Misinterpretations of this verse often include reading it literally to argue against tithing in the modern church, claiming that since Levi 'paid tithes' it invalidates ongoing obligations, while overlooking the rhetorical device ('as I may so say') meant solely to highlight priesthood superiority rather than address tithing practices. Others mistakenly use it to assert that clergy today must pay tithes to laypeople or that it abolishes hierarchical church giving, ignoring the passage's focus on the obsolescence of the Levitical system in favor of Christ's superior mediation.
Hebrews 7:9
King James Version (1769)
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
Hebrews 7:9 uses a bold illustration to affirm the superiority of Melchizedek's priesthood over the Levitical order: even Levi, the forefather of Israel's priestly tribe who receives tithes from the people, is figuratively said to have paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham, demonstrating the inherent inferiority and temporality of the Aaronic priesthood and preparing the ground for Christ's eternal, unchangeable priesthood in the same order as Melchizedek.