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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Hebrews 7:7

And everyone knows that the more important person always blesses the less important person.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abraham;   Benedictions;   Melchizedek;   Priest;   Succession;   Tithes;   Types;   Scofield Reference Index - Sacrifice;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Types of Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Melchizedek;   Priest;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Blessing;   Tithes;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Blessing;   Fulfillment;   Priest, Christ as;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Covenant;   Offices of Christ;   Preaching;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Blessing;   Hebrews, the Epistle to the;   Patriarchs;   Tithes;   Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Christ, Christology;   Hebrews;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hebrews, Epistle to;   Melchizedek;   Quotations;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hebrews Epistle to the;   Mediator;   Priest (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Blessing;   Melchisedec, Melchizedek ;   Tithes;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Paul;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Contradiction;   Hebrews, Epistle to the;   Priest, High;   Priesthood in the New Testament;  

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.
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.
Bible in Basic English
But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater.
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 Melchizedek was the king of Salem and a priest for God the Most High. He met Abraham when Abraham was coming back after defeating the kings. That day Melchizedek blessed him. 2 Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had. The name Melchizedek, king of Salem, has two meanings. First, Melchizedek means "king of justice." And "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3 No one knows who his father or mother was or where he came from. And no one knows when he was born or when he died. Melchizedek is like the Son of God in that he will always be a priest. 4 You can see that Melchizedek was very great. Abraham, our great ancestor, gave him a tenth of everything he won in battle. 5 Now the law says that those from the tribe of Levi who become priests must get a tenth from their own people, even though they and their people are both from the family of Abraham. 6 Melchizedek was not even from the tribe of Levi, but Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. And Melchizedek blessed Abraham—the one who had God's promises. 7 And everyone knows that the more important person always blesses the less important person. 8 Those priests get a tenth, but they are only men who live and then die. But Melchizedek, who got a tenth from Abraham, continues to live, as the Scriptures say. 9 Now those from the family of Levi are the ones who get a tenth from the people. But we can say that when Abraham paid Melchizedek a tenth, then Levi also paid it. 10 Levi was not yet born, but he already existed in his ancestor Abraham when Melchizedek met 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
I will make a special agreement with you. You, your wife, your sons, and their wives will all go into the boat.
Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, "I have seen that you are a good man, even among the evil people of this time. So gather your family, and all of you go into the boat.
Genesis 7:15
All these animals went into the boat with Noah. They came in groups of two from every kind of animal that had the breath of life.
Proverbs 22:3
Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way, but fools go straight to it and suffer for it.
Matthew 24:38
In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married right up to the day Noah entered the boat.
Luke 17:27
People were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and killed them all.
Hebrews 6:18
These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours.
Hebrews 11:7
Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.
1 Peter 3:20
Those were the spirits who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah. God was waiting patiently for people while Noah was building the big boat. And only a few—eight in all—were saved in the boat through the floodwater.
2 Peter 2:5
And God punished the evil people who lived long ago. He brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against God. But he saved Noah and seven other people with him. Noah was a man who told people about living right.

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."


 
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