Bible Verses About Abraham: Is blessed by Melchizedek

Malki-Tzedek king of Shalem brought out bread and wine. He was cohen of El 'Elyon [God Most High],

so he blessed him with these words: "Blessed be Avram by El 'Elyon, maker of heaven of earth.

and blessed be El 'Elyon, who handed your enemies over to you." Avram gave him a tenth of everything.

This Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem, a cohen of God Ha‘Elyon, met Avraham on his way back from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him;

also Avraham gave him a tenth of everything. Now first of all, by translation of his name, he is “king of righteousness”; and then he is also king of Shalem, which means “king of peace.”

There is no record of his father, mother, ancestry, birth or death; rather, like the Son of God, he continues as a cohen for all time.

Just think how great he was! Even the Patriarch Avraham gave him a tenth of the choicest spoils.

Now the descendants of Levi who became cohanim have a commandment in the Torah to take a tenth of the income of the people, that is, from their own brothers, despite the fact that they too are descended from Avraham.

But Malki-Tzedek, even though he was not descended from Levi, took a tenth from Avraham. Also, he blessed Avraham, the man who received God’s promises;

and it is beyond all dispute that the one who blesses has higher status than the one who receives the blessing.

Moreover, in the case of the cohanim, the tenth is received by men who die; while in the case of Malki-Tzedek, it is received by someone who is testified to be still alive.

One might go even further and say that Levi, who himself receives tenths, paid a tenth through Avraham;

inasmuch as he was still in his ancestor Avraham’s body when Malki-Tzedek met him.