melech · king

What it means

melech (מֶלֶךְ) is an Aramaic word of the Bible that means “king”.

(Aramaic). The same word as the Hebrew "melech".

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. A king, above all of Babylon or Persia, addressed with respect (Aramaic).

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

King, in Aramaic: the same word as the Hebrew מֶלֶךְ (H4428), whose note also serves for this one. It occurs only in the Aramaic parts of Daniel and Ezra.

• “O king”, addressing Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 2:37Daniel 3:16
• “King of kings” Daniel 2:37Ezra 7:12
• The letters to the kings of Persia Ezra 4:11
• King Darius's statute Daniel 6:7

How we translate it

“King” 165 times, “kings” 14, “royal” 1. As in Hebrew, always “king”.

How it is translated

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

• king ×165
• kings ×14
• royal ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Ezra×45
• Daniel×135

• Ezra 4:8

  Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

• Ezra 4:11

  This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him: “To Artaxerxes the king: your servants, the men of the other side of the river. And now:

• Ezra 4:12

  let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us, to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and wicked city, and they are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.

• Ezra 4:13

  Now let it be known to the king that if that city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, tax, or toll, and it will cause harm to the treasury of kings.

• Ezra 4:14

  Now, because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the dishonor of the king, therefore we have sent and informed the king,

• Ezra 4:15

  so that someone may investigate in the book of the memorials of your fathers; and you will find in the book of the memorials and know that that city is a rebellious city, causing harm to kings and provinces, and that they have been making sedition within it since the days of old; for this reason that city was laid waste.

• Ezra 4:16

  We inform the king that if that city is built and the walls are finished, as a result you will have no portion in the other side of the river.”

• Ezra 4:17

  The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their companions who live in Samaria and the rest of the other side of the river: Peace. And now:

• Ezra 4:19

  And by me an order was given, and they investigated and found that that city since the days of old has risen up against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

• Ezra 4:20

  And there were mighty kings over Jerusalem and ruling over all the other side of the river, and tribute, tax, and toll were paid to them.

• Ezra 4:22

  And be careful of negligence in acting on this. Why should the damage grow to the harm of kings?”

• Ezra 4:23

  Then, as soon as the copy of the letter of Artaxerxes the king was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and made them cease by force and with troops.

• Ezra 4:24

  Then the work of the house of Elah which is in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

• Ezra 5:6

  The copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the other side of the river, and Shethar-bozenai and his companions, the Apharsachites who were in the other side of the river, sent to Darius the king.

• Ezra 5:7

  They sent a message to him, and thus was written in it: “To Darius the king: all peace.

• Ezra 5:8

  Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great Elah; and it is being built with great stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and that work is being done with diligence and prospers in their hands.

• Ezra 5:11

  And thus they returned an answer to us, saying: ‘We are the servants of the Elah of the heavens and the earth, and we are building the house that was built many years before this; and a great king of Israel built it and finished it.

• Ezra 5:12

  But because our fathers angered the Elah of the heavens, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean; and this house he destroyed, and the people he carried into exile to Babylon.

• Ezra 5:13

  However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king gave an order to build this house of Elah.

• Ezra 5:14

  And also the utensils of the house of Elah, of gold and of silver, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought them to the temple of Babylon, Cyrus the king brought them out from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

• Ezra 5:17

  And now, if to the king it seems good, let it be investigated in the house of the treasures of the king there in Babylon, whether it is so that by Cyrus the king an order was given to build that house of Elah in Jerusalem; and let the will of the king concerning this be sent to us.”

• Ezra 6:1

  Then Darius the king gave an order, and they investigated in the house of the books where the treasures were deposited there in Babylon.

• Ezra 6:3

  In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king gave an order: Concerning the house of Elah in Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they sacrifice sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid; its height, sixty cubits; its width, sixty cubits;

• Ezra 6:4

  three courses of great stones and a course of new timber; and let the cost be paid from the house of the king.

• Ezra 6:8

  And by me an order is given concerning what you shall do with these elders of the Jews for the building of that house of Elah: from the goods of the king, which are from the tribute of the other side of the river, with diligence let the cost be paid to these men, so that there be no stoppage.

• Ezra 6:10

  so that they may be offering offerings of pleasing aroma to the Elah of the heavens and praying for the life of the king and his sons.

• Ezra 6:12

  And may the Elah who has made his name dwell there overthrow every king and people who puts forth his hand to change it, to damage that house of Elah which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given an order; let it be done with diligence.”

• Ezra 6:13

  Then Tattenai, governor of the other side of the river, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, according to what Darius the king had sent, thus they did with diligence.

• Ezra 6:14

  And the elders of the Jews were building and prospering through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo; and they built and finished by the order of the Elah of Israel and by the order of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

• Ezra 6:15

  And this house was brought to completion by the third day of the month of Adar, which was the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

• Ezra 7:12

  “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the Elah of the heavens: complete peace. And now:

• Ezra 7:14

  Because you are sent from before the king and his seven counselors to investigate about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your Elah, which is in your hand,

• Ezra 7:15

  and to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the Elah of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

• Ezra 7:20

  And the rest of what is needed for the house of your Elah, which falls to you to give, you shall give from the house of the treasures of the king.

• Ezra 7:21

  And by me, I, Artaxerxes the king, an order is given to all the treasurers who are in the other side of the river, that all that Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the Elah of the heavens, asks of you be done with diligence,

• Ezra 7:23

  All that is by the order of the Elah of the heavens, let it be done exactly for the house of the Elah of the heavens; for why should there be anger upon the kingdom of the king and his sons?

• Ezra 7:26

  And whoever does not carry out the law of your Elah and the law of the king, with diligence let judgment be executed on him, whether for death, or for uprooting, or for a fine of goods, or for imprisonment.”

• Daniel 2:4

  And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: “O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.”

• Daniel 2:5

  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be made into pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill.

• Daniel 2:7

  They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare its interpretation.”

And 140 more times.