bible verses about the high priest

Bible Verses About the High Priest: 12

Bible verses about the high priest: 12 Scriptures on Jesus as high priest.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published October 1, 2026Updated October 3, 20266 min readHebrews 4:14 (NIV)

Two people meet where two paths join into one road, arms beginning to open.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

— Hebrews 4:14 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about the high priest want Scripture on Jesus' priestly office — the great high priest who passed through the heavens — not only the mediator between-God-and-people list, the intercession prayer list, or the lamb of God sacrifice image alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about the mediator, Bible verses about intercession, Bible verses about the lamb of God, Bible verses about the cross, Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about the ascension, and Bible verse of the day. High priest here means Greek archiereus — the office Hebrews gives to Jesus — distinct from mediator-as-go-between inventory alone, intercession-as-prayer list alone, or lamb-as-sacrifice image alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "high priest" is ἀρχιερεύς archiereus (Strong's G749; Bible Hub G749) — chief priest, high priest. Hebrews applies the office to Jesus: sympathetic, sinless, appointed after the order of Melchizedek, seated at the right hand, able to help those who are tempted. Closely related themes include mediator, intercession, and the lamb of God — each gets its own page emphasis.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 4 presses that we have a great high priest who is passed into the heavens — hold fast the profession (Bible Hub MHC Hebrews 4; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Hebrews 4). Hebrews 7 develops the better priesthood after Melchizedek (Bible Hub MHC Hebrews 7; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Hebrews 7). (Mediator, intercession, and lamb-of-god lists live on those pages; this list centers the high-priest office.)

12 Bible verses about the high priest

  1. Hebrews 4:14. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." A great high priest — hold firmly. See Bible verses about the ascension.

  2. Hebrews 4:15. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." Able to empathize — yet without sin. See Bible verses about Jesus.

  3. Hebrews 4:16. "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Approach the throne of grace with confidence. See Bible verses about prayer.

  4. Hebrews 5:5-6. "In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' And he says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" Appointed high priest — order of Melchizedek. See Bible verses about Jesus.

  5. Hebrews 7:26. "Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." Holy, blameless, pure — meets our need. See Bible verses about holiness.

  6. Hebrews 7:27. "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." Once for all — he offered himself. See Bible verses about the cross.

  7. Hebrews 8:1. "Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven," Such a high priest — sat down at the right hand. See Bible verses about the ascension.

  8. Hebrews 2:17. "For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people." Merciful and faithful high priest. See Bible verses about atonement.

  9. Hebrews 3:1. "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest." Fix your thoughts on Jesus — apostle and high priest. See Bible verses about following Jesus.

  10. Psalm 110:4. "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" A priest forever — Melchizedek. See Bible verses about Jesus.

  11. Hebrews 5:9-10. "and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." Source of eternal salvation — designated high priest. See Bible verses about salvation.

  12. Zechariah 6:13. "It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two." A priest on his throne. See Bible verses about hope.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need the high priest — not twelve as a grind. If you need sympathy without sin, start with Hebrews 4:15. If you need confidence at the throne, open Hebrews 4:16. If you need the once-for-all offering, open Hebrews 7:27. For the go-between theme, open Bible verses about the mediator. For prayer on behalf of others, open Bible verses about intercession. For priests and a royal priesthood, open Bible verses about priests. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day. The Apostle and High Priest list is on Bible verses about Apostle and High Priest. The Order of Melchizedek list is on Bible verses about Order of Melchizedek. For Hebrews 2:17's merciful and faithful high priest, see Bible verses about the merciful and faithful high priest.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about the high priest?

Hebrews 4:14 (great high priest), Hebrews 4:15 (tempted yet without sin), and Psalm 110:4 (priest forever) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about the high priest differ from mediator, intercession, or the lamb of God?

The mediator page centers the one between God and people. Intercession centers prayer on behalf of others. The lamb of God centers the sacrificial image. This page centers the high priest office in Hebrews — then cross-links those companions. See Bible verses about the mediator. The Great High Priest confession in Hebrews 4:14 is on Bible verses about Great High Priest.

What does archiereus mean?

Greek archiereus (G749) means high priest or chief priest. Hebrews applies it to Jesus as the merciful, faithful, once-for-all high priest.

Why does Hebrews stress Melchizedek?

Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5–7 show a priesthood not from Levi — forever, by God's oath — fulfilled in Jesus. See Bible verses about Jesus.

Where can I read more about the mediator, intercession, and the cross?

Start with Bible verses about the mediator, then Bible verses about intercession, Bible verses about the lamb of God, and Bible verses about the cross.

Sources

A man and a woman meet where two paths join into one road.

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