Hebrews 7:2

Abraham gave a tenth. See on Gen. 14:20. Abraham would not have given Melchisedec a tenth of all had he not known him to be a priest, and hence to have a right to receive the tithe.

There has been much discussion as to who Melchisedec was. Information concerning him is meager. He is mentioned in the OT only in Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110:4, and in the NT only in the book of Hebrews. There are some who believe that He was Christ; others, the Holy Spirit; others, Shem; still others, a supernatural being from another world. In the absence of good evidence for any of these positions, this commentary holds that Melchisedec was one of the contemporaries of Abraham, king of one of the small principalities of that time (see on Gen. 14:18). He is set forth in Hebrews as a type of Christ, a representation based on the Messianic prediction in Ps. 110:4.

King of righteousness. Attention is called to the name because of its significance when applied to the Messiah (see on Ps. 72:3; 85:10).

King of Salem. See on Gen. 14:18.

Peace. A term appropriately applied to the Messiah (see Isa. 9:5, 6; Zech. 9:10). See Ps. 72:3; 85:10, where righteousness and peace are mentioned together as characteristics of the Messianic kingdom.