Hebrews 7:20

And none of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath,

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The author addresses Jewish believers examining the transition from the Mosaic covenant to the new priestly order.

The words — χωρὶς (chōris) means apart from, and ὁρκωμοσίας (horkōmosias) means an oath. The text states that earlier priests were appointed apart from an oath.

The thread — The passage contrasts the Levitical system with the sworn appointment in Psalms 110:4 and Hebrews 5:6. Numbers 18:7 records the standard priesthood that operates without such a divine guarantee.

Why it lands — The verse first establishes that prior priestly succession lacked a sworn divine declaration. It then requires readers to recognize that Christ’s office rests on a permanent divine guarantee rather than inherited lineage.

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

καὶkaiAnd καθ᾽kath᾽to ὅσονhosonas much as οὐounot χωρὶςchōrisapart from ὁρκωμοσίας.horkōmosiasan oath.οἱhoi[21] those ones μὲνmentruly γὰρgarfor χωρὶςchōriswithout ὁρκωμοσίαςhorkōmosiasan oath εἰσὶνeisinare ἱερεῖςhi'ereispriests γεγονότες,gegonoteshaving become,

King James Version

And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

Cross-references

Numbers 18:7 But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Hebrews 5:6 And in another passage God says: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalms 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”