Hebrews 7:9

9 Ultimately you could even say that since Levi descended from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek,

Hebrews 7:9 Meaning and Commentary

Hebrews 7:9

And as l may so say
With truth, and with great propriety and pertinence:

Levi also who receiveth tithes;
or the Levites, who receive tithes according to the law of Moses from the people of Israel:

paid tithes in Abraham;
that is, to Melchizedek; and therefore Melchizedek must be greater than they, and his priesthood a more excellent one than theirs; since they who receive tithes from others gave tithes to him.

Hebrews 7:9 In-Context

7 In acts of blessing, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

8 Or look at it this way: We pay our tithes to priests who die, but Abraham paid tithes to a priest who, the Scripture says, "lives."

9 Ultimately you could even say that since Levi descended from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek,

10 when we pay tithes to the priestly tribe of Levi they end up with Melchizedek.

11 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn't have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek.