🔼The name Melech: Summary
- Meaning
- King
- Etymology
- From the noun מלך (melek), king.
🔼The name Melech in the Bible
The name Melech occurs twice in the Bible, but both times in a genealogy. No further details about this person or things he did have been recorded. All we know about Melech is that he was a son of Micah, who was a son of Merib-baal, who was a son of Jonathan, who was a son of Saul and the best friend of king David (1 Chronicles 8:35, 9:41).
🔼Etymology of the name Melech
The name Melech is the same as the noun מלך (melek), meaning king:
מלך
The noun מלך (melek) means king, and a king is not merely a glorified tribal chief but the alpha of a complex, stratified society, implying a court and a complex government.
The Bible insists that a society must be governed by a triad of anointed sovereigns, namely prophets, priests and the king. A good king causes his people to be prosperous and peaceful whereas a bad one causes poverty and strife. The difference between the two is dictated by how close to the Law of Nature (a.k.a. the Word of God) the king operates. A kingdom that is wholly in tune with the Law consists of only sovereign individuals and is thus without a physical king.
An Aramaic cognate verb מלך (malak) means to consult, which confirms that the concept of royalty indeed evolved from wisdom and intellectual prowess rather than brute physical or political strength, as is commonly suggested.
From this noun derives the verb מלך (malak): to be or become king, the nouns מלכה (malka) and מלכת (meleket): queen or court-lady, the noun מלוכה (meluka): kingship or royalty, and the nouns מלכות (malkut), ממלכה (mamlaka) and ממלכות (mamlakut), meaning sovereignty or kinghood.
🔼Melech meaning
For a meaning of the name Melech, NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read King. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate this name.