The ‘Melchizedek’ That Baffled the Jews: Understanding His Significance
Melchizedek is a mysterious figure in the Bible, mentioned only twice in the Old Testament, yet he plays a pivotal role in both Jewish and Christian thought. His story raises fascinating theological questions, especially concerning the nature of priesthood, kingship, and divine intervention.
Melchizedek is mentioned only 2 times in the Old Testament:
Genesis 14:18-19 – Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
This Melchizedek is so remarkable that even Abraham, one of the most revered figures in history—the very patriarch with whom God made His covenant—recognizes his greatness and reveres the same one true God by offering him a tithe, a tenth of all his possessions.
Psalms 110:4 – The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. ”
Melchizedek’s greatness is underscored by several key factors: (1) he is mentioned in a Messianic Psalm, (2) which speaks of David’s Lord—who is also David’s Son—being greater than David himself, and (3) this Messiah, though a descendant of David and a king, also functions as a priest under Melchizedek’s priesthood.
Interestingly, according to the Law (Num. 3:5-10), a king could not be a priest. Kings were only to be from the line of Judah and Priests only from the line of Levi. To reconcile this, the Messiah’s priesthood is described as being “after the order of Melchizedek,” not the Levitical priesthood. As Hebrews 7:13-15 explains, Jesus, being from the tribe of Judah—the royal line—was not qualified to serve as a priest according to the Levitical system, but His priesthood is in the same eternal, divine order as Melchizedek’s.
So what makes this Melchizedek so great that David’s Lord is after his order?
In the 5th century, the Jews introduced vowel markings to their Hebrew texts known as the Masoretic Text. These vowel markings were crucial in determining the meaning of certain passages, including Psalm 110:4. For instance, one can add vowel markings to vocalize: “You are a priest after the order of Melchizedek.” However, vowel markings can also be added to the text to vocalize it differently to read: “You are a priest after My order, O Melchizedek.“
This second reading suggests that the entire verse is speaking directly about Melchizedek, implying that he, having transcended death, reigns as both Lord and Priest in heaven.
As a matter of fact, certain Jews before and during Christ’s time held this interpretation. Their views are found in the Melchizedek Scroll from Cave 11 at Qumran. The scroll presents a fascinating perspective, which identifies Melchizedek as a divine figure, atoning for sins and executing judgment—applying verses reserved for God Himself to Melchizedek. (For further details, see The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated by Florentino Garcia Martinez, pp. 139-140, or The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by Geza Vermes, pp. 532-534.)
This particular document is significant because it offers valuable insight into the beliefs of the community that created it—believed to be the Essenes, though it is also commonly referred to as the Qumran community or the Covenanteers. It provides a window into their understanding of the nature of God and their commitment to monotheism. Furthermore, it helps illuminate the historical and cultural context of the New Testament, shedding light on the theological environment in which early Christian ideas began to take shape.
Here is the contents of the scroll:
2:1. […]
2:2. […] and as for what he said (Leviticus 25:13): ‘In [this] year of jubilee [each of you shall return to his ancestral land holding,’ concerning it he said (Deuteronomy 15:2): ‘And th]is is
2:3. [the manner of the remission:] every creditor shall remit what he has lent [his neighbor or his brother, for it has been proclaimed] a remission
2:4. of Go[d.’ Its interpretation] for the final days concerns the captives, who […] and whose
2:5. teachers have been hidden and kept secret, and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, fo[r …] and they are the inheritan[ce of Melchize]dek, who
2:6. will make them return. And liberty shall be proclaimed to them, to free them from [the debt of] all their iniquities. And this [wil]l [happen]
2:7. in the first week of the jubilee (that occurs) after [the] ni[ne] jubilees. And the D[ay of Atone]ment i[s] the e[nd of] the tenth [ju]bilee,
2:8. in which atonement shall be made for all the Sons of [Light and for] the men [of] the lot of Mel[chi]zedek […] over [th]em […] accor[ding to] a[ll] their [doing]s, for
2:9. it is the time for the year of grace of Melchizedek and of [his] arm[ies, the nati]on [of] the holy ones of God, of the administration of justice, as is written
2:10. about him in the songs of David, who said (Psalm 82:1): ‘Elohim shall [st]and in the ass[embly of God]; in the midst of the gods he shall judge.’ And about him he sa[id (Psalm 7:8-9): ‘And] above [it,]
2:11. to the heights, return: God shall judge the nations.’ And as for what he s[aid (Psalm 82:2): ‘How long will you] judge unjustly, and be par[tial] to the wick[e]d. [Se]lah,’
2:12. the interpretation of it concerns Belial and the spirits of his lot wh[o …], in [the]ir tur[ning] away from God’s commandments to [commit evil].
2:13. And Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of Go[d]’s judgments, [and on that day he will f]r[ee them from the hand of] Belial and from the hand of all the s[pirits of his lot.]
2:14. And all the gods [of justice] are in his assistance; [and h]e is (the one) wh[o …] all the sons of God, and he will [….
2:15. This …] is the day of the [peace ab]out which he said [through Isa]iah the prophet who said (Isaiah 52:7): [‘How] beautiful
2:16. upon (the) mountains are the feet [of] the messen[ger who an]nounces peace, the mes[senger of good who announces salvati]on, [sa]ying to Zion: your God [is king’].
2:17. Its interpretation: ‘the mountains’ [are] the prophet[s]; they […] every [….]
2:18. And ‘the messenger’ i[s] the anointed of the spir[it], as Dan[iel] said [about him (Daniel 9:25-26): ‘Until an anointed, a prince, it is seven weeks.’ And ‘the messenger of]
2:19. good who announ[ces salvation]’ is the one about whom it is written (Isaiah 61:2-3), [ …
2:20. ‘To comfort] the [afflicted,’ its interpretation]: to [in]struct them in all the ages of the w[orld
2:21. in truth …
2:22. …] has turned away from Belial and shall retu[rn to …
2:23. …] in the judgment[s of] God, as is written about him (Isaiah 52:7): [‘saying to Zi]on: your God is king.’ [‘Zi]on’ i[s
2:24. the congregation of all the sons of justice, who] establish the covenant, who avoid walking [on the p]ath of the people. And ‘your G[o]d’ is
2:25. [Melchizedek who will fr]ee [them from the han]d of Belial. And as for what he said (Leviticus 25:9): ‘And you shall blow the ho[rn in] all the [l]and (of) ….
A careful analysis of the Melchizedek Scroll reveals that its author(s) presented Melchizedek as both identical with and distinct from Yahweh God. For example, Psalm 82:1 describes God (Elohim) standing in the divine assembly to judge other gods (Elohim), and this action is attributed to Melchizedek in the scroll. Similarly, Psalm 7:7-8, which speaks of Yahweh’s role in judgment, is applied to Melchizedek, thereby identifying him with Yahweh (El). Furthermore, the well-known statement from Isaiah 52:7, “Your God (Elohim) reigns,” is interpreted by the scroll’s author(s) as a reference to Melchizedek reigning as God Himself.
Perhaps most strikingly, Melchizedek is depicted as one who atones for the sins of the righteous—an act traditionally associated with God alone. These divine actions of atonement and judgment underscore the unique and exalted role that Melchizedek plays in this Jewish text, elevating him to a position of both priestly and divine significance.
Some have responded by arguing that he is merely referred to as Elohim or El in the sense of a judge or angel. The main issue is that the Melchizedek Scroll doesn’t just use these titles for him—it explicitly identifies him as Yahweh by quoting Old Testament texts that, in their original context, refer to the one true God. Specifically, the scroll draws from Psalm 7:7-8, Psalm 82:1, Isaiah 52:7, and Isaiah 61:1-3—all passages that speak of Yahweh’s divine actions. In doing so, the writer(s) of the scroll don’t just imply a connection between Melchizedek and God but directly identify him with Yahweh Himself, a point acknowledged in the following source:
“… For our author Melchizedek is an enormously exalted divine being, to whom are applied names that are generally reserved for God alone, the Hebrew names el and elohim. In the author’s citation of Isaiah 61:2, which speaks of “the year of the LORD’s favor,” “Melchizedek” is substituted even for the most holy name of Israel’s God, Yahweh. Yet more remarkably, Melchizedek is said to atone for the sins of the righteous and to execute judgment upon the wicked – actions usually associated with God himself. By the power of Melchizedek, dominion on earth shall pass from Satan (here called Belial) to the righteous Sons of Light.
(Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, translated and with commentary, 130. The Coming Of Melchizedek, p. 591)
The Melchizedek Scroll then makes a connection between Melchizedek and the Anointed One (Messiah) of Daniel 9:25-26:
“Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.”
(Daniel 9:25-26, NKJV)
Notably, the Dead Sea Scrolls suggest that the Qumran community was expecting at least two Messiahs—one from the lineage of David and the other from the priestly line of Aaron. This raises the possibility that the writer(s) of the Melchizedek Scroll saw Melchizedek as either the Davidic Messiah or the priestly Messiah from Aaron’s line. Given that Melchizedek is portrayed as performing priestly functions, such as making atonement, the latter seems more likely.
However, for Melchizedek to function as either of these Messianic figures, it would imply that the community believed he was a human being—a descendant of either King David or Aaron.
Yet, the main issue with this interpretation is that the scroll clearly presents Melchizedek as a heavenly figure, one who presides in the divine assembly of heaven. This suggests that the Qumran covenanteers might have envisioned a time when Melchizedek would take on human form. In other words, it is plausible that they believed Melchizedek was originally a divine being from heaven who descended to earth as a man to rule in Salem—thus merging his heavenly and earthly roles. This interpretation would reconcile his dual nature as both priest and king in the context of their Messianic expectations.
If this interpretation of the Melchizedek Scroll is correct, it suggests that some members of the Qumran community had no issue with the concept of a being who was both Divine and human—a God-man. At the very least, the scroll provides evidence that certain Jewish sects believed the unity of God didn’t exclude the possibility of a plurality of Divine Personalities. After all, the authors of this text didn’t see any conflict between their commitment to biblical monotheism and their identification of Melchizedek with Yahweh God. This implies they believed God’s unity was complex enough to encompass multiple Divine Persons functioning in unity.
It’s important to clarify that we do not endorse the specific views held by these Jews regarding Melchizedek’s role in the end times. Our appeal to the scroll is not to validate their Messianic expectations, but to show that the New Testament teaching on God’s uni-plurality wasn’t entirely foreign to the Judaism of Jesus’ time—at least to certain strands of it.
The belief that Jesus is both identical with and distinct from Yahweh God, or that He is both Divine and human, would not have been entirely shocking or alien to some Jewish groups. What would have truly shocked them, however, was the idea that a historical figure like Jesus—a man from Nazareth—could actually be God in the flesh. For Jews of Jesus’ day, the real stumbling block wasn’t the concept of God’s unity being so complex as to include multiple Divine Persons; it was the idea that Jesus, whom they saw as merely human, could also be God (see John 10:30-33).
It took something earth-shattering—like Jesus’ bodily resurrection to immortality (Acts 2:22-24, 30-36; 3:13-19; Romans 1:1-4)—to convince His disciples that He was not merely a man, but God who chose to take on human form for the redemption of His people. His resurrection proved that Jesus was no ordinary mortal, but the Divine God-man, fulfilling the ancient prophecies in a way no one could have anticipated.
Furthermore, not only does the New Testament ascribe Deity to Christ, but the inspired writers also attribute to Him the very roles that the Melchizedek Scroll assigns to Melchizedek. For example:
- Christ is the one who comes with His angelic hosts to judge both angels and men (Matthew 25:31-46, Acts 17:30-31, Revelation 19:11-21).
- Christ is the one who defeats the devil and his works (2 Thessalonians 2:3-11, Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8).
- Christ is the one who makes atonement for God’s people, functioning as their High Priest before the Father (Hebrews 2:16-18, 4:15-16, 9:23-28).
- Moreover, some of the very Old Testament texts cited by the scroll, such as Isaiah 52:7 and 61:1-3, are applied to Christ and His apostles, whom He sent to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News (Luke 4:16-21, Romans 10:9-17).
From these examples, it’s abundantly clear that the writers of the New Testament were convinced that Jesus—not Melchizedek—was the appointed Agent of God who ushers in the last days and fulfills the promises of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus, as both Divine and human, is the ultimate fulfillment of the roles anticipated by Melchizedek in the ancient Jewish texts.
If Joseph Fitzmyer, a prominent biblical scholar, is correct in asserting that Melchizedek is not the Davidic Messiah, the members of the Qumran community may have believed him to be the priestly Messiah from the line of Aaron, especially since Melchizedek is depicted as making atonement for God’s people. However, this position is somewhat unlikely, given that the community was aware that Melchizedek functioned as a priest during the time of Abraham—long before the Levitical priesthood was established by God.
This leads us to consider the possibility of another Messiah—the Davidic one. In light of this, Fitzmyer’s view that Melchizedek is not the Davidic Messiah may be incorrect. The Qumran community may indeed have seen Melchizedek as the Davidic Messiah.
However, this interpretation also faces challenges. The same objection applies here as with the notion of Melchizedek being a priestly Messiah from the line of Aaron: the fact that Melchizedek existed centuries before David was born seems to rule out the possibility of him being the Messiah from David’s line.
The remaining option is to consider Melchizedek as a separate, distinct Messianic figure altogether—one that is neither the Davidic nor the Aaronic Messiah. This would align with the idea that the Qumran community anticipated the arrival of three distinct Messiahs: a heavenly Messiah, a royal Messiah, and a priestly Messiah. Alternatively, it’s possible that the authors of these scrolls held conflicting views or were uncertain about the role of Melchizedek in relation to the Messiah.
From a New Testament perspective, Hebrews 7:1-3 presents Melchizedek as a shadow of Christ, with Jesus being the fulfillment of what Melchizedek prefigured:
This Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “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, remains a priest continually.
(Hebrews 7:1-3, NKJV)
Melchizedek is portrayed in such a way by the biblical authors that the details of his life are deliberately left vague, allowing him to serve as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. Moses’ restriction to mention any genealogical information, no mention of father or mother, and no recorded beginning or end to Melchizedek’s life were all intentional, allowing him to resemble Christ in a unique way. Even his name, which means “king of righteousness”, and his title “king of peace”, mirror the characteristics of Jesus—who is called the Prince of Peace and the Righteous One. His bringing of bread and wine to Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20) also foreshadows Christ’s institution of the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-28).