Hebrews 7:5
New International Version
Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.

New Living Translation
Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.

English Standard Version
And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Berean Literal Bible
And indeed, those out from the sons of Levi receiving the priestly office have a commandment to take a tenth from the people, according to the Law, that is, from their brothers, though having come out of the loin of Abraham.

King James Bible
And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

New King James Version
And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;

New American Standard Bible
And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they are descended from Abraham.

NASB 1995
And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

NASB 1977
And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

Legacy Standard Bible
And those indeed of the sons of Levi, who receive the priest’s office, have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brothers, although these are descended from Abraham.

Amplified Bible
It is true that those descendants of Levi who are charged with the priestly office are commanded in the Law to collect tithes from the people—which means, from their kinsmen—though these have descended from Abraham.

Christian Standard Bible
The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people —that is, from their brothers and sisters—though they have also descended from Abraham.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they have also descended from Abraham.

American Standard Version
And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For those of the sons of Levi who received Priesthood had a commandment of The Written Law to take a tenth part from those people of their brethren, as also they had come forth from the loins of Abraham.

Contemporary English Version
The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And indeed they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is to say, of their brethren: though they themselves also came out of the loins of Abraham.

English Revised Version
And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Moses' Teachings say that members of the tribe of Levi who become priests must receive a tenth of everything from the people. The priests collect it from their own people, Abraham's descendants.

Good News Translation
And those descendants of Levi who are priests are commanded by the Law to collect one tenth from the people of Israel, that is, from their own people, even though they are also descendants of Abraham.

International Standard Version
The descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their own brothers, even though they are also descendants of Abraham.

Literal Standard Version
and those, indeed, out of the sons of Levi receiving the priesthood, have a command to take tithes from the people according to the Law, that is, their brothers, even though they came forth out of the loins of Abraham;

Majority Standard Bible
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.

New American Bible
The descendants of Levi who receive the office of priesthood have a commandment according to the law to exact tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, although they also have come from the loins of Abraham.

NET Bible
And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham.

New Revised Standard Version
And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended from Abraham.

New Heart English Bible
They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

Webster's Bible Translation
And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they come from the loins of Abraham:

Weymouth New Testament
And those of the descendants of Levi who receive the priesthood are authorized by the Law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brethren, though these have sprung from Abraham.

World English Bible
They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

Young's Literal Translation
and those, indeed, out of the sons of Levi receiving the priesthood, a command have to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, their brethren, even though they came forth out of the loins of Abraham;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Melchizedek and Abraham
4Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder. 5Now 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. 6But Melchizedek, who did not trace his descent from Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.…

Cross References
Numbers 18:21
Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 18:26
"Speak to the Levites and tell them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD--a tithe of the tithe.

Deuteronomy 26:12
When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.

2 Chronicles 31:4
Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

And truly they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

who.

Hebrews 5:4
And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Exodus 28:1
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

Numbers 16:10,11
And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? …

to take.

Leviticus 27:30-33
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD…

Numbers 18:26-32
Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe…

2 Chronicles 31:4-6
Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD…

come.

Hebrews 7:10
For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Genesis 46:26
All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

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Abraham Although Authorized Body Collect Commandment Descendants Descended Goods Indeed Levi Office Part People's Position Priesthood Priest's Receive Receiving Requires Sprung Tenth Tithes True. Verily
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Abraham Although Authorized Body Collect Commandment Descendants Descended Goods Indeed Levi Office Part People's Position Priesthood Priest's Receive Receiving Requires Sprung Tenth Tithes True. Verily
Hebrews 7
1. Christ Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek;
11. and so far more excellent than the priests of Aaron's order.














(5) They that are of the sons.--Rather, those of the sons of Levi that receive, &c. There is an apparent difficulty here. The priests, it is urged, did not receive tithes from the people; the tithe was paid to the Levites, and but the tenth part of this tithe fell to the lot of the priests. Two considerations seem entirely to remove this difficulty. (1) The question is not one of emolument, but of position. The authority to exact tithes was in strictness vested in the priests, the supreme guardians of the laws relating to all religious duties and observances, and the Levites were but their assistants. That the priests received for their own use but a part of the tribute paid by the nation is a matter of no moment here. (2) The Levites themselves paid tithes to the priests, who therefore stood alone in receiving tithes but paying none. It is the positive ordinance of the law, and nothing but this, that raises brethren above brethren, and gives to the priest this claim upon men who would otherwise be on an equality with himself through common descent from Abraham.

Verses 5-7. - And they indeed of the song of Levi who receive the office of priesthood have commandment to receive tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham: but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath received tithes of Abraham. As much as to say, "Let it not be said that the tithing of Abraham by Melchizedek implies no higher priestly prerogative than the tithing of Abraham's descendants by the sons of Aaron; for there is this difference: They, in virtue only of a special ordinance of the Law, not of original right, were allowed to tithe their brethren, though descended from the same great ancestor; he, though not of them or of the race at all, in virtue of his own inherent dignity, tithes the whole race as represented in its patriarch." (We observe how, in place of the aorist ἔδωκε, used when the mere historical incident was referred to, we have here the perfect δεδεκάτωκε (as also εὐλόγηκε in what follows, and δεδεκάτωται in ver. 9), denoting a completed act, of which the effects and significance remain; Melchizedek, who represents the priesthood after his order, being viewed in permanent relation to Abraham, who represents the chosen race.) And hath blessed him that hath (i.e. the holder of) the promises. But, without all controversy, the less is blessed of the better. The superiority evidenced by bestowal of blessing no less than by receiving of tithe having been thus noticed, the contrast with the Levitical priesthood is continued in the following verses.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Now
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Law
νόμον (nomon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3551: From a primary nemo; law, genitive case, specially, (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively.

commands
ἐντολὴν (entolēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1785: An ordinance, injunction, command, law. From entellomai; injunction, i.e. An authoritative prescription.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

sons
υἱῶν (huiōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

of Levi
Λευὶ (Leui)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3017: Of Hebrew origin; Levi, the name of three Israelites.

who become
λαμβάνοντες (lambanontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2983: (a) I receive, get, (b) I take, lay hold of.

priests
ἱερατείαν (hierateian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2405: The duty (office) of a priest, priesthood. From hierateuo; priestliness, i.e. The sacerdotal function.

to collect a tenth
ἀποδεκατοῦν (apodekatoun)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 586: To take off (deduct) a tenth part (of my property) (and give it away), pay tithe. From apo and dekatoo; to tithe.

from the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

people
λαὸν (laon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2992: Apparently a primary word; a people.

(that
τοῦτ’ (tout’)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

is,
ἔστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

their
αὐτῶν (autōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

brothers),
ἀδελφοὺς (adelphous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

even though
καίπερ (kaiper)
Conjunction
Strong's 2539: Although, though. From kai and per; and indeed, i.e. Nevertheless or notwithstanding.

they are descended
ἐξεληλυθότας (exelēlythotas)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1831: To go out, come out. From ek and erchomai; to issue.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

Abraham.
Ἀβραάμ (Abraam)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 11: Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch.


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NT Letters: Hebrews 7:5 They indeed of the sons of Levi (Heb. He. Hb)
Hebrews 7:4
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