The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible Hebrews 7:3
Without father, without mother, without descent…
Which
is to be understood not of his person, but of his priesthood; that his
father was not a priest, nor did his mother descend from any in that
office; nor had he either a predecessor or a successor in it, as
appears from any authentic accounts: or this is to be interpreted, not
of his natural, but scriptural being; for no doubt, as he was a mere
man, he had a father, and a mother, and a natural lineage and descent;
but of these no mention is made in Scripture, and therefore said to be
without them; and so the Syriac version renders it; "whose father and
mother are not written in the genealogies"; or there is no genealogical
account of them. The Arabic writers tell us who his father and his
mother were; some of them say that Peleg was his father: so Elmacinus
{d}, his words are these; Peleg lived after he begat Rehu two hundred
and nine years; afterwards he begat Melchizedek, the priest whom we
have now made mention of. Patricides F5, another of their writers,
expresses himself after this manner
``they who say Melchizedek had neither beginning of days,
nor end of life, and argue from the words of the Apostle
Paul, asserting the same, do not rightly understand the
saying of the Apostle Paul; for Shem, the son of Noah,
after he had taken Melchizedek, and withdrew him from his
parents, did not set down in writing how old he was, when
he went into the east, nor what was his age when he died;
but Melchizedek was the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the
son of Salah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the
son of Shem, the son of Noah; and yet none of those
patriarchs is called his father. This only the Apostle
Paul means, that none of his family served in the temple,
nor were children and tribes assigned to him. Matthew and
Luke the evangelists only relate the heads of tribes:
hence the Apostle Paul does not write the name of his
father, nor the name of his mother.''
And with these writers Sahid Aben Batric F6 agrees, who expressly
affirms that Melchizedek was (glap Nba) , "the son of Peleg": though
others of them make him to be the son of Peleg's son, whose name was
Heraclim. The Arabic Catena F7 on (Genesis 10:25) , "the name of one was
Peleg", has this note in the margin;
``and this (Peleg) was the father of Heraclim, the father of
Melchizedek;''
and in a preceding chapter, his pedigree is more particularly set
forth:
``Melchizedek was the son of Heraclim, the son of Peleg,
the son of Eber; and his mother's name was Salathiel, the
daughter of Gomer, the son of Japheth, the son of Noah; and
Heraclim, the son of Eber, married his wife Salathiel, and
she was with child, and brought forth a son, and called
his name Melchizedek, called also king of Salem: after
this the genealogy is set down at length. Melchizedek, son
of Heraclim, which was the son of Peleg, which was the son
of Eber, which was the son of Arphaxad… till you come
to, which was the son of Adam, on whom be peace.''
It is very probable Epiphanius has regard to this tradition, when he
observes F8, that some say that the father of Melchizedek was
called Eracla, and his mother Astaroth, the same with Asteria. Some
Greek F9 writers say he was of the lineage of Sidus, the son of
Aegyptus, a king of Lybia, from whence the Egyptians are called:
this Sidus, they say, came out of Egypt into the country of the
Canaanitish nations, now called Palestine, and subdued it, and
dwelled in it, and built a city, which he called Sidon, after his
own name: but all this is on purpose concealed, that he might be a
more apparent of Christ, who, as man, is "without father"; for
though, as God, he has a Father, and was never without one, being
begotten by him, and was always with him, and in him; by whom he was
sent, from whom he came, and whither he is gone; to whom he is the
way, and with whom he is an advocate: yet, as man, he had no father;
Joseph was his reputed father only; nor was the Holy Ghost his
Father; nor is he ever said to be begotten as man, but was born of a
virgin. Some of the Jewish writers themselves say, that the
Redeemer, whom God will raise up, shall be without father F10. And
he is without mother, though not in a spiritual sense, every
believer being so to him as such; nor in a natural sense, as man, for
the Virgin Mary was his mother; but in a divine sense, as God: and
he is "without descent or genealogy"; not as man, for there is a
genealogical account of him as such, in (Matthew 1:1-17) (Luke 3:23-38)
and his pedigree and kindred were well known to the Jews; but as
God; and this distinguishes him from the gods of the Heathens, who
were genealogized by them, as may be seen in Hesiod, Apollodorus,
Hyginus, and other writers; and this condemns the blasphemous
genealogies of the Gnostics and Valentinians. It follows,
having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
that is, there is
no account which shows when he was born, or when he died; and in
this he was a type of Christ, who has no beginning of days, was
from the beginning, and in the beginning, and is the beginning, and
was from everlasting; as appears from his nature as God, from his
names, from his office as Mediator, and from his concern in the
council and covenant of peace, and in the election of his people;
and he has no end of life, both as God and man; he is the living
God; and though as man he died once, he will die no more, but lives
for ever. It is further said of Melchizedek,
but made like unto the Son of God:
in the above things; from whence
it appears, that he is not the Son of God; and that Christ, as the
Son of God, existed before him, and therefore could not take this
character from his incarnation or resurrection:
abideth a priest continually;
not in person, but in his antitype
Christ Jesus; for there never will be any change of Christ's
priesthood; nor will it ever be transferred to another; the virtue
and efficacy of it will continue for ever; and he will ever live to
make intercession; and will always bear the glory of his being both
priest and King upon his throne: the Syriac version renders it, "his
priesthood abides for ever"; which is true both of Melchizedek and
of Christ.
FOOTNOTES:
F4 In Hottinger. Smegma Orientale, l. 1. c. 8. p. 269, 254.
F5 In ib. p. 305, 306, 254.
F6 In Mr. Gregory's Preface to his Works.
F7 In ib.
F8 Contra Haeres. Haeres. 55.
F9 Suidas in voce Melchisedec, Malala, l. 3. Glycas, Cedrenus, & alii.
F10 R. Moses Hadarsan apud Galatin. l. 3. c. 17. & l. 8. c. 2.
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Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography Information
Gill, John. "Commentary on Hebrews 7:3". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". <http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=heb&chapter=007&verse=003>. 1999.
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