King of Salem and priest of God Most High, whose name means "king of righteousness," a brief figure in Abraham's time who became a key type of Christ's eternal priesthood.
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Melchizedek's appearance in Scripture is remarkably brief yet profoundly significant. After Abraham defeated the four kings and rescued his nephew Lot, this king of Salem—מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק in Hebrew, meaning "king of righteousness"—came forth with bread and wine to meet the returning patriarch and blessed him. Scripture explicitly identifies him as "priest of God Most High" (מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵ֔ם, with "Salem" understood in tradition as an ancient name for Jerusalem). Abraham then presented him a tenth of the spoils, an act later expounded in the Book of Hebrews as demonstrating that Melchizedek's order surpasses the Aaronic priesthood. Though Melchizedek's ministry is mentioned only in this single Old Testament narrative, Psalm 110:4 brings his figure back through divine prophecy: The LORD has sworn (נִשְׁבַּ֤ע) and will not change His mind (וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם), declaring that the Messianic King is "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." The Hebrew terms for "sworn" and "will not repent" together underscore the absolute and eternal nature of this oath, uniting kingly and priestly roles in one figure—a union that transcends the Israelite restriction of priesthood to the tribe of Levi. Melchizedek's legacy far exceeds the few verses of Genesis 14 in which he briefly appears. He has no recorded genealogy, birth, or death, which the Book of Hebrews interprets as itself symbolizing a priesthood that is eternal and unconfined by time. As "king of righteousness" and ruler of the city of peace, he unites royal governance with priestly mediation, foreshadowing the Messiah who is both King and High Priest. Hebrews builds on this to argue that Christ's priesthood rests not on lineage but on God's sworn oath, and therefore far surpasses the Aaronic order, accomplishing eternal redemption for all who trust in Him.