| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunctive nominal umalki-tsedeq {וּמַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק | û-mal-kî-ṣé-deq} ‘and Melchizedek’, linking this scene to Abram’s preceding victory. The appositional title melech shalem {מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם | me-lekh šā-lēm} ‘king of Salem’ immediately specifies his royal and geographical standing. The Hiphil perfect hotsi accompanied by the coordinated objects lechem vayayyin {הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן | hō-ṣîʾ le-ḥem wā-yā-yin} conveys a deliberate act of bringing out provisions of “bread and wine.” The emphatic pronoun vehu {וְה֥וּא | wə-hûʾ} ‘and he’ shifts focus to the same figure, introducing a nominal clause kohen le-El elyon {כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן | kō-hēn lə-ʾēl ʿel-yôn} where the copula is implied. This juxtaposition of kingly and priestly designations underscores Melchizedek’s dual function and establishes his service to the Most High. |