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Melchizedek Could Be Shem, Son of Noah

by Mike Blondino
(Camas, Washington)

I'm sure you've dealt with a lot of comments from people on this matter. I took on Genesis a little bit fearful that I might find more problems to address than answers in my teaching. When I first read the Jewish oral belief that Melchizedek was actually Shem I thought they were just guessing, and that pretty poorly. But the more research I did the more it made sense.

These are some of my gentile review concepts, and why I think their belief has a good chance of being accurate.

I sort of need to start by saying that we gentile Christians base virtually all of our understanding of Melchizedek on the writings of the author of Hebrews. For that author not to know the Jewish oral tradition gives us one more bit of knowledge on who may have wrote Hebrews.

Someone well versed in the Old Testament but not as well aware of the inner dialogs and rabbinical theology within the Jewish teaching circles that, say Paul or Barnabas, would have been exposed to. So as Christians we are starting from Genesis with a bias. So let's lay that down for a moment.

Let's begin where they begin - Priesthood is patrilineal. It means that priesthood is given from father to son, or trans-generationally through the father, grandfather or great grandfather relationship (however many generations involved). Noah was a priest, informal at least, and formal at best.

We know this because: a) he made sacrifices and b) God spoke to him about the animals to be taken on the ark in terms of "clean" and "unclean" which are terms related to sacrificial worship.

Consider also the migration of documents and genealogies from Adam to Noah. The question arises as to why Genesis is replete with "he begat" sections that lead us from Adam to Noah, Noah to Abram and eventually all the way to Levi. I had accepted that it was due to historical record keeping. Now I understand that they were not merely history, but patrilineal records to prove the priestly office.

At the time of Noah, Methuselah would have been the eldest kohen (priest). He would have passed the "accounts" of creation of heaven and earth, and Adam's line to Noah. After the flood, Noah gave them to his second oldest son - Shem. Genesis clearly states that he was not the eldest. Shem was blessed as the one of the three brothers who uniquely bore spiritual selection for the salvation of mankind. Noah died 2 years before Abram was born, making Shem the eldest priestly line.

Notice that the Genesis "accounts" are listed up until the narrative of Abram as follows:
(a) The account of the heavens and the earth (2:4)
(b) The account of Adam’s line (5:1)
(c) The account of Noah (6:9)
(d) The account of Shem, Ham and Japheth (10:1)
(e) The account of Shem (11:10)

The accounts then resume with:
(a) The account of Terah (11:27)
(b) The account of Abraham’s son Ishmael (25:12)
(c) The account of Abraham’s son Isaac (25:19)
(d) The account of Esau (36:1)
(e) The account of Jacob (37:2)
(f) The account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked at Sinai (Num 3:1)

My point is that it cannot be coincidence that the accounts are most illustrated at the life of Shem and at the life of Abram - within just a generation. Who would have had the most accurate records of the line of Shem up until the entrance of Abram into the story line? Obviously it would be Shem, himself.

Now, look at the specific wording used by Melchizedek in blessing Abram, and that is later echoed as an oath by Abram. He specifically says "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." The phrase "Creator of heaven and earth" could be merely a nice religious albeit otherwise meaningless comment.

However, if this is Shem invoking the blessing upon Abram, he is calling upon not merely God, the God whose "accounts" and records of which he had been responsible to preserve for hundreds of years. From Adam through Methuselah to Noah to Shem. Four patrilineal transitions had brought these accounts to Shem. If he is Melchizedek, Shem is now giving them to Abram.

The name of the very first account is titled, "The account of the heavens and the earth when they were created." Abram responded to this very comment and offered a vow saying later in Genesis 14:22: “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath." It could not have been merely a religious nicety. Abram recognized that if any man could represent the Creator of heaven and earth it was Shem. This is why he gave him a tithe.

The fact that Abram was known to Melchizedek is important. In addition the proximity of Hebron to Salem (Jerusalem) being just about 10 miles apart, and the fact that God called Abram to sacrifice on Moriah (what would be the temple mount) shows that their relationship did not begin and end after Abram's victory over Chedorlaomer.

It is very interesting that the term "Hebrew" or "of Eber" would be first used in Abram's generation. At the time of Abram three men in the patrilineal line from Noah remained alive (after Terah's death). Shem, Eber, and Abram. Eber would live into Isaac's life but Shem would die, leaving all of the priestly accounts, genealogies, with the new bearer of the the covenant... Abraham.

Maybe it's fanciful theology, but I think the Jews had a sound reason to hold that Melchizedek was Shem the son of Noah.


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Sep 10, 2024
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It is impossible for Shem to be Melchizedek. . . NEW
by: Rev Robert

. . . because we know who Shem's father was and we know Noah's wife was his mother. We know when he was born and when he died.

On the other hand, Melchizedek was "Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life." -- Hebrews 7:3

They cannot possibly be the same person.

It is not even deserving of debate ("instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 4 nor to [c]pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering [d]the administration of God which is by faith" -- 1 Tim. 1:3-4 and "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning" -- Titus 3:9-10.

Plus, the "God-breathed" Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) outweigh the traditions of mere men. So, rabbinic tradition, like Catholic tradition, holds no weight when measured against the Holy Scriptures we actually hold in hand.

In conclusion, Shem is NOT Melchizedek. To say so is to lie about the Holy Scriptures where they are obviously different persons separated by years according to the Septuagint (LXX), the Hebrew Bible unaltered by the Pharisees (Masoretic text aka Leningrad Codex) to prove Jesus is not Messiah because He is not a Levitic priest.

Jesus is from Judah which has no priests: however, He is a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek who was also not a Levitic priest (which is why the Rabbis, contrarty to the Book of Hebrews try to equate Shem and Melchizedek to eliminate the idea of his order of priesthood altogether).

Dec 06, 2022
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Melchizedek could be Shem NEW
by: Benny Bartek

I wanted to add to the comment that "...Shem gave the title to Abram..." The way it was explained to me was: Upon Shem greeting Abram, Shem had blessed Abram BEFORE blessing God, so the title was TAKEN from Shem and bestowed to Abram. The rules and protocols in the WAY things are done (concerning priesthood) are VERY strict, and blessing God ALWAYS comes first. Made sense to me... If God says "Do this...", you do it; and if He says "Don't do this...", you don't. Shem slipped... So did the two that tried to save the Ark of the Covenant and they died. Rules are rules, especially with priesthood protocols. This should alert people today concerning keeping the Sabbaths - weekly and annually. No excuses.

Mar 31, 2019
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awesome title NEW
by: linda

I agree wholeheartedly. I read Noah's blessing to Shem. 600 years later he would pass the blessing onto Abram. zIt makes perfect sense. Some diagree and say it couldn't be because the King of Jerusalem was a Caananite king. However, Noah said the Caananite would be Shem'servant. What do you say about the jebusites that lived there? Just yrying to understand more. Thanks again.

Nov 13, 2012
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Melchizedek, a Son of Noah
by: Jon H Benson

I agree that Melchizedek is likely to be Shem. (I have read other places that think it could have been Japheth, too.)

I disagree though, that Hebrews would not have been written by Paul simply because it equates Melchizedek with Christ. The fact that Hebrews was addressed to the Jews of Paul's day is actually evidence for Paul's athorship. Their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, and as their true King and High Priest, was, in part, because of his "lack" of lineage. Paul's purpose in using Melchizedek as an example was to show that God's appointment of someone to an office was above and beyond any human lineage, whether to the priesthood or to the throne.

In Abraham's time, the office of priest and king were often the same, without breaking any Levitical laws, (since there were none yet). Abraham himself was leader and priest of his extended family. He ruled them, AND he offered sacrifices, something that would change only after the Exodus. So, there is no real problem with Melchizedek being both a priest and a king in the time he lived.

Paul's mention of Melchizedek having no parentage was merely his way of getting the Hebrews to understand how Jesus could be both King and High Priest, and that without a royal or priestly lineage. Since the Hebrews would understand that a) Melchizedek was honored as a king and a priest by no less a personage than Abraham, and b) he could not have a priestly lineage because the man the lineage was to pass down through wasn't even born yet. So, c), Jesus is a High Priest in the order, or in the same way, that Melchizedek was, having received his appointment by God, an appointment which is eternal.

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