7:4

to whom Abraham . . . gave a tenth out of the best spoils: The Mosaic Law required that the Israelites pay a tenth, or tithe, of the produce of the land to support the tribe of Levi, but that began some five centuries after Abraham’s day. (Nu 18:21, 24) When Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoil, he did so, not because a law required it, but because he recognized that Jehovah had given Melchizedek the authority to serve as a “priest of the Most High God.” (Heb 7:1) The Genesis record says that Abraham gave Melchizedek “a tenth of everything,” referring to the spoils of Abraham’s victory over a coalition of four kings. (Ge 14:9, 18-20) Paul here adds the detail “a tenth out of the best spoils.” Clearly, Abraham viewed Melchizedek as worthy of the highest honor.

Abraham, the family head: Many translations here use the word “patriarch,” (from the Greek word pa·tri·arʹkhes, which Paul uses here), meaning “father of a tribe or nation.” (See study note on Ac 7:8.) During his life, Abraham was both the ruler and the religious leader of his large family group. The whole nation of Israel, including its priestly and royal lines, came from him. Thus, Abraham was greater than the Levitical priests who descended from him. Yet, as Paul shows here, the patriarch Abraham humbly honored Melchizedek, recognizing that king-priest as being greater. (Heb 7:1, 2) Paul reasons that the King and High Priest whom Melchizedek pictured, Jesus Christ, must be even greater.​—See study note on Heb 4:14.