Declared (Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale) has a range of meaning similar to call (see comment on Heb. 5.4). Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “called him out”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “appointed”; New English Bible, Translator’s New Testament “named”; Moffatt, New American Bible, Phillips “designated”; Knox “called”; and Barclay “was given … the title of.” However, the earliest meaning of this verb is “greet,” and this sense is still found in secular writings of about the same date as the New Testament. Bible de Jérusalem translates “since he is greeted by God with the title of high priest according to the order of Melchizedek”; similarly Jerusalem Bible “acclaimed” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “proclaimed.” This is a possible meaning; however, it is more likely to be an equivalent of call, but the author used declared to avoid repetition. The word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament, and therefore the exact sense is not certain.

The meaning of the verb rendered declared may be expressed in some languages by direct discourse; for example, “God proclaimed, ‘You are a high priest in the way in which Melchizedek was.’ ” For a translation of in the priestly order of Melchizedek, see Heb. 5.6.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .