Genesis 14

Gen 14:1 And it happened in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,

Amraphel, king of Shinar – Some say he is king of Babylon, others make him king of Assyria; some make him the same as Nimrod, and others, one of his descendants. It seems clear that he is the king of Babylon since earlier references to Shinar clearly link it to Babylon Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:2, Genesis 11:9.

Chedorlaomer king of Elam - or Elymais, a country east of the lower Tigris, and separated by it from Shinar. He is probably a Shemite, as the country over which he ruled received its name from a son of Shem Genesis 10:22 The sons of Shem: Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. He is the lord paramount of the others, and commander-in-chief of the united forces. Hence, the Hamite seems to have already succumbed to the Shemite.

Tidal king of nations - is designated “king of Goim.” Goyim means nations; and it is doubtful whether it denotes here a special nation or a congeries of tribes. The Gentiles, especially so called, seem to have been Japhethites Gen_10:5.

In Gen_14:1-3 the account is introduced by a list of the parties engaged in war. The kings named here are not mentioned again.

Gen 14:2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

and the king of Bela, which is Zoar - so it was afterwards called by Lot, being a little city, Genesis 19:20; but before, Bela; the name of its king is not mentioned, being a person of no great note and importance, and his city small.

These made war - It appears, from Gen_14:4, that these five Canaanitish kings had been subdued by Chedorlaomer, and were obliged to pay him tribute; and that, having been enslaved by him twelve years, wishing to recover their liberty, they revolted in the thirteenth; in consequence of which Chedorlaomer, the following year, summoned to his assistance three of his vassals, invaded Canaan, fought with and discomfited the kings of the Pentapolis or five cities - Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, Zoar, and Admab, which were situated in the fruitful plain of Siddim, having previously overrun the whole land.

Gen 14:3 All these were joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.

Which is the Salt Sea - The area in which these towns lay was very circumscribed. With the exception of the territory of Bela it was afterward submerged and formed part of the basin of the Salt Sea. Hence, Siddim is said to be the Salt Sea, which was changed into the Salt Sea on the destruction of its cities (Gen_19:24-25). The dale is the deep valley or glen in which these kings dwelt on the banks of the Jordan, or the salt lake into which it flowed.

Gen 14:4 They served Chedorlaomer twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer - the King of Elam, who was of the race of Shem, and so the prophecy of Noah began to be fulfilled, that Canaan should be servant to Shem, Genesis 9:26; for the kings of Sodom, &c. and their subjects, were of the race of Ham in the line of Canaan. The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan, whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended. Thus soon did that prophecy begin to be fulfilled. In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their subjection, they rebelled - Denied their tribute, and attempted to shake off the yoke.

Gen 14:5 And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and struck the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

The Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim - all that is known with certainty of the Rephaim is, that they were a tribe of gigantic stature, and in the time of Abram had spread over the whole of Peraea, and held not only Bashan, but the country afterwards possessed by the Moabites; from which possessions they were subsequently expelled by the descendants of Lot and the Amorites, and so nearly exterminated, that Og, king of Bashan, is described as the remnant of the Rephaim Deuteronomy 2:20 It also was known to be a land of giants. Giants lived there in past times. And the Ammonites call them Zamzumim, Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the rest of the giants. Behold! His bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man. Deuteronomy 3:13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. Joshua 12:4 And they struck the coast of Og king of Bashan, of the rest of the giants, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, Joshua 13:12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan (who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei; he remained of the rest of the giants), even Moses struck them and expelled them. Beside this, there were Rephaim on this side of the Jordan among the Canaanitish tribes Genesis 15:20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the giants, some to the west of Jerusalem, in the valley which was called after them the valley of the Rephaim Joshua 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite. It is Jerusalem. And the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, at the end of the Valley of the Giants northward. Joshua 18:16 and the border went down to the end of the mountain that is before the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is the Valley of the Giants northward, and went down the valley of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite on the south, and went down to En-rogel. 2Samuel 5:18 And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the Valley of the Giants. others on the mountains of Ephraim
Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If you are a great people, and if mount Ephraim is too narrow for you, get up to the forest and cut down more for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants while the last remains of them were also to be found among the Philistines 2Samuel 21:16 And Ishbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight. And he being girded with a new sword thought to kill David. 1Chronicles 20:4 And it happened after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the children of the giant. And they were humbled. The current explanation of the name, viz., “the long-stretched,” or giants (Ewald), does not prevent our regarding the name as the personal name of their forefather, though no intimation is given of their origin. That they were not Canaanites may be inferred from the fact, that on the eastern side of the Jordan they were subjugated and exterminated by the Canaanitish branch of the Amorites. Notwithstanding this, they may have been descendants of Ham, though the fact that the Canaanites spoke a Semitic tongue rather favors the conclusion that the oldest population of Canaan, and therefore the Rephaim, were of Semitic descent.

The Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim - Some of them also were once found on the west side of the Jordan Gen_15:20, where they gave name to the valley of Rephaim (Wady el-Werd), southwest of Jerusalem, on the way to Bethlehem Jos_15:8, occupied part of Mount Ephraim Jos_17:15, and lingered for a long time among the Philistines (2Sa_21:16, ff.). They were a tall or gigantic race. They were not Kenaanites, but seem to have entered the country before them. They were conquered in Peraea by the Amorites, a branch of the Kenaanite family; and by the descendants of Lot, the Ammonites and Moabites. A remnant of them only lingered in the country when the Israelites arrived Deu_2:20; Deu_3:11, Deu_3:13. They may have been Shemites or Japhethites.

Ashteroth Karnaim - or briefly Ashtaroth, a city of Basan, where Og afterwards reigned; Joshua 13:31 And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were given to the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to their half of the sons of Machir by their families. The name of the city is linked to Astoreth (see next section).

Astoreth - the name of a false diety, whom the Phoenicians called Astarte queen of heaven, with crescent horns. A feminine proper noun Astoroth; a Canaanite false goddess. This was a pagan Canaanite goddess of love, war, and fertility, also called Astarte. Israel often apostatized from the Lord and worshiped her Judges 2:13 And they forsook Jehovah and served Baal and Ashtaroth. Judges 10:6 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baals and Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. And they left Jehovah, and did not serve Him. 1Samuel 7:3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying, If you return to Jehovah with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to Jehovah, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Samuel 7:4 And the sons of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only. 1Samuel 12:10 And they cried to Jehovah, and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baals and Ashtoreths. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You. Ashtaroth, the name of a Sidonian deity, and of a place East of the Jordan.

Zuzim in Ham - were probably the people whom the Ammonites called Zam zummim, and who were also reckoned among the Rephaim Deuteronomy 2:20 It also was known to be a land of giants. Giants lived there in past times. And the Ammonites call them Zamzumim.

The Emim - A people great and many in the days of Moses, and tall as the Anakim. They dwelt among the Moabites, by whom they were reputed giants; Deuteronomy 2:10-11 The Emim lived there in times past, a great people, who were many and tall like the Anakim. And they were known as giants, like the sons of Anak, but the Moabites called them Emim. The name here, which they had from the dread and terror they injected into men, and so the word in all the three Targums is rendered terrible ones; and these dwelt in Kiriathaim, a city in the tribe of Reuben, taken from Sihon, king of the Amorites, and which seems to be situated in a plain.

Shaveh Kiriathaim – Rather the plain of Kiriathaim, which was a city afterwards belonging to Sihon king of Heshbon; Jos_13:19-21.

Gen 14:6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as the oak of Paran, which is by the wilderness.

And the Horites in their Mount Seir - Or the Horim who dwelt in Mount Seir, so called from Seir the Horite, who continued here till they were driven out by the sons of Esau or Edom, from whom their country was afterwards called Edom or Idumea, Genesis 36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite living in the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, Deuteronomy 2:12 The Horim also lived in Seir in times past. But the sons of Esau took their place when they had destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which Jehovah gave to them.

Gen 14:7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

The field of the Amalekite - was some part of the country lying between Palestine and Egypt, which was afterward occupied by the Amalekites. The tribe is descended from Amalek, thc son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau Genesis 36:12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son. And she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. Traces of them are found as far north as Ephraim Judges 5:14 Out of Ephraim there was a root of them against Amalek; after you, Benjamin, with your peoples. Out of Machir came down commanders, and out of Zebulun came they who handle the pen of the writer. Judges 12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. Balaam calls Amalek the beginning of the nations Numbers 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable and said, Amalek was the first of the nations. But his latter end is to destruction; but this cannot be understood absolutely, as the name does not even occur in the table of nations. It is therefore well explained to mean that Amalek was the first that attacked Israel on coming out of Egypt.

En-mishpat, which is Kadesh - The well of judgment; probably so called from the judgment pronounced by God on Moses and Aaron for their rebellion at that place; Num_20:1-13. It was about 8 leagues south of Hebron.

Hazezon-tamar – also called En-gedi, a city in the land of Canaan. This was a settlement of the Amorites, which fell to the lot of Judah; Joshua 15:62 and Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities and their villages. 2Chronicles 20:2 And they came in and spoke to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria. And behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. It appears to have been a very fruitful place from Song of Solomon 1:14 My Beloved is to me like a cluster of henna in the vineyards of Engedi.

Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom went out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela (which is Zoar). And they joined battle with them in the valley of Siddim;

The valley of Siddim - This valley abounded in pits of mineral pitch, or asphalt. The kings of Sodom and Amorah fled toward these pits, and seem to have fallen into them and perished.

Bela, the same is Zoar - That is, it was called Zoar after the destruction of Sodom, etc., mentioned in Genesis 19.

Gen 14:9 with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal the king of nations, and Amraphel the king of Shinar, and Arioch the king of Ellasar, four kings with five.

With Chedorlaomer king of Elam - Who is here mentioned first, being the principal in the war, and against whom the kings of Sodom, &c. had rebelled:

four kings with five - those four last mentioned, with the other five before spoken of, that is, they fought with them; or rather four kings against five.

Gen 14:10 And the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits - Or "wells" or "fountains of slime" or bitumen; a liquid of a pitchy nature, cast out of fountains, and which was used for a cement in buildings;

Slime-pits - Places where asphaltus or bitumen sprang out of the ground; this substance abounded in that country.

Gen 14:11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way.

Gen 14:12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who lived in Sodom, and all his goods, and went away.

Gen 14:13 And there came one who had escaped. And he told Abram the Hebrew, for he lived in the plains of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. And these had a covenant with Abram.

Hebrew - “The sons of Heber” are distinctly mentioned in the table of nations among the descendants of Shem. Its introduction here intimates that there were other descendants of Heber besides Abram already in the land. They could not but be a widespread race.

Gen 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained servants, born in his own house (three hundred and eighteen) and pursued them to Dan.

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive - That is, his brother's son Lot, as in Genesis 14:12; which was contrary to the law of nations; since Lot was only a sojourner, and not an inhabitant n Sodom, and therefore had no concern in the quarrel between the kings, and this justified Abram's taking up arms on his behalf:

His brother - This is a customary extension of the term, whether we regard Lot as his brother’s son, or at the same time his brother-in-law.

pursued them unto Dan - which at first had the name of Leshem, or Lais, and was not called Dan until the times of the judges, Judges 18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However the name of the city was Laish at the first; wherefore, if the same place is intended here, it is so called not only by anticipation, but by a spirit of prophecy; since it had not the name of Dan even in the times of Moses, the writer of this history, unless it may be thought to be inserted by Samuel or some other inspired writer, after Moses;

Unto Dan - It might naturally be supposed that the sacred reviser of the text had inserted it here, had we not grounds for a contrary supposition. The custom of the reviser was to add the other name without altering the original; of which we have several examples in this very chapter Gen_14:2-3, Gen_14:7-8, Gen_14:17. We are, therefore, led to regard Dan as in use at the time of Abram. Held at that remote period perhaps by some Hebrew, it fell at length into the hands of the Sidonians Judg. 18, who named it Laish (lion) and Leshem (ligure).

Gen 14:15 And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants. And he struck them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left of Damascus.

Damascus - Dimishk, esh-Sham, is a very ancient city of Aram. There arose a city which, amidst all the changes of dynasty that have come over it, has maintained its prosperity to the present day, when it has 18,448,752 inhabitants (per July 2005 census). It was originally occupied by the descendants of Aram, and may have been built, as Josephus informs us, by Uz his son.

Gen 14:16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

and the women also, and the people - not only that belonged to Lot, but to Sodom and Gomorrah, who had been taken and carried captive; these were all rescued and brought back by Abram, see Genesis 14:21;

Gen 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley.

The king of Sodom - This is either Bera, if he survived the defeat, or, if not, his successor.

The king of Sodom went out to meet him - This could not have been Bera, mentioned Genesis 14:2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, for it seems pretty evident, from Genesis 14:10 And the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain, that both he and Birsha, king of Gomorrah, were slain at the bitumen-pits in the vale of Siddim; but another person in the meantime might have succeeded to the government.

the valley of Shaveh -This valley, possibly the one in which Absalom erected a monument for himself 2Samuel 18:18 And Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name. And it is called until this day, Absalom's monument.

Note the contrast between Abram’s response to the King of Sodom and the King of Salem. The king of Salem acknowledges the Lord, the Most High Creator of heaven and earth, in the dealings of Abram, and offers bread and wine in a priestly act. The king of Sodom only discusses material goods. (Note how Moses, who wrote Genesis, also acknowledged the Lord in the same way as Melchizedek did, in Exodus 20:2.)

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God.

Melchizedek - a priest as well as a king; and in this he was a type of Christ in his kingly and priestly offices (see Hebrews 6:13-8:6, posted at the end of the discussion of this verse, for a description of how Melchizedek is a type of Christ), who is a priest upon the throne, both king and priest, Zechariah 6:13 Even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne. And He shall be a priest on His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Melchizedek was a priest of the true and living God, who is above all gods, dwells in the highest heaven, and is the most High over all the earth; by him was he called to this office and invested with it, and he ministered to him in it. Psalms 110:4 Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10 For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared, though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him, being called by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek; Hebrews 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

king of Shalem - This is apparently an ancient name of Jerusalem, which is so designated in Psalms 76:2 And His abode is in Salem; and His dwelling-place in Zion.

The king of Shalem - by name king of righteousness, and by office king of peace, “brought forth bread and wine.” These are the standing elements of a simple repast for the refreshment of the body. In after times they were by divine appointment placed on the table of the presence in the tabernacle Exodus 25:29-30 And you shall make its dishes, and its spoons, and its pitchers, and its sacrificial cups with which a drink-offering is made. You shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set upon the table Bread of the Presence before Me always. They were the accompaniments of the Paschal lamb Matthew 26:26-27 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body. And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink all of it, and they were adopted by the Messiah as the sacred symbols of that heavenly fare, of which, if a man partake, he shall live forever John 6:48-58 I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died. This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus says to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever.

And he was priest to the most high God - From this we are assured that the bread and wine refreshed not only the body, but the soul of Abram. In close connection with the preceding sentence, it seems to intimate that the bringing forth of bread and wine was a priestly act, and, accordingly, the crowning part of a sacred feast. The kohen, or priest, who is here mentioned for the first time in Scripture, was one who acted in sacred things on the part of others. He was a mediator between God and man, representing God holding out the hand of mercy, and man reaching forth the hand of faith. The necessity of such an office grew out of the distance between God and man produced by sin. The business of the priest was to offer sacrifice and to intercede; in the former making amends to the law, in the latter appealing to the mercy of God. We do not learn by express statement what was the mode of intervention on the part of Melkizedec. But we know that sacrifice was as early as Habel, and that calling on the name of the Lord was commenced in the time of Enosh. These were early forms of approach to God. The offices of king and priest were combined in Melkizedec - a condition of things often exemplified in after times.

The most high God - a new name of God, El, the Lasting, the Mighty, cognate with Elohim, and previously occurring in the compound proper names Mebujael, Mahalalel, and Bethel. We have also an epithet of God, “Elion the most high,” now appearing for the first time. Hebrew, El Elyon, "Elyon means simply "highest." Hence, we perceive that the unity, the omnipotence, and the absolute pre-eminence of God were still living in the memory and conscience of a section at least of the inhabitants of this land. Still more, the worship of God was not a mere domestic custom, in which the father or head of the family officiated, but a public ordinance conducted by a stated functionary. And, lastly, the mode of worship was of such a nature as to represent the doctrine and acknowledge the necessity of an atonement, since it was performed by means of a priest.

Melchizedek
We see that there was something very mysterious, and at the same time typical, in the person, name, office, residence, and government of this Canaanitish prince Melchezidek.

1. In his person he was a representative and type of Christ.

2. His name, malki tsedek, signifies my righteous king, or king of righteousness. This is one of the characters of our blessed Lord, a character which can be applied to him only, as he alone is essentially righteous, and the only Potentate; but a holy man, such as Melchizedek, might bear this name as his type or representative.

3. Office; he was a priest of the most high God. The word cohen, signifies both prince and priest, because the patriarchs sustained this double office. Thus we find that Melchizedek, being a priest of the most high God, represented Christ in his sacerdotal character, the word priest being understood to signify to approach, draw near, have intimate access to; and from hence to officiate as priest before God, and thus have intimate access to the Divine presence: and by means of the sacrifices which he offered he received counsel and information relative to what was yet to take place, and hence another acceptation of the word, to foretell, predict future events, unfold hidden things or mysteries; so the lips of the priests preserved knowledge, and they were often the interpreters of the will of God to the people.

4. His residence; he was king of Salem. The word shalam signifies to make whole, complete, or perfect; and hence it means peace, which implies the making whole the breaches made in the political and domestic union of kingdoms, states, families, etc., making an end of discord, and establishing friendship. Christ is called the Prince of peace, because, by his incarnation, sacrifice, and mediation, he procures and establishes peace between God and man; heals the breaches and dissensions between heaven and earth, reconciling both; and produces glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will among men. His residence is peace and quietness and assurance for ever, in every believing upright heart. He governs as the Prince and Priest of the most high God, ruling in righteousness, mighty to save; and he ever lives to make intercession for, and save to the uttermost all who come unto the Father by him.

Melchizedek
1 Melchizedek, type of Christ the King-Priest. The type strictly applies to the priestly work of Christ in resurrection, since Melchizedek presents only the memorials of sacrifice, bread and wine. "After the order of Melchizedek" Hebrews 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek refers to the royal authority and unending duration of Christ's high priesthood Hebrews 7:23-24 And they truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death; but He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. The Aaronic priesthood was often interrupted by death. Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, as King of righteousness, King of peace; Isaiah 11:4-9 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with uprightness for the meek of the earth. And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart. Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. Hebrews 7:2 To him Abraham also gave a tenth of all. He was first by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, and in the endlessness of his priesthood; but the Aaronic priesthood typifies His priestly work.

Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself,
Heb 6:14 saying, "Surely in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you."
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Heb 6:16 For men truly swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Heb 6:17 In this way desiring to declare more fully to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, God interposed by an oath,
Heb 6:18 so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
Heb 6:19 which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil,
Heb 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.
Heb 7:2 To him Abraham also gave a tenth of all. He was first by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace,
Heb 7:3 without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually.
Heb 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Heb 7:5 And truly they who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priest, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, from their brothers, though they come out of the loins of Abraham.
Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
Heb 7:8 And here men who die receive tithes; but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Heb 7:9 And if I may say so, Levi, also, who receives tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.
Heb 7:10 For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Heb 7:11 Therefore if 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 Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made in the law also.
Heb 7:13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man gave attendance at the altar.
Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
Heb 7:15 And it is still far more evident, since there arises another priest after the likeness of Melchizedek,
Heb 7:16 who is made, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
Heb 7:17 For He testifies, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Heb 7:18 For truly there is a putting away of the commandment which went before, because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it.
Heb 7:19 For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near to God.
Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath
Heb 7:21 (for those priests were made without an oath, but this one was made with an oath by Him who said to Him, "The Lord swore and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,")
Heb 7:22 by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.
Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death;
Heb 7:24 but He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:26 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens,
Heb 7:27 who does not need, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice daily, first for his own sins and then for the people's sins. For He did this once for all, when He offered up Himself.
Heb 7:28 For the Law appoints men high priests who have infirmity, but the word of the swearing of an oath, after the Law, has consecrated the Son forever, having been perfected.
Heb 8:1 Now the sum of the things which we have spoken is this: We have such a High Priest, who has sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven,
Heb 8:2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One have something to offer also.
Heb 8:4 For if indeed He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the Law,
Heb 8:5 who serve the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was warned of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For, He says "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mountain."
Heb 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much He is also the Mediator of a better covenant, which was built upon better promises.

Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of Heaven and earth.

And he blessed him - Here it comes out clearly that Melkizedek acts not only in a civil but in a sacred capacity. He blesses Abram. In the form of benediction employed we have two parts: the former of which is strictly a blessing or asking of good things for the person in question. “Blessed be Abram.” It is the part of the father to bless the child, of the patriarch or superior to bless the subject or inferior, and of the priest to bless the people Heb_7:7. Here, accordingly, Melkizedek assumes and Abram concedes to him the superiority. The Most High God is here further designated as the Founder of heaven and earth, the great Architect or Builder, and, therefore, Possessor of all things. There is here no indistinct allusion to the creation of “heaven and earth,” mentioned in the opening of the Book of God. This is a manifest identification of the God of Melkizedek with the one Creator and Upholder of all things. We have here no mere local or national deity, with limited power and province, but the sole and supreme God of the universe and of man.

And he blessed him - Melchizedek blessed Abram, which was one part of his office as a priest, to wish and pray for a blessing on others, Numbers 6:23 Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying, In this way you shall bless the sons of Israel, saying to them, and herein typified Christ, who really blesses or confers blessings on all his people, even spiritual blessings, such as redemption, remission of sins, and justifying righteousness, adoption, and eternal life:

Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

blessed be the most high God - The second part of this benedictory prayer is a thanksgiving to the common God of Melkizedec and Abram for the victory which had been vouchsafed to the latter. “Thy foes.” Here Abram is personally addressed. Melkizedec as a priest first appeals to God on behalf of Abram, and then addresses Abram on behalf of God. Thus, he performs the part of a mediator.

And he gave him a tithe of all. - This is a very significant act. In presenting the tenth of all the spoils of victory, Abram makes a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of the God whom Melkizedec worshipped, and of the authority and validity of the priesthood which he exercised. We have here all the indications of a stated order of sacred rites, in which a costly service, with a fixed official, is maintained at the public expense, according to a definite rate of contribution. The gift in the present case is the tenth of the spoils of war. This act of Abram, though recorded last, may have taken place at the commencement of the interview. At all events, it renders it extremely probable that a sacrifice had been offered to God, through the intervention of Melkizedec, before he brought forth the bread and wine of the accepted feast.

And he gave him tithes - A tenth part of all the spoils he had taken from the confederate kings. These Abram gave as a tribute to the most high God, who, being the possessor of heaven and earth, dispenses all spiritual and temporal favors, and demands the gratitude, and submissive, loving obedience, of all his subjects. Almost all nations of the earth have agreed in giving a tenth part of their property to be employed in religious uses. The tithes were afterwards granted to the Levites for the use of the sanctuary, and the maintenance of themselves and their families, as they had no other inheritance in Israel.

and he gave him tithes of all - Abram to Melchizedek, as appears from Hebrews 7:4; and these tithes were given not out of the goods that were recovered, for they were restored to the proprietors of them, but out of the spoils that were taken from the enemy, as is evident from the same place referred to; and these were given both as a return for the respect shown him by Melchizedek, and by way of thankfulness to God for the victory. This was a voluntary action, and not out of his own substance, but out of the spoils of the enemy, and to testify his gratitude to God.

Gen 14:21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the people and take the goods for yourself.

give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself - meaning by "persons" or "souls," as in the original, his own subjects that had been taken and carried away by the four kings, and were now brought back by Abram; and by "the goods," those of his own and his subjects, which their conquerors had spoiled them of, but were now recovered, and which he was very willing Abram should have as his right, according to the laws of war. This shows, that the king of Sodom, though a heathen prince, and perhaps a wicked man, yet had more regard to the persons of his subjects than to his own or their goods.

Gen 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand to Jehovah, the most high God, the possessor of Heaven and earth,

I have lift up mine hand - The primitive mode of appealing to God, and calling him to witness a particular transaction; this no doubt generally obtained among the faithful till circumcision, the sign of the covenant, was established. After this, in swearing, the hand was often placed on the circumcised part; Genesis 24:2 And Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, I pray you, put your hand under my thigh. Genesis 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning the matter.

I have lifted up my hand - This is a serious matter with Abram. Either before, or then and there, he made an oath or solemn asseveration before God, with uplifted hand, that he would not touch the property of Sodom.

Gen 14:23 that I will take from all that is yours, not from a thread even to a shoestring, lest you say, I have made Abram rich.

That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet - That is, from a thread used in sewing garments to, a shoelatchet, or the string which fastens the shoes to the foot, the least belonging to that; or from the hair lace of the head, to the shoelatchet of the foot; that is, he would take nothing of his from head to foot: the meaning is, that he would not take that which was of the least value and importance that could be conceived of.

lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich - lest he should upbraid him with it afterwards, and say, that all his riches were owing to him; whereas God had promised to bless him, and make him rich and great.

Gen 14:24 Nothing for me, only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Melchizedek expresses this gratitude, as a priest of the supreme God, in the words, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, the founder of heaven and earth; and blessed be God, the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” The form of the blessing is poetical, two parallel members with words peculiar to poetry, the God over all, who is pointed out as the only true God by the additional clause, “founder of the heaven and the earth.” This priestly reception Abram reciprocated by giving him the tenth of all of the whole of the booty taken from the enemy. Giving the tenth was a practical acknowledgment of the divine priesthood of Melchizedek; for the tenth was, according to the general custom, the offering presented to the Deity. Abram also acknowledged the God of Melchizedek as the true God; for when the king of Sodom asked for his people only, and would have left the rest of the booty to Abram, he lifted up his hand as a solemn oath “to Jehovah, the Most High God, the founder of heaven and earth,” - acknowledging himself as the servant of this God by calling Him by the name Jehovah, - and swore that he would not take “from a thread to a shoe-string,” i.e., the smallest or most worthless thing belonging to the king of Sodom, that he might not be able to say, he had made Abram rich.

Of the property belonging to the king of Sodom, which he had taken from the enemy, Abram would not keep the smallest part, because he would not have anything in common with Sodom. On the other hand, he accepted from Salem's priest and king, Melchizedek, not only bread and wine for the invigoration of the exhausted warriors, but a priestly blessing also, and gave him in return the tenth of all his booty, as a sign that he acknowledged this king as a priest of the living God, and submitted to his royal priesthood. In this self-subordination of Abram to Melchizedek there was the practical prediction of a royal priesthood which is higher than the priesthood entrusted to Abram's descendants, the sons of Levi, and foreshadowed in the noble form of Melchizedek, who blessed as king and priest the patriarch whom God had called to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. The name of this royal priest is full of meaning: Melchizedek, i.e., King of Righteousness. There is no less significance in the name of the seat of his government, Salem, the peaceful or peace, since it shows that the capital of its kings was a citadel of peace, not only as a natural stronghold, but through the righteousness of its sovereign; for which reason David chose it as the seat of royalty in Israel; and Moriah, which formed part of it, was pointed out to Abraham by Jehovah as the place of sacrifice for the kingdom of God which was afterwards to be established. This appearance does point to a priesthood of universal significance, and to a higher order of things, which existed at the commencement of the world, and is one day to be restored again. In all these respects, the noble form of this king of Salem and priest of the Most High God was a type of the God-King and eternal High Priest Jesus Christ; a thought which is expanded in Heb 7 on the basis of this account, and of the divine utterance revealed to David in the Spirit, that the King of Zion sitting at the right hand of Jehovah should be a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek (Psa_110:4).