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Bible Question: Was Melchizedek a man or a type of Christ? Was he actually Christ in a pre-incarnate state?
Bible Answer: Melchizedek shows up in just three books of the Bible: Genesis, Psalms and Hebrews and nowhere else.
Melchizedek In Genesis. The first one, Genesis 14:18-20, tells us that Melchizedek was a king and a priest. He and Jesus Christ are the only individuals the Bible says were both a king (Gen. 14:18; Matt. 27:11) and a priest (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 2:17). Genesis 14:18-20 tells us that the king of Salem, Melchizedek, was a priest of the Most High God. He was not a pagan priest, but a priest of the one and only, true God. Melchizedek must have enjoyed the name king of Salem since the name of Salem means "peace." It is the old name for Jerusalem (Ps. 76:2). If we only read Genesis, we would assume he was a man.
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And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of all. (NASB) Genesis 14:18-20 |
Melchizedek In Hebrews. But the book of Hebrews creates a question about him when it says the following:
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For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually. (NASB) Hebrews 7:1-3 |
We must ask ourselves what does scripture mean by "Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually?" At a first reading it sounds like Melchizedek is not human but deity. But the Greek language helps us unscramble this passage. The Greek word for "made like" is APHOMOIOO. It is a rare Greek word and occurs in the Bible only here in Hebrews 7:3. The word means "to copy or model." The word was used to refer to a woodcarver who made a piece of wood to look "like" an ordinary animal. The wood was not made into an animal but looked like the animal. In the same way, Melchizedek was not Jesus but he is like Jesus. He is a type or picture of Jesus Christ. |
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