540. apatór
Lexical Summary
apatór: without father, fatherless

Original Word: ἀπάτωρ
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: apatór
Pronunciation: ah-PAH-tor
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-at'-ore)
KJV: without father
NASB: without father
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and G3962 (πατήρ - father)]

1. fatherless, i.e. of unrecorded paternity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
without father.

From a (as a negative particle) and pater; fatherless, i.e. Of unrecorded paternity -- without father.

see GREEK a

see GREEK pater

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and patér
Definition
fatherless
NASB Translation
without father (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 540: ἀπάτωρ

ἀπάτωρ, ἀπατορος, , (πατήρ), a word which has almost the same variety of senses as ἀμήτωρ, which see; (from Sophocles down); (without father i. e.) whose father is not recorded in the genealogies: Hebrews 7:3.

Topical Lexicon
Root Meaning and Context

The term translated “without father” in Hebrews 7:3 underscores the absence of any recorded ancestry for Melchizedek. In biblical thought, lineage usually determines identity, tribal rights, and priestly succession. Here the lack of pedigree is intentional: Scripture offers no father, no mother, and no genealogy for Melchizedek, thereby setting him apart from every other priestly figure in the canon.

Occurrence in Scripture

Hebrews 7:3 is the sole New Testament occurrence: “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever”. The writer’s deliberate choice of the word serves a single, concentrated purpose—magnifying the uniqueness of both Melchizedek and the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Theological Significance

1. Transcendent Priesthood: By labeling Melchizedek “without father,” Hebrews detaches priestly legitimacy from hereditary descent, anticipating the eternal priesthood of Christ that does not derive from Levi but from divine appointment (Hebrews 7:11–17).
2. Typology of Eternity: The absence of recorded parentage functions symbolically. Melchizedek prefigures the Son of God, who possesses life “from eternity to eternity” (Psalm 90:2).
3. Authority Superior to the Levitical Order: Because Melchizedek’s priesthood predates and outranks Levi (Hebrews 7:4–10), Christ’s priesthood—established on that same order—is presented as irrevocable and complete.

Connection to Christology

The verse draws a direct parallel: “resembling the Son of God.” The author of Hebrews is not claiming Christ had no earthly parents; rather, he is highlighting Jesus’ divine sonship and eternal nature. The comparison reinforces two Christological truths:
• Incarnation does not diminish pre-existent deity.
• The saving work of Jesus is anchored in an everlasting priesthood that owes nothing to human lineage.

Implications for the Doctrine of Priesthood

1. Sufficiency: Because Christ’s priesthood is independent of genealogy, it is not bound by temporal or ceremonial constraints.
2. Accessibility: Believers approach God through a mediator whose qualification is divine oath, not tribal birth (Hebrews 7:20–22).
3. Permanence: “He holds His priesthood permanently, because He lives forever” (Hebrews 7:24). The one-time sacrifice and ongoing intercession stand secure.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

• Assurance of Acceptance: The believer’s confidence rests in a priest who needs no ancestral credentials—His ministry cannot be revoked.
• Hope for the Fatherless: The same Scripture that calls Melchizedek “without father” reveals a God who “defends the cause of the fatherless” (Deuteronomy 10:18). God’s care transcends human lineage.
• Call to Spiritual Maturity: Hebrews places these truths in a larger exhortation to leave elementary teachings and press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1). Understanding Christ’s eternal priesthood strengthens perseverance.

Historical Interpretations

Early Jewish interpreters sometimes speculated that Melchizedek was Shem or an angelic being, precisely because Scripture withholds his genealogy. The Epistle to the Hebrews dismisses speculation, focusing instead on his typological value. Church Fathers such as Chrysostom and Augustine emphasized the mystery as a divinely crafted foreshadowing of Christ’s uniqueness rather than literal parentlessness.

Related Terms and Concepts

• “Without mother” (amētōr) and “without genealogy” (agenealogētos) in the same verse reinforce the theme of transcendence.
• “Indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16) identifies the power that validates Christ’s eternal priesthood.
• “Order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4) supplies the prophetic basis fulfilled in Jesus.

In sum, the single appearance of this term in Hebrews 7:3 plays a decisive role in presenting a priesthood that neither begins nor ends with human ancestry, thereby directing all confidence toward the everlasting Mediator, Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
απατωρ απάτωρ ἀπάτωρ apator apatōr apátor apátōr
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Hebrews 7:3 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἀπάτωρ ἀμήτωρ ἀγενεαλόγητος
NAS: Without father, without mother,
KJV: Without father, without mother,
INT: without father without mother without genealogy

Strong's Greek 540
1 Occurrence


ἀπάτωρ — 1 Occ.

539
Top of Page
Top of Page