malach · reign

What it means

malach (מָלַךְ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “reign”.

Be king; in the causative form, make someone king.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To be king of a people, or to begin ruling it as king.
2. To set someone up as king, proclaim him and give him the throne.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Reign, be king. BDB notes that it also means to ascend the throne and, in the causative form, to make someone king. From the same root come מֶלֶךְ, “king”, and מַלְכוּת, “kingdom, reign” (H4438).

• To reign over a people Genesis 36:311 Samuel 8:7
• To make someone king 1 Samuel 11:15
• “When he began to reign… and he reigned”: the formula of the kings 1 Kings 14:212 Kings 22:1
• “YHWH reigns” Exodus 15:18Psalms 93:1

Historical and cultural background

The books of Kings present each king of Judah with the same formula: his age when he began to reign, the years he reigned in Jerusalem and his mother's name (1 Kings 14:21).

How we translate it

“Reigned” 156 times, “reign” 76, “when he became king” 25, “became king” 17, “made king” 12. This edition translates the simple form “reign” and the causative “make king”; the start of a reign is “began to reign” or “became king”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• reigned ×156
• reign ×76
• king ×28
• when he became king ×25
• became king ×17
• made king ×12
• reigns ×11
• made him king ×8
• made ×6
• reigning ×5
• others ×4

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×12
• Exodus×1
• Joshua×3
• Judges×8
• 1 Samuel×17
• 2 Samuel×12
• 1 Kings×62
• 2 Kings×90
• 1 Chronicles×27
• 2 Chronicles×79
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×4
• Job×1
• Psalms×6
• Proverbs×2
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×5
• Jeremiah×11
• Ezekiel×2
• Daniel×2
• Hosea×1
• Micah×1

• Genesis 36:31

  These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.

• Genesis 36:32

  Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

• Genesis 36:33

  Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

• Genesis 36:34

  Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

• Genesis 36:35

  Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Avith.

• Genesis 36:36

  Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

• Genesis 36:37

  Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth on the River reigned in his place.

• Genesis 36:38

  Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

• Genesis 36:39

  Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

• Genesis 37:8

  His brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his words.

• Exodus 15:18

  YHWH will reign forever and ever.”

• Joshua 13:10

  and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the sons of Ammon;

• Joshua 13:12

  all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); Moses struck them and dispossessed them.

• Joshua 13:21

  and all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck, him and the chiefs of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

• Judges 4:2

  YHWH sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, and he lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.

• Judges 9:6

  All the lords of Shechem gathered, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the standing stone that is in Shechem.

• Judges 9:8

  The trees went out to anoint over themselves a king, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’

• Judges 9:10

  Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come, you, reign over us.’

• Judges 9:12

  Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come, you, reign over us.’

• Judges 9:14

  Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come, you, reign over us.’

• Judges 9:16

  Now then, if you have acted in truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have done well with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you have done to him as his hands deserved —

• Judges 9:18

  but you have risen up against my father’s house today and killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and made Abimelech king, the son of his slave woman, over the lords of Shechem, because he is your brother —

• 1 Samuel 8:7

  And YHWH said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for it is not you they have despised, but me they have despised from reigning over them.

• 1 Samuel 8:9

  And now, listen to their voice; only you shall solemnly testify against them and declare to them the right of the king who will reign over them.”

• 1 Samuel 8:11

  And he said, “This will be the right of the king who will reign over you: your sons he will take and appoint for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots;

• 1 Samuel 8:22

  And YHWH said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, each one to his city.”

• 1 Samuel 11:12

  The people said to Samuel, “Who is the one who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Give us the men, and we will put them to death.”

• 1 Samuel 11:15

  All the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before YHWH in Gilgal, and they sacrificed there sacrifices of peace offerings before YHWH, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

• 1 Samuel 12:1

  Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have made a king over you.

• 1 Samuel 12:12

  But you saw that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon came against you, and you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when YHWH your Elohim was your king.

• 1 Samuel 12:14

  If you fear YHWH and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the command of YHWH, and both you and the king who reigns over you are following after YHWH your Elohim…

• 1 Samuel 13:1

  Saul was a year old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel.

• 1 Samuel 15:11

  “I am sorry that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not carried out my words.” Samuel was incensed, and he cried out to YHWH all night.

• 1 Samuel 15:35

  Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul; and YHWH was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

• 1 Samuel 16:1

  YHWH said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, when I have despised him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for myself.”

• 1 Samuel 23:17

  He said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you; you will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Saul my father also knows this.”

• 1 Samuel 24:20

  Now, look, I know that you will surely be king, and the kingdom of Israel will stand firm in your hand.

• 2 Samuel 2:9

  and made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

• 2 Samuel 2:10

  Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.

• 2 Samuel 3:21

  Abner said to David, “Let me arise and go and gather to my lord the king all Israel, that they may make a covenant with you, and you will reign over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

And 308 more times.