Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 7:8

"And here men that die receive tithes; but there one, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." — Hebrews 7:8 (ASV)

In the Levitical system, those who receive tithes eventually die. But in the Melchizedek episode, tithes are received by one who is “living.” Melchizedek is in strong contrast to the Aaronic priests. The writer does not say that Melchizedek lives on but that the testimony about him is that he lives. Once more he is emphasizing the silence of Scripture to bring out his point, for Scripture records nothing about the death of Melchizedek (v.3). This must be borne in mind when estimating the significance of the incident and the way the priest-king prefigures Christ.