Let’s read through the book of Hebrews one verse at a time in 2023. Every day explore a single verse and its cross references. AI-generated text draws the passages together. RSS feed.
He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
The cross references all relate to the overall theme of Hebrews 7:3, which is that Melchizedek is a priest who is without beginning or end and is similar to the Son of God in that he continues to be a priest forever. The references from Exodus and 1 Chronicles show that the Levitical priesthood was limited in that it was passed down from father to son and the priests were limited by death. In contrast, Melchizedek has no beginning or end of life and is a priest forever, similar to the Son of God. The references from Matthew and Hebrews show that Jesus is the Son of God, and the references from Hebrews show that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. This further emphasizes the idea that Melchizedek is similar to the Son of God in that he is a priest forever.
| Passage | How It’s Related (AI-Generated) |
|---|---|
| Exodus 6:18: The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. | Both passages reference the presthod of God. Hebrews 7:3 states that Melchizedek is without father or mother or genealogy and resembles the Son of God, continuing as a priest forever. Exodus 6:18 mentions the sons of Kohath, one of whom is Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, indicating that the Levitical priests had ancestors and descendants. |
| Exodus 6:20-27: Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. | Both passages reference characters in the Bible who represent the priesthood of God. Hebrews 7:3 speaks of Melchizedek, a mysterious figure in the Bible, who is said to resemble the Son of God and to have a perpetual priesthood. Exodus 6:20–27 details the lineage of Amram, who is the father of Aaron and Moses and the ancestor of the Levitical priesthood. |
| 1 Chronicles 6:1-3: The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. | Both passages reference the priestly line of Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:3 speaks of Melchizedek's mysterious and eternal priesthood, while 1 Chronicles 6:1-3 details the genealogy of the Levitical priesthood. This genealogy includes Aaron, the brother of Moses and Miriam, who is the ancestor of the Levitical priesthood. |
| Matthew 4:3: And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” | Both passages refer to Jesus' role as the Son of God. Hebrews 7:3 speaks of Melchizedek, who is compared to Jesus and described as resembling the Son of God. This passage is emphasizing Jesus' eternal priesthood. Matthew 4:3, on the other hand, speaks of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, where the tempter challenged Jesus to prove His identity as the Son of God. This passage is emphasizing Jesus' divine identity and power. |
| Hebrews 7:6: But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. | Both passages refer to Melchizedek, a mysterious priest-king figure in the Old Testament. Hebrews 7:3 describes Melchizedek as having no known lineage or end of life, suggesting he is a type of eternal figure. Hebrews 7:6 notes that he received tithes from Abraham and blessed him, showing that he was a respected figure from whom Abraham sought blessings. |
| Hebrews 7:17: For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” | Both passages refer to Melchizedek, a mysterious figure in the Old Testament who is described as a priestly figure of some kind. Hebrews 7:3 explains that Melchizedek is without a father or mother, and has no beginning or end of life, implying he is an eternal figure. Hebrews 7:17 states that Jesus is a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek, suggesting that Jesus is a priestly figure of similar eternal status as Melchizedek. |
| Hebrews 7:23-28: The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. | Both passages refer to Jesus Christ's priesthood. Hebrews 7:3 speaks of Melchizedek, a priest from the Old Testament, who serves as a type of Christ's priesthood. Hebrews 7:23-28 describes the superiority of Christ's priesthood, which is permanent and eternal, and through which he is able to offer salvation to all who come to him. Christ's priesthood does not need to be repeated or performed daily, as with the Old Testament priests, because Christ offered himself once for all. |
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is our eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. We praise You for His unending life and His sacrifice that makes us worthy to draw near to You.
We thank You for the generations of priests that have gone before us, like Amram, Aaron, and the sons of Kohath, who faithfully served You. We thank You for their faithfulness and their commitment to You.
We ask that You would help us to live as faithful priests to You, offering our lives as living sacrifices and interceding for others in prayer. Help us to make wise decisions and to stand firm in the face of temptation.
We thank You for Your grace and mercy, and we praise You for the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. Amen.
This reading plan reads through a single verse each day, six days a week, paired with the most-popular cross references for the verse. AI-generated (and human-reviewed) text provides an opening thought and concluding prayer along with an explanation for how each cross reference relates to the verse. In 2023, this reading plan works through Hebrews one verse at a time. Every seventh day is a catchup day. Want more info? Try this blog post.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.