Bible Strands
Hebrews 7:10
For when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses Hellenistic Jewish Christians tempted to abandon Christ for Judaism, using the historical moment of Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek to establish a chronological argument.
The words — ἔτι (eti) means "still," marking temporal priority. ὀσφὺϊ (osphui) translates to "loin," a Semitic idiom for ancestral progeny.
The thread — The lineage motif appears in Genesis 35:11 and Genesis 46:26, while the tithing practice is defined in Hebrews 7:5.
Why it lands — The text states that Levi was biologically unconceived when Abraham paid tithes, which the author uses to infer that the later Levitical priesthood derives from Abraham and therefore stands subordinate to Melchizedek.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
Cross-references
- Genesis 35:11 And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.
- Genesis 46:26 All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons.
- Hebrews 7:5 Now the law commands the sons of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from Abraham.
- 1 Kings 8:19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’