Hebrews 7:7

Bible in Basic English

But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior.

King James Version (1611)
And without all contradiction, the lesse is blessed of the better.

King James Version
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

English Standard Version
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

New American Standard Bible
But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater.

New Century Version
Now everyone knows that the more important person blesses the less important person.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

Legacy Standard Bible
But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

Berean Standard Bible
And indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

Contemporary English Version
Everyone agrees that a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.

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

Darby Translation
But beyond all gainsaying, the inferior is blessed by the better.

Easy-to-Read Version
And everyone knows that the more important person always blesses the less important person.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And without all contradiction the lesse is blessed of the greater.

George Lamsa Translation
Beyond dispute: he who was less was blessed by him who was greater than himself.

Good News Translation
There is no doubt that the one who blesses is greater than the one who is blessed.

Lexham English Bible
Now without any dispute the inferior is blessed by the more prominent.

Literal Translation
But without contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better.

Amplified Bible
Yet it is beyond all dispute that the lesser person is always blessed by the greater one.

American Standard Version
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.

Hebrew Names Version
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.

International Standard Version
It is beyond dispute that the less important person is blessed by the more important person.

Etheridge Translation
But, without controversy, he who is less is blessed by one who is Greater than himself.

Murdock Translation
But it is beyond controversy, that the inferior is blessed by his superior.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And without all controuersie, the lesse is blessed of the better.

English Revised Version
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.

World English Bible
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the greater.

Weymouth's New Testament
And beyond all dispute it is always the inferior who is blessed by the superior.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
With outen ony ayenseiyng, that that is lesse, is blessid of the betere.

Update Bible Version
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.

Webster's Bible Translation
And without all contradiction the less is blessed by the better.

New English Translation
Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior,

New King James Version
Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.

New Living Translation
And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

New Life Bible
The one who shows respect is always greater than the one who receives it.

New Revised Standard
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, apart from all gainsaying, the less, by the greater, is blessed.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And without all contradiction, that which is less is blessed by the better.

Revised Standard Version
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And no man denyeth but that which is lesse receaveth blessinge of yt which is greater.

Young's Literal Translation
and apart from all controversy, the less by the better is blessed --

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now is it so without all naysayenge, that the lesse receaueth blessynge of ye better.

Mace New Testament (1729)
now 'tis past dispute, he that is blessed is inferior to him that blesses:

Simplified Cowboy Version
So if you're following along, consider this, the one who does the blessing is greater than the one who gets the blessing.

Contextual Overview

¹ For this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who gave Abraham his blessing, meeting him when he came back after putting the kings to death, ² And to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to say, King of peace; ³ Being without father or mother, or family, having no birth or end to his life, being made like the Son of God, is a priest for ever. ⁴ Now see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of what he had got in the fight. ⁵ And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham. ⁶ But this man, who was not of their family, took the tenth from Abraham, and gave a blessing to him to whom God had given his undertaking. ⁷ But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater. ⁸ Now at the present time, men over whom death has power take the tenth; but then it was taken by one of whom it is witnessed that he is living. ⁹ And we may say that in Abraham, even Levi, who has a right to take the tenth part, gave it; ¹⁰ Because he was still in his father's body when Melchizedek came to him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

without: 1 Timothy 3:16

the less: Hebrews 11:20, Hebrews 11:21, Genesis 27:20-40, Genesis 28:1-4, Genesis 47:7-10, Genesis 48:15-20, Genesis 49:28, Numbers 6:23-27, Deuteronomy 32:1, 2 Samuel 6:20, 1 Kings 8:55, 2 Chronicles 30:27, Luke 24:50, Luke 24:51, 2 Corinthians 13:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 14:19 - he blessed Genesis 47:10 - General Exodus 40:15 - everlasting Leviticus 9:22 - his hand Joshua 22:6 - General 1 Chronicles 16:2 - he blessed Isaiah 9:16 - led of them Luke 2:34 - blessed

Cross-References

Genesis 6:18
But with you I will make an agreement; and you will come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

Genesis 7:1
And the Lord said to Noah, Take all your family and go into the ark, for you only in this generation have I seen to be upright.

Genesis 7:13
On the same day Noah, with Shem, Ham, and Japheth, his sons, and his wife and his sons' wives, went into the ark;

Genesis 7:15
They went with Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which is the breath of life.

Proverbs 22:3
The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.

Matthew 24:38
Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,

Luke 17:27
They were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day of the overflowing of the waters, when Noah went into the ark, and they all came to destruction.

Hebrews 6:18
So that we, who have gone in flight from danger to the hope which has been put before us, may have a strong comfort in two unchanging things, in which it is not possible for God to be false;

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith.

1 Peter 3:20
Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the greater. This is a self-evident truth, and is undeniable; it admits of no controversy, and cannot be gainsaid, that he that blesseth is greater in that respect than he that is blessed by him; as the priests were greater in their office than the people who were blessed by them; and so Melchizedek, as a priest of the most high God, and as blessing Abraham, was greater than he; and so must be greater than the Levites, who sprung from him; and his priesthood be more excellent than theirs; and consequently Christ, his antitype, and who was of his order, must be greater too; which is the design of the apostle throughout the whole of his reasoning.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And without all contradiction - It is an admitted principle; a point about which there can be no dispute.

The less is blessed of the better - The act of pronouncing a blessing is understood to imply superiority of rank, age, or station. So when a father lays his hand on his children and blesses them, it is understood to be the act of one superior in age, venerableness, and authority; when a prophet pronounced a blessing on the people, the same thing was understood, and the same is true also when a minister of religion pronounces a blessing on a congregation. It is the act of one who is understood to sustain an office above the people on whom the blessing is pronounced. This was understood of the Saviour when parents brought their children to him to lay his hands on them and bless them Matthew 19:13; and the same was true of Jacob when dying he blessed the sons of Joseph; Hebrews 11:21; Genesis 48:5-20. The word “less” here means the one of inferior rank; who is less in office, honor, or age. It does not imply inferiority of moral or religious character, for this is not the point under consideration. The word “better” means one who is of superior office or rank, not one who has necessarily a purer or holier character. That Melchizedek was thus superior to Abraham, Paul says, is implied by the very declaration that he “blessed him.” It is also seen to be true by the whole comparison. Abraham was a petty prince; an “Emir” - the head of a company of Nomades, or migratory shepherds, having, it is true, a large number of dependants, but still not having the rank here given to Melchizedek. Though called “a prophet” Genesis 20:7, yet he is nowhere called either a priest or a king. In these respects, it was undoubted that he was inferior to Melchizedek.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hebrews 7:7. The less is blessed of the better. — That the superior blesses the inferior is a general proposition; but Abraham was blessed of Melchisedec, therefore Melchisedec was greater than Abraham. "The blessing here spoken of," says Dr. Macknight, "is not the simple wishing of good to others, which may be done by inferiors to superiors; but it is the action of a person authorized to declare God's intention to bestow good things on another. In this manner Isaac and Jacob blessed their children under a prophetic impulse; in this manner the priests under the law blessed the people; in this manner, likewise, Melchisedec, the priest of the most high God, blessed Abraham."