What Is a Priest in the Bible?
Quick Summary
In the Bible, a priest is someone appointed to mediate between God and the people through sacrifice, prayer, teaching, and blessing. Priests serve at sacred spaces, safeguard worship, and help the community remain faithful to the covenant. From the Levitical priesthood to Jesus as high priest, the biblical role of priesthood develops across Scripture while remaining centered on holiness, mediation, and service.
Introduction
The idea of priesthood can feel distant to modern readers. Vestments, sacrifices, altars, and sacred spaces belong to a world far removed from everyday experience. Yet priesthood sits at the very heart of the biblical story. Without understanding what a priest is, large portions of Scripture remain opaque.
In the Bible, priests are not spiritual celebrities or political authorities. They are servants entrusted with sacred responsibilities. Their work shapes how Israel understands holiness, forgiveness, and nearness to God. Over time, the role of priesthood expands and deepens, culminating in the New Testament’s portrayal of Jesus as the great high priest and the church as a priestly people.
What Does the Word Priest Mean?
The primary Hebrew word for priest is kohen. It refers to someone who performs sacred duties on behalf of others. In the ancient Near East, priests served in temples, maintained rituals, and acted as intermediaries between the divine and human realms.
The Greek word hiereus, used in the New Testament, carries a similar meaning. It emphasizes sacred service connected to worship and sacrifice. In Scripture, priests do not function independently. Their authority flows from divine calling rather than personal initiative. (Exodus 28; Leviticus 8; Levine)
The Origins of Priesthood in the Bible
Priestly activity appears early in Scripture. Figures such as Noah, Abraham, and Job offer sacrifices long before Israel’s formal priesthood is established. These acts suggest that mediation between God and humanity predates institutional structures.
The formal priesthood emerges with Israel’s covenant at Sinai. God sets apart the tribe of Levi for sacred service, with Aaron and his descendants designated as priests. This calling is not based on merit but on divine choice. The priesthood becomes a central feature of Israel’s worship and identity. (Exodus 19; Exodus 28–29; Milgrom)
The Levitical Priesthood
The Levitical priesthood forms the backbone of Israel’s religious life. Priests serve at the tabernacle and later the temple. Their responsibilities include offering sacrifices, maintaining ritual purity, teaching the law, and pronouncing blessings.
The sacrificial system does not exist to appease an angry God. It functions as a means of restoring relationship. Through sacrifice, Israel learns that sin disrupts communion and that forgiveness requires intentional repair.
Priests also guard holiness. They distinguish between clean and unclean, sacred and common. This work reinforces the idea that God’s presence is both gracious and demanding. (Leviticus; Numbers; Wenham)
The Role of the High Priest
Among the priests, one figure holds unique responsibility: the high priest. He alone enters the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the people.
The high priest embodies the spiritual state of the nation. His garments symbolize glory and responsibility. His actions on the Day of Atonement dramatize Israel’s dependence on divine mercy.
This role underscores the seriousness of mediation. Access to God is precious and protected. The high priest’s work is not spectacle but solemn service. (Leviticus 16; Exodus 28; Hartley)
Priests as Teachers and Guardians of the Law
Priests do more than perform rituals. They teach God’s law and guide the people in faithful living. Malachi criticizes priests not for performing sacrifices incorrectly, but for failing to instruct the people truthfully.
This teaching role links worship and ethics. Right sacrifice without right living is meaningless. Priests are called to model integrity as well as knowledge.
When priests abandon this calling, worship collapses into empty ritual. Scripture repeatedly connects priestly failure with national decline. (Deuteronomy 33; Malachi 2; Brueggemann)
Priests, Kings, and Prophets
Priests do not exist in isolation. Israel’s leadership includes kings and prophets alongside priests. Each role serves a distinct function.
Kings govern. Prophets speak God’s word into moments of crisis. Priests sustain the rhythms of worship and remembrance. Tension among these roles is common, but together they shape Israel’s life with God.
Some figures, such as Samuel, blur these boundaries. Yet Scripture generally maintains clear distinctions, preventing the concentration of power in any single office. (1 Samuel; 2 Chronicles; Ackroyd)
Critiques of the Priesthood
The Bible does not idealize priests. Prophets frequently challenge priestly corruption, complacency, and injustice.
These critiques reveal that priesthood is a vocation, not a guarantee of faithfulness. Sacred office does not shield one from accountability. When priests exploit worship or neglect justice, they betray their calling.
This tension prepares the way for later theological developments, especially the New Testament’s reimagining of priesthood. (Jeremiah 7; Ezekiel 22; Heschel)
Jesus as High Priest
The New Testament reinterprets priesthood through the life and death of Jesus. The letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the great high priest who offers not animal sacrifices but himself.
Jesus fulfills the priestly role by entering God’s presence on behalf of humanity. His sacrifice is once for all, rendering the temple system obsolete.
This portrayal does not reject Israel’s priesthood. It completes it. Jesus embodies perfect mediation, compassion, and obedience. (Hebrews 4–10; Wright)
The Priesthood of All Believers
The New Testament extends priestly language to the entire community of faith. Believers are described as a royal priesthood, called to offer spiritual sacrifices and bear witness to God’s grace.
This does not erase distinct roles within the church. It affirms that access to God is no longer restricted to a single lineage or location.
Priesthood becomes a shared calling shaped by service, prayer, and faithful living. (1 Peter 2; Revelation 1; Dunn)
Why Priesthood Still Matters
Understanding biblical priesthood clarifies key theological themes: holiness, forgiveness, mediation, and community. It explains why sacrifice matters, why worship is structured, and why Jesus’ death carries such significance.
Priesthood reveals a God who desires relationship but honors the seriousness of that relationship. It shows how God meets humanity with both grace and responsibility.
The priestly story is ultimately about nearness. God chooses to dwell among people and provides means for that dwelling to be sustained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are priests and pastors the same?
No. Biblical priesthood is rooted in Israel’s sacrificial system, while pastors emerge from the New Testament’s model of teaching and shepherding.
Why were only Levites priests?
God designated the tribe of Levi for priestly service following Israel’s covenant at Sinai.
Do Christians still need priests?
Christian theology understands Jesus as the ultimate high priest, with believers sharing in a spiritual priesthood.
Why is priesthood important for understanding Jesus?
Jesus’ role as high priest explains how his death functions as mediation, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Works Consulted
Levine, Baruch A. In the Presence of the Lord.
Milgrom, Jacob. Leviticus.
Wenham, Gordon J. The Book of Leviticus.
Hartley, John E. Leviticus.
Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament.
Heschel, Abraham Joshua. The Prophets.
Dunn, James D. G. The Theology of Paul the Apostle.
