<p>7:9 <i>And, so to say- </i>Another usage of language which suggests we are reading a transcript of a spoken address; see on 13:22.</p><p><i>When Abraham paid the tithe, Levi, whose descendants receive the tithe, also paid a tithe</i>- Abraham is seen as representing his descendant Levi. The Levitical priests did indeed pay a tithe of their tithes- to God. But Paul argues here that Levi, in Abraham, paid a tithe to Melchizedek, thus making him a manifestation of God.</p>