And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
20. blessed be God Most High ] “praised be El Elyon.” The verb has a different sense when applied to the Deity from what it has when applied to man. To “bless God” means devoutly to acknowledge, that He has been the source of goodness which demands man’s thankfulness and praise. Melchizedek blesses the God, whose priest he is, for the great victory which his God has granted Abram.
And he gave him a tenth of all ] Note once more a change of subject. It is Abram who gives Melchizedek a tenth part “of all,” i.e. the spoil; not of his own property, as he was at a distance from home, and was only in light marching order. The custom of paying a tithe, or tenth part, to the priesthood, or to the sanctuary, was very general in ancient times. Traces of it are found in Assyria and Babylonia. It prevailed among the Greeks. For the custom in Israel, see note on Gen 28:22. Abram, the father of the Israelite people, performs symbolically an action which recognizes for future time their obligation to the sanctuary of Jerusalem.
The two statements that Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, (1) blessed Abram, (2) received tithes from Abram, led to the figurative employment of Melchizedek in Psa 110:4 as the ideal of a priest-king appointed by God to rule over the kingdom of Judah; and in Heb 5:9; Heb 7:4, as the type of the great kingly High Priest, raised above the Aaronic priesthood, at once king and priest receiving tithe from Abram, who impersonated the people and religion of Israel. See Special Note in the chapter comments for Genesis 14
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 20. And he gave him tithes] A tenth part of all the spoils he had taken from the confederate kings. These Abram gave as a tribute to the most high God, who, being the possessor of heaven and earth, dispenses all spiritual and temporal favours, and demands the gratitude, and submissive, loving obedience, of all his subjects. Almost all nations of the earth have agreed in giving a tenth part of their property to be employed in religious uses. The tithes were afterwards granted to the Levites for the use of the sanctuary, and the maintenance of themselves and their families, as they had no other inheritance in Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Not Melchizedek gave to Abram, as some Jews foolishly understand it; for Abram swears that he would not keep nor take any of the recovered goods of the kings of Sodom, or his brethren, Gen 14:23. But Abram gave to Melchizedek, as appears both from Heb 4:7, and from the nature of the thing, for the tithes confessedly belong to the priest, such as Melchizedek, and not Abram, is here described to be.
All, not of all the recovered goods, but of all the spoils taken from the enemies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. he gave him tithes of allHereis an evidence of Abram’s piety, as well as of his valor; for it wasto a priest or official mediator between God and him that Abram gavea tenth of the spoila token of his gratitude and in honor of adivine ordinance (Pr 3:9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And blessed be the most high God,…. Let his name be praised, and thanks be given to him for all mercies temporal and spiritual, since all flow from him, and particularly for the mercies Abram and others through him were now made partakers of; for whoever were the instruments, God was the efficient cause, and to him all the glory was to be given:
which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand; the four kings, who are called Abram’s enemies, because the enemies of God and of true religion, and because they had been injurious to a relation of his; and especially they may be so called, if their intention was, as, say the Jewish writers q to slay him, beginning first with Lot: and those four kings, according to them, signify the four monarchies, the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman r who in their turns distressed his posterity, but in the latter day shall fall into their hands, as those did into Abram’s, and fall by them:
and he gave him tithes of all; not Melchizedek to Abram, but Abram to Melchizedek, as appears from Heb 7:4; and these tithes were given not out of the goods that were recovered, for they were restored to the proprietors of them, but out of the spoils that were taken from the enemy, as is evident from the same place referred to; and these were given both as a return for the respect shown him by Melchizedek, and by way of thankfulness to God for the victory, whose priest he was; otherwise, as a king, he stood in no need of such a present; nor was it for his maintenance as a priest, or what Abram was obliged unto, but was a voluntary action, and not out of his own substance, but out of the spoils of the enemy, and to testify his gratitude to God: this was imitated by the Heathens in later times; so the Tarentines, having got a victory over the Peucetians, sent the tenth (of the spoil) to Delphos s: the Jews t say Abraham was the first in the world that began to offer tithes; but they are mistaken, when they say in the same place, that he took all the tithes of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Lot his brother’s son, and gave them to Shem the son of Noah. Eupolemus u makes mention of this interview between Abram and Melchizedek by name; he says, Abram was hospitably entertained in the holy city Argarizin, which is by interpretation the mountain of the most High (but seems to be the Mount Gerizzim) and that he received gifts from Melchizedek, the priest of God, who reigned there.
q Pirke Eliezer, c. 27. r Bereshit Rabba, sect. 42. fol. 37. 1. s Pausan. Phocica, sive l. 10. p. 633. t Pirke Eliezer, c. 27. u Apud Euseb. Evang. Praepar. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
20. And he gave him tithes of all. There are those who understand that the tithes were given to Abram; but the Apostle speaks otherwise, in declaring that Levi had paid tithes in the loins of Abram, (Heb 7:9,) when Abram offered tithes to a more excellent Priest. And truly what the expositors above-mentioned mean, would be most absurd; because, if Melchizedek was the priest of God, it behaved him to receive tithes rather than to give them. Nor is it to be doubted but Abram offered the gift to God, in the person of Melchizedek, in order that, by such first-fruits, he might dedicate all his possessions to God. Abram therefore voluntarily gave tithes to Melchizedek, to do honor to his priesthood. Moreover, since it appears that this was not done wrongfully nor rashly, the Apostle properly infers, that, in this figure, the Levitical priesthood is subordinate to the priesthood of Christ. For other reasons, God afterwards commanded tithes to be given to Levi under the Law; but, in the age of Abram, they were only a holy offering, given as a pledge and proof of gratitude. It is however uncertain whether he offered the title of the spoils or of the goods which he possessed at home. But, since it is improbable that he should have been liberal with other persons’ goods, and should have given a very a tenth part of the prey, of which he had resolved not to touch even a thread, I rather conjecture, that these tithes were taken out of his own property. I do not, however, admit that they were paid annually, as some imagine, but rather, in my judgment, he dedicated this present to Melchizedek once, for the purpose of acknowledging him as the high priest of God: nor could he, at that time, (as we say,) hand it over; (367) but there was a solemn stipulation, of which the effect shortly after followed.
(367) “ Nec tunc potuit de manu (quod aiunt) in manum tradere.” — “ Ne luy a peu lors builler de main a main, comme on dit.” Nor was he then able to commit it to him, from hand to hand, as they say. — French Tr
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) He gave him tithes.Abram thus consecrated the war by a thank-offering to God, Who had given him the victory. But he also, by paying tithes, acknowledged the priesthood of Melchizedek, and that the God Whom he served was the true God. See Heb. 7:4-11.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Ver. 20. And he gave him tithes of all. ] Not of the Sodomites’ goods, which he restored wholly, Gen 14:23 but of the other lawful spoil he had taken from the four conquered kings; in testimony of his thankfulness to God, the giver of all victory.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he. Figure of speech Ellipsis = Abram.
him = Melchizedek.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
blessed: Gen 9:26, Gen 24:27, Psa 68:19, Psa 72:17-19, Psa 144:1, Eph 1:3, 1Pe 1:3, 1Pe 1:4
which: Jos 10:42, Psa 44:3
tithes: Gen 28:22, Lev 27:30-32, Num 28:26, Deu 12:17, Deu 14:23, Deu 14:28, 2Ch 31:5, 2Ch 31:6, 2Ch 31:12, Neh 10:37, Neh 13:12, Amo 4:4, Mal 3:8, Mal 3:10, Luk 18:12, Rom 15:16, Heb 7:4-9
Reciprocal: Gen 14:22 – the most Exo 18:10 – General Num 6:23 – General Num 31:28 – levy Deu 2:33 – the Lord Deu 7:2 – deliver 2Sa 18:28 – Blessed 1Ki 1:48 – Blessed 1Ch 6:28 – firstborn 2Ch 13:16 – God delivered 2Ch 31:8 – blessed Dan 2:20 – Blessed Luk 1:68 – Blessed 2Co 1:3 – Blessed Heb 7:6 – received Heb 7:9 – payed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 14:20. And blessed be the most high God Observe, 1st, In all our prayers we must praise God, and join hallelujahs with all our hosannas. These are the spiritual sacrifices we must offer up daily, and upon particular occasions. 2d, God, as the most high God, must have the glory of all our victories. In them he shows himself higher than our enemies, and higher than we, for without him we could do nothing. And he gave him tithes of all That is, of the spoils, Heb 7:4. This may be looked upon, 1st, As a gratuity presented to Melchizedek, by way of return for his respects. 2d, As an offering dedicated to the most high God, and therefore put into the hands of Melchizedek his priest. Jesus Christ, our great Melchizedek, is to be humbly acknowledged by every one of us as our King and Priest, and not only the tithe of all, but all we have, must be given up to him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
People practiced tithing as an act of worship commonly in the ancient Near East at this time (cf. Gen 28:22). [Note: See Keil and Delitzsch, 1:207.] It was also a common tax. This is still true in some modern countries. For example, in England part of every person’s taxes goes to maintain the Church of England. Some residents regard this part of their tax as their contribution to the church or their tithe. However since Melchizedek gave Abram a priestly blessing, it is likely that Abram reciprocated by giving Melchizedek a gift with priestly connotations. [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 316.] "All" probably refers to all that he took in the battle rather than all that was in Abram’s possession (cf. Gen 14:23-24; Heb 7:4).