Genesis 14:20
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed is the shift in subject after Melchizedek blesses God. It's not Melchizedek blessing Abram with a gift, but Abram giving a tenth of the spoils, a profound act of gratitude and recognition of God's ultimate sovereignty and Melchizedek's priestly role. This wasn't just charity; it was a deliberate dedication of his victory to the Most High God.
Fresh from a stunning military victory where he rescued his nephew Lot and recovered vast riches, Abram is met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek offers Abram bread and wine and blesses him in God's name, acknowledging God's power in Abram's triumph. In response, Abram gratefully gives Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he recovered from the defeated kings.
Abram just won a huge battle, rescuing his nephew and reclaiming stolen goods. Who gets the credit?
Melchizedek's first words are crucial: "blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"
Acknowledging the Source
This isn't just a polite acknowledgment; it's a declaration of faith. Melchizedek, as a priest, points Abram back to the true source of his success.
Abram receives a blessing and then does something remarkable with his spoils. What does this act signify?
The immediate act of Abram giving a tenth of everything to Melchizedek is profound. It's more than just a thank-you gift.
A Covenantal Exchange
Understand the original words
magan · Hebrew Verb
To rescue, hand over, or give victory to someone in the context of conflict. It acknowledges God as the true source of military or spiritual success.
ma'aser · Hebrew Noun
A tenth part of one's increase or income given to God as an act of worship, gratitude, and acknowledgment of His lordship. It signifies that all one possesses belongs ultimately to Him.
This event highlights a pivotal moment where Abram's faith is demonstrated through a military victory and a significant act of worship, establishing a pattern of acknowledging God's sovereignty and provision.
c. 2000-1900 BC
Rise of Early City-States
Independent city-states and kingdoms emerged in Mesopotamia and Canaan, characterized by their own rulers and often engaged in regional conflicts and alliances.
c. 1930 BC
Abraham's Migration
Abraham, called by God, leaves his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and journeys to Canaan, settling in the land as a sojourner.
c. 1920 BC
Chedorlaomer's Campaign
Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, along with allied kings, wages war against rebellious vassal city-states in the Jordan Valley, including Sodom and Gomorrah.
c. 1920 BC— this verse
Lot's Capture and Abram's Rescue
After the rebel kings are defeated, Lot and his possessions are taken. Abram, hearing of his nephew's capture, assembles his forces, pursues the enemy, defeats them, and rescues Lot and all the goods.
This passage directly explains that Abram gave tithes to Melchizedek, highlighting the significance of this act and its connection to Christ's priesthood.
Psalm 110:4This prophetic psalm is understood to refer to Melchizedek, linking his kingly and priestly role to the Messiah, thus adding a deeper theological layer to Abram's encounter.
1 Samuel 15:22This verse emphasizes that obedience and sacrifice (like tithing as an act of obedience and thanksgiving) are more pleasing to God than mere ritual, underscoring the spiritual significance of Abram's action.
2 Corinthians 9:7This New Testament passage speaks to giving cheerfully and generously as an act of worship and gratitude to God, reflecting the spirit behind Abram's tithe after his victory.
gillGenesis 14:20: "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."
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 delive…
calvinGenesis 14:1-24: "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;"
And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
Et egressus est rex Sedom, et rex Hamorah, et rex Admah, et rex Seboim, et rex Belah, ipsa est Sohar, et ordinaverunt cum eis…
What's easily missed is the shift in subject after Melchizedek blesses God. It's not Melchizedek blessing Abram with a gift, but Abram giving a tenth of the spoils, a profound act of gratitude and recognition of God's ultimate sovereignty and Melchizedek's priestly role. This wasn't just charity; it was a deliberate dedication of his victory to the Most High God.
Fresh from a stunning military victory where he rescued his nephew Lot and recovered vast riches, Abram is met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek offers Abram bread and wine and blesses him in God's name, acknowledging God's power in Abram's triumph. In response, Abram gratefully gives Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he recovered from the defeated kings.
Fresh from a stunning military victory where he rescued his nephew Lot and recovered vast riches, Abram is met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek offers Abram bread and wine and blesses him in God's name, acknowledging God's power in Abram's triumph. In response, Abram gratefully gives Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils he recovered from the defeated kings.
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c. 1920 BC
Melchizedek's Blessing and Abram's Tithe
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, blesses Abram and receives a tenth of the spoils, acknowledging God's victory through Abram.
"and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." — What's easily missed is the *shift in subject* after Melchizedek blesses God. It's not Melchizedek blessing Abram with a gift, but Abram *giving* a tenth of the spoils, a profound act of gratitude an…