מְלוּכָה
me.lu.khah
kingship
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe word "me.lu.khah" (Hebrew: מְלוּכָה) from the Strong's number H4410, conveys the concept of kingship. In the biblical context, it encompasses the idea of royal authority, power, and governance. This word appears 24 times in the Hebrew Bible, highlighting its significance in understanding the institutions and relationships of ancient Jewish society. The word "me.lu.kah" is associated with the semantic domain of Royalty & Authority, indicating its central role in representing the ruler or monarch. It suggests a high level of influence, decision-making, and control within a kingdom or community. By examining the occurrences of this word in various biblical passages, we can identify its range of usage in different contexts, such as the establishment of royal dynasties, the exercise of rulership, and the evaluation of kingship as a moral institution. The prevalence of "me.lu.kah" in the Hebrew Bible underscores its importance in shaping the narrative of Israelite history, identity, and values. The concept of kingship is multifaceted, and this word helps us understand the complex relationships between rulers, subjects, and the divine. By analyzing this single word, we gain insight into the social, cultural, and political fabric of the ancient Hebrew world.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
24 total occurrences across the text
For the kingdom is Yahweh’s. He is the ruler over the nations.
Isaiah 34:12They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, but none shall be there; and all its princes shall be nothing.
Jeremiah 41:1Now in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring and one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.
Ezekiel 16:13Thus you were decked with gold and silver. Your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered work. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and you prospered to royal estate.
Ezekiel 17:13He took some of the royal offspring, and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
Daniel 1:3The king spoke to Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, even of the royal offspring and of the nobles;
Obadiah 1:21Saviors will go up on Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom will be Yahweh’s.
Isaiah 62:3You will also be a crown of beauty in Yahweh‘s hand, and a royal diadem in your God’s hand.
1 Samuel 10:16Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys were found.” But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn’t tell him.
1 Samuel 10:25Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Yahweh. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
1 Samuel 11:14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come! Let’s go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.”
1 Samuel 14:47Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned himself, he defeated them.
1 Samuel 18:8Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have creditd David with ten thousands, and they have only credited me with thousands. What can he have more but the kingdom?”
2 Samuel 12:26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
2 Samuel 16:8Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
1 Kings 1:46Also, Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.
1 Kings 2:15He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh.
1 Kings 2:15He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh.
1 Kings 2:22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
1 Kings 11:35but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes.
1 Kings 12:21When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
1 Kings 21:7Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
2 Kings 25:25But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, so that he died, with the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.
1 Chronicles 10:14and didn’t inquire of Yahweh. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.