An Early Priest Upon His Throne

“Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High” (Hebrews 7:1 ASV)

About four millennia ago, it appears that the Sumerian king of the third dynasty of Ur, named Ur‑Nammu, sent some of his citizens, including Terah and family, to the western territory he (and his three allies) had just conquered. Whether as an occupation force or commercial post is not stated. The former is more likely, in that Abram later had 318 “trained men” (Genesis 14:14).

Fourteen years later Terah’s son, Abram (later Abraham) had to rescue his nephew from the Eastern‑force reconquest.¹ Abram made a surprise attack; the eastern forces were overwhelmed, and King Ur‑Nammu (Amraphel) “had been abandoned on the battle field like a crushed vessel.”²

Melchizedek, king and priest of Salem (later Jerusalem) was grateful to the victorious Abram and brought out “bread and wine” to greet him. (This is the first hint in Scripture of Christian Memorial emblems.) And to him, Abram, the progenitor of Levi, paid tithes of the war.

“Melchizedek” means “king of righteousness.” As King of Salem, he is “king of peace.” Both names apply later to Jesus Christ.

Who is Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:3 says, he is “without father, without mother, without descent (genealogy), having neither beginning of days, nor end of life” (KJV) Is he non‑human? No. (Hebrews can understand, but it is difficult for those who speak European languages.)

Twentieth Century New Testament (TCNT) says, “There is no record of his father, or mother, or lineage, nor again of any beginning of his days or end of his life.”³ Melchizedek was a real‑life human being, whether an Elamite (from Shem) or a Canaanite. Being grateful to Abram, for vanquishing Elam, likely implies he was not an Elamite. Yet, what is significant is that he was unique.

Melchizedek, a Type of Christ

The Psalmist prophesies, “Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). “He was priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18).⁴ His priesthood has no record of predecessor nor successor. He was of higher rank than Abram/Abraham, and hence than the Levitical priesthood, which descended from Abram. (Hebrews 5:5‑6, 6:20, 7:1‑21.)

Jesus Christ had no parentage in any priesthood, nor will there be another after him, because He is “a priest forever.” And with His new priesthood there will be a change of Law for the world: “After those days, saith Jehovah, I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Hebrews 7:12, Jeremiah 31:34).

(1) In the first war the Eastern forces in the north had been led by Ur‑Nammu (Amraphel), but the later reconquest in the Jordan Valley was led by the Elamite king, Kedor‑Laghomer. This implies which territories were being occupied by each king. Ur‑Nammu claims conquering the West in his fourth year, and he is killed in his eighteenth year, consistent with Genesis 14.
(2) Samuel Noah Kramer, The Sumerians, U. Chicago Press, 1963. page 130.
(3) At least twenty other translations virtually agree, including: Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), New European Version (NEV), TEV, 2001 — An American English Bible, Translator’s New Testament (TNT), Ferrar Fenton, Simple English Bible (SEB), The Voice, Amplified, Barclay, God’s Word, New Living Translation (NLT), New Century Version (NCV), Christian Community Bible, RVIC, while Lamsa (from Aramaic) is close.
(4) This office does not violate Amos 3:1‑2, “O children of Israel … You only have I known of all the families of the earth,” because Melchizedek was two generations before Jacob / Israel, the father of the tribes of Israel.