot, the fact that he gave a tenth of that to Melchizedek shows the greatness of Melchizedek.

The point is that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. It’s also the point, by the way in passing, that Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem before David was.

Why is the author of Hebrews telling you that? Because Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and if Melchizedek is greater than Abraham and David, then Jesus is greater than Abraham and David.

Melchizedek’s superiority to Levi and Aaron

Not only is Melchizedek greater than Abraham, Melchizedek is greater than Levi. Levi is the clan of Israel from which all the priests come.

No male in Israel that was not of the tribe of Levi, could be a priest. If you were of the tribe of Benjamin, you could not be a priest. If you were from the tribe of Judah, you could not be a priest. If you were from the tribe of Dan, you could not be a priest.

You had to be from the line of Levi and Aaron and the Old Testament priesthood were all descended from Levi. And here, the author of Hebrews argues that Melchizedek was greater than Levi and therefore greater than the Old Testament priesthood.

He tells you two things that show the superiority of Melchizedek. One, he has no genealogy. No genealogy of Melchizedek is recorded in Genesis 14. We’re not told where he came from or where he went to. We’re told very little about him.

But for priests, the genealogy was quite important. If you couldn’t show in your genealogy that you were from the tribe of Levi, you couldn’t be a priest.

And furthermore, unlike the Old Testament priests who changed year after year because they lived and they served and they grew old and they wore out and they died, but he is a priest forever. So in those ways, he is superior to Levi.

Those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people. But this man who does not have his descent from Levi received tithes from Abraham.

And so again, his superiority is signified. One might even say that Levi himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

All of these things are designed to show that Melchizedek is greater than Levi and greater than the Old Testament priesthood.

What is that meant to show? It’s meant to show that Jesus is greater than Levi and greater than the Old Testament priesthood because He is a priest not according to Aaron, not according to Levi, but according to Melchizedek.

The whole argument is this-Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, Melchizedek is greater than Levi; Jesus’ priesthood is according to the order of Melchizedek and therefore is greater than the priesthood of Levi and Aaron and the Old Testament priesthood.

Melchizedek as a type of Christ

As we’ve studied Hebrews, it is clear that the author wants us to see Melchizedek as a “type” of Christ, something that serves to point us to Jesus.

A biblical type is a person, institution, event, or pattern that anticipates a later and greater fulfillment. Melchizedek’s royal authority, priesthood, blessing of Abraham, and lack of recorded genealogy all contribute to his function as a type of Christ.

The clearest way to understand the relationship is that Melchizedek foreshadows Jesus without necessarily being Jesus. He represents a royal priesthood that is greater than the Levitical priesthood and helps explain why the Messiah can be both king and priest.

Like Melchizedek, who was in a class by himself and was a priest without the need for ancestral qualification, Jesus is a priest by virtue of His divinity.

Jesus didn’t come from the line of Aaron. He was instead a priest in the order of Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of ancient Jerusalem.

Jesus “did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest” but was appointed by God as “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:5-6; Psalm 110:4).

Remember that Melchizedek is introduced without genealogy and without reference to his birth or death (Hebrews 7:3). This is key.

In the ancient world, the legitimacy of a man’s priesthood depended on his genealogy. The author’s omission of Melchizedek’s genealogy implies that Melchizedek did not obtain his priesthood because of his ancestry.

Rather, he was literally “made to resemble” (Greek: aphomoiomenos) the Son of God, in that he remains a priest forever.

How Melchizedek points to Jesus

Jesus is the better royal priest

When we get to the New Testament, the author of Hebrews declares that Jesus is the ultimate king and high priest. Jesus is enthroned above and eternally ruling as king (Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:13; 2 Samuel 7:16).

And his priesthood? Jesus is compared to Israel's priests from the line of Aaron (Hebrews 5-7). These priests represented Israel before God and offered sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people.

However, those same priests were themselves morally flawed and needed to offer sacrifices for their own sins as well as for others. It was an imperfect priesthood and something better was needed.

Jesus was that needed priest-the one who superseded the temporary Levitical priesthood with an eternal one.

Jesus’ priesthood is not determined by his ancestry. And Jesus holds his priesthood permanently because “he continues forever” (Hebrews 7:11-28, Psalm 110:4).

Jesus offers the final sacrifice

Through His perfect life, innocent death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus has become our Priest, presenting Himself before the Father as the final sacrifice for our sins.

Our Priest by His divinity and service to sinners: Jesus is not only our mediator before the Father but He also presents Himself as the sacrifice for sins.

Jesus is the Priest we need because his priesthood is not temporary, dependent on ancestry, or repeated through continual sacrifices. His sacrifice is connected with his perfect obedience, death, resurrection, and continuing intercession.

Jesus continually intercedes

As the promised royal priest-king, Jesus entered into the eternal priesthood by means of his ascension and heavenly enthronement (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 8:1-2; Hebrews 9:11-12).

And his eternal priesthood introduces “a better hope through which we approach God,” since “he always lives to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through him (Hebrews 7:19; Hebrews 7:25).

As the resurrected King, Jesus is currently reigning as the great high priest (Hebrews 8:1). Because Jesus will continue forever as a priest, he is able to deliver forever those who draw near to God through him (Hebrews 7:24-25).

Note the complete and far-reaching nature of the word forever! Jesus is able to fully save all those who relate to God through him. And as an eternal priest, Jesus is always available to intercede for his people.

This is the better hope through which we approach God (Hebrews 7:19). Followers of Jesus are free to boldly approach the throne of grace because of Jesus’ eternal priesthood.

Melchizedek and Jesus: comparison

What can be stated with certainty?

Some Christians will conclude, as I do, that these verses are to be taken figuratively, and that Melchizedek is merely a human who points very clearly to Jesus.

Other Christians will take the description of Melchizedek in Hebrews 7 more literally, leading them to conclude that Melchizedek is in fact Jesus.

Although both arguments are compelling, it is this author’s conclusion that Melchizedek, though perhaps of a higher status than other high priests, was merely a man and not Jesus Christ, appearing before His birth.

Are Melchizedek and Jesus the same person, i.e., was Melchizedek a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ? A case can be made either way.

At the very least, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, prefiguring the Lord’s ministry. The biblical text clearly presents a profound connection between Melchizedek and Jesus, even if interpreters disagree about whether that connection is one of identity or typology.

However, these differences of opinion should neither distract us nor divide us. The fundamental point in this study is not that we would come away knowing more about Melchizedek.

The fundamental point is that we would come away being more in awe of Jesus and more trusting of Him. All of this teaching about Melchizedek is designed to help you understand something about Jesus.

And that something that you are to understand about Jesus is to strengthen your hope and assurance, to know that you have a Savior big enough to deal with your problems and a Priest who is able to deal with your sins.

Jesus as King and Priest

Wherever one falls on this issue, it must not be forgotten that Jesus is indeed our Priest and King.

He is our King in that He has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with swords and shields, but rather with His life of perfect obedience, the shedding of His blood, and His resurrection.

As our King, Jesus remains our Lord, leader, and protector. Because Jesus forever reigns as the royal priest-king who always lives to intercede for us (Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

We can look to Jesus for help in every aspect and moment of our lives. In every season, at every age, in every glorious high and agonizing low, we can look to Jesus for mercy and find grace to help in times of need.

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