Hebrews 7:5

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Now the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood are commanded by the law to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—even though they too are descendants of Abraham.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Λευῒ, τὴν ἱερατείαν λαμβάνοντες, ἐντολὴν ἔχουσιν ἀποδεκατοῦν τὸν λαὸν κατὰ τὸν νόμον, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, αὐτῶν καίπερ ἐξεληλυθότας ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος Ἀβραάμ:

Transliteration

And those men from the hyiōn Leui, the hierateian lambanontes, entolēn echousin apodekatoun the laon according to the nomon, that estin, the adelphous of them kaiper exelēlythotas from the osphyos Abraam:

Grammar Details

• *men*: postpositive particle marking first element in contrast - indeed/on one hand
• *hyiōn*: noun, genitive, masculine, plural - sons
• *Leui*: proper noun, genitive, masculine, singular
• *hierateian*: noun, accusative, feminine, singular - priesthood/priestly office
• *lambanontes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - receiving/taking
• *entolēn*: noun, accusative, feminine, singular - commandment
• *echousin*: present active indicative, 3rd person plural - they have
• *apodekatoun*: present active infinitive - to collect tithes
• *laon*: noun, accusative, masculine, singular - people
• *nomon*: noun, accusative, masculine, singular - law
• *estin*: present active indicative, 3rd person singular - is
• *adelphous*: noun, accusative, masculine, plural - brothers
• *kaiper*: concessive conjunction - although/even though
• *exelēlythotas*: perfect active participle, accusative, masculine, plural - having come out
• *osphyos*: noun, genitive, feminine, singular - loins/body
• *Abraam*: proper noun, genitive, masculine, singular

Word Meanings

• *hierateian*: priesthood/priestly office/priestly service
• *lambanontes*: receiving/taking/accepting
• *entolēn*: commandment/instruction/order
• *echousin*: have/possess/hold
• *apodekatoun*: to collect tithes/to take a tenth
• *laon*: people/nation/populace
• *adelphous*: brothers/fellow countrymen/kinsmen
• *exelēlythotas*: having come out/descended/originated
• *osphyos*: loins/body/reproductive organs

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brothers, though they come from the loins of Abraham:

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And they indeed {G2983} of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And verely those children of levy which receave the office of the prestes have a commaundement to take a cordyng to the lawe tythes of the people that is to saye of their brethren yee though they spronge out of the loynes of Abraham.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And verely the children of Leui, whan they receaue the presthode, haue a commaundement acordynge to the lawe, to take the tithes of the people, that is to saye, of their brethre, though they also came out of the loynes of Abraham.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For verely they which are the childre of Leui, which receiue the office of the Priesthode, haue a commaundement to take, according to the Law, tithes of the people (that is, of their bethren) though they came out of ye loynes of Abraham.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And veryly they which are of the children of Leuie, which receaue the office of the priesthood, haue a commaundement to take tythe of the people accordyng to the lawe, that is, of their brethren, though they came out of ye loynes of Abraham.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham,

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and those, indeed, out of the sons of Levi receiving the priesthood, a command have to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, their brethren, even though they came forth out of the loins of Abraham;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham.

• World English Bible (2000)

  They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham.

Referenced Verses

• Gen 35:11 : 11 God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a community of nations, will come from you, and kings will come from your own body."
• Gen 46:26 : 26 All the members of Jacob’s household who went to Egypt, those who were his direct descendants (not counting the wives of his sons), numbered sixty-six persons in total.
• Exod 1:5 : 5 The total number of Jacob's descendants was seventy, and Joseph was already in Egypt.
• Exod 28:1 : 1 Now bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests—Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron.
• Lev 27:30-33 : 30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If anyone wishes to redeem any part of their tithe, they must add a fifth of its value to it. 32 Every tithe of the herd or flock, every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod, will be holy to the LORD. 33 No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does substitute one animal for another, both the original animal and its substitute shall become holy and cannot be redeemed.
• Num 16:10-11 : 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near to Him, but now you are demanding the priesthood as well! 11 Therefore, it is against the Lord that you and all your followers have gathered. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"
• Num 17:3-9 : 3 Take the censers of these men who sinned against their own lives and have them made into hammered plates to overlay the altar, for they presented them before the LORD, and they became holy. Let them serve as a sign to the Israelites. 4 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been brought by those who were burned, and they were hammered into a covering for the altar. 5 It is to be a reminder to the Israelites, so that no unauthorized person—anyone who is not from Aaron’s descendants—may come near to burn incense before the LORD and become like Korah and his assembly, as the LORD had spoken to him through Moses. 6 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron the next day, saying, 'You have killed the LORD’s people!' 7 When the assembly gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting, and there the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 8 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting. 9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 'Move away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.' And they fell facedown.
• Num 18:7 : 7 But you and your sons with you are to diligently guard your priestly duties for every aspect of the altar and the area behind the curtain. I have given your priesthood to you as a service of gift. Any unauthorized person who approaches shall be put to death.
• Num 18:21-32 : 21 To the Levites, I have given every tithe in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 22 From now on, the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and die. 23 The Levites shall perform the duties of the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for their sins. This is a perpetual ordinance for your generations, but they shall not have any inheritance among the Israelites. 24 For I have given the Levites the tithes that the Israelites present as a contribution to the LORD as their inheritance. That is why I told them they shall have no inheritance among the Israelites. 25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 26 Speak to the Levites and say to them: When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I have given you as your inheritance, you must present a contribution from it to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your contribution will be credited to you as though it were the grain from the threshing floor or the fullness from the wine press. 28 In the same way, you shall also present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these, you are to give the LORD’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts, you must present the very best part, the sacred portion, as an offering to the LORD. 30 Say to the Levites: When you present the best of it, it will be credited to you, as if it were the produce of the threshing floor and the produce of the wine press. 31 You and your households may eat it anywhere, as it is your wages in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 You will not bear any sin by bringing the best of it, but you must not desecrate the sacred gifts of the Israelites, or you will die.
• 1 Kgs 8:19 : 19 Nevertheless, you will not build the house yourself; rather, your son, your own descendant, will build the house for My name.
• 2 Chr 31:4-6 : 4 He also commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the word spread, the Israelites generously brought the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who were living in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks, and of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God. They piled them in heaps.
• Neh 13:10 : 10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.
• Heb 5:4 : 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
• Heb 7:10 : 10 For he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.