מָלַךְ
to reign
‘to reign’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”).
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
64 verses where H4427 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 2 Kings. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Kings
- 2 Kings 1:17 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֤ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So he died according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram began to reign in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
- 2 Kings 3:1 מָלַ֤ךְ וַ/יִּמְלֹ֖ךְ Qal pf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
- 2 Kings 3:27 יִמְלֹ֣ךְ Qal impf 3ms Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. There was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
- 2 Kings 8:15 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It happened on the next day, that he took the coverlet, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 8:16 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
- 2 Kings 8:17 בְ/מָלְכ֑/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Thirty-two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 8:24 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 8:25 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
- 2 Kings 8:26 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Twenty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
- 2 Kings 9:13 מָלַ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms Then they hurried, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king.
- 2 Kings 9:29 מָלַ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.
- 2 Kings 10:35 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 10:36 מָלַ֤ךְ Qal pf 3ms The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
- 2 Kings 11:3 מֹלֶ֥כֶת Qal ptcp.act fs He was with her hid in the house of Yahweh six years. Athaliah reigned over the land.
- 2 Kings 11:21 בְּ/מָלְכֽ/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.
- 2 Kings 12:1 מָלַ֣ךְ מָלַ֖ךְ Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
- 2 Kings 12:21 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 13:1 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] seventeen years.
- 2 Kings 13:9 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 13:10 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] sixteen years.
- 2 Kings 13:24 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 14:1 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign.
- 2 Kings 14:2 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 14:16 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 14:23 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, [and reigned] forty-one years.
- 2 Kings 14:29 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:1 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.
- 2 Kings 15:2 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 15:7 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:8 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
- 2 Kings 15:10 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֖ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck him before the people, and killed him, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:13 מָלַ֔ךְ וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria.
- 2 Kings 15:14 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:17 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, [and reigned] ten years in Samaria.
- 2 Kings 15:22 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:23 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] two years.
- 2 Kings 15:25 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, and struck him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 15:27 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, [and reigned] twenty years.
- 2 Kings 15:30 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֖ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him, and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
- 2 Kings 15:32 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
- 2 Kings 15:33 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
- 2 Kings 15:38 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 16:1 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
- 2 Kings 16:2 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he didn't do that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, like David his father.
- 2 Kings 16:20 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 17:1 מָ֠לַךְ Qal pf 3ms In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, [and reigned] nine years.
- 2 Kings 18:1 מָלַ֛ךְ Qal pf 3ms Now it happened in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
- 2 Kings 18:2 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
- 2 Kings 19:37 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It happened, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 20:21 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 21:1 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah.
- 2 Kings 21:18 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 21:19 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
- 2 Kings 21:26 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 22:1 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
- 2 Kings 23:31 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
- 2 Kings 23:33 ב/מלך מִ/מְּלֹ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs prep + Qal inf.cs Pharaoh Necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of one hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
- 2 Kings 23:36 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
- 2 Kings 24:6 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 24:8 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned in Jerusalem three months: and his mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 24:12 לְ/מָלְכֽ/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
- 2 Kings 24:18 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
- 2 Kings 25:1 לְ/מָלְכ֗/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms It happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
- 2 Kings 25:27 מָלְכ֗/וֹ Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“to reign” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb מלך (mâlak). As a verb its force shifts by stem, across 4 stems (Qal, Hiphil, and more). The Hebrew Bible uses it across 284 verses — common. More than a quarter of its appearances fall in 2 Kings. First canonically at Genesis 36:31, it enters the text early. See the sense tree, 284-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H4427 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 284
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 284 distinct verses.
- 22 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 22 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #139
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 139 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 284 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 2 Kings 73 verses 26%
- 2 Chronicles 57 verses 20%
- 1 Kings 51 verses 18%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 284 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 177 verses · 62%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 96 verses · 34%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 11 verses · 4%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Reigned 115×, He reigned 38×, Reign 35×
- American Standard Version†: Reigned in his stead 51×, He reigned 47×, Reigned 43×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Reigned 75×, He reigned 54×, He became king 39×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Reigned 102×, He reigned 81×, And 76×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H4427 across 350† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 45 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H4427 across 347† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 53 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H4427 across 340† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 51 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H4427 across 463† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 46 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hophal (the passive of Hiphil).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 4 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
מלך I denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign
Qal
- Pf. מ׳ Jos 13:10 +, etc.; Impf. יִמְלֹךְ (-לוֹךְ) Ex 15:18 +; וַיִּמְלֹךְ Gn 36:32 +; 2 ms. תִּמְלֹךְ Gn 37:8 +, (הֲתִֽמֲלֹךְ Je 22:15 Bear); Imv. מְלָךְ־, Ju 9:14; מָלְכָה Ju 9:8; מָלְכִי Ju 9:10, 12; Inf. abs. מָלֹךְ Gn 37:8 1 S 24:21; cstr. מְלֹךְ 1 K 2:15 +; sf. מָלְכוֹ 1 S 13:1 +; Pt. מֹלֵךְ Je 22:11 + 2 times; מֹלֶכֶת 2 K 11:3 = 2 Ch 22:12;—be (become) king, reign, mostly of Hebrew kings, 2 S 2:10 1 K 16:22 2 K 3:1; 9:13, but also gen. Pr 8:15; 30:22; of Can., Edom., Aramaic, Assyrian, Pers. kings, etc.: Ju 4:2 Gn 36:31 1 K 11:25 2 K 8:15; 19:37 Est 1:1 +; sq. בְּ loc. (usually city) Jos 13:10, 12 Ju 4:2 2 S 5:5 1 K 11:24; 14:21 + often; but also Gn 36:31, 32 1 Ch 1:43 בְּארץ, and even בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ 2 S 3:21; sq. עַל c. people or land 1 S 8:9, 11; 12:14; 13:1 1 K 15:1, 9; 16:23 + often; sq. בְּ loc. + עַל territ. (or pop.) 2 S 5:5 1 K 11:42; sq. תַּחַת (תַּחְתָּיו) 2 S 16:8 Gn 36:33f. = 1 Ch 1:44f., 1 K 14:20, 31 2 K 8:15; 13:24 Je 22:11 + often; †subj. God, sq. על ψ 47:9 Mi 4:7 Ez 20:33 1 S 8:7; sq. בְּ Is 24:23; abs. Ex 15:18 Is 52:7 ψ 93:1; 96:10 = 1 Ch 16:31, 97:1; 99:1; 146:10†; subj. future (Mess.) king Is 32:1 Je 23:5; †subj. a woman (= be queen) 2 K 11:3 = 2 Ch 22:12 (both sq. עַל), Est 2:4 sq. תַּחַת†; Imv. only in fable, king of trees, Ju 9:8, 10, 12, 14 all sq. על; בְּמָלְכוֹ especially = when he began to reign, became king 1 S 13:1 2 S 2:10 1 K 14:21 + often; Inf. also = reign: בְּשְׁנַת שְׁמֹנֶה לְמָלְכוֹ 2 K 24:12; 25:1, cf. v 27; 1 K 6:1 2 Ch 16:13; 17:7; 29:3; 34:3, 8, cf. עַד מְלֹךְ דָּוִד 1 Ch 4:31; עַד מְלֹךְ מַלְכוּת פָּרָס 2 Ch 36:20; began to reign and reigned מָלַךְ וַיִּמְלֹךְ 1 K 15:25; 16:29 2 K 3:1 +; often מָלַךְ alone with same meaning 1 K 16:23 2 K 13:1, 10; 14:23 +. e.g. Joshua 13:10
Hiphil
- Pf. הִמְלִיךְ 1 S 15:35 + 2 times; הִמְלַ֫כְתָּ 1 K 3:7, etc.; Impf. וַיַּמְלֵךְ 2 K 23:34 + 4 times; וַיַּמְלִיכוּ Ju 9:6 + etc.; Inf. cstr. הַמְלִיךְ 1 K 12:1 + etc.; Pt. מַמְלִיךְ Ez 17:16;—make king, or queen, cause to reign, sq. acc. pers. Ju 9:16 1 S 11:15 1 K 1:43; 12:1; 16:21 2 K 10:5; 11:12 (anointing and coronation) = 2 Ch 23:11, 2 K 17:21 1 Ch 11:10; 12:32, 39 2 Ch 10:1; 11:22 Ez 17:16; sq. לִשׁלמֹה (לְ of dir. obj., as Aramaic) 1 Ch 29:22; sq. acc. cogn. 1 S 8:22 (+ לָהֶם), 12:1 (+ על), Is 7:6 (+ בְּתוֹךְ); sq. לְמֶלֶךְ Ju 9:6 1 S 15:11; sq. acc. pers. + בְּ loc. Je 37:1; + עַל Ju 9:18 1 S 15:35 1 K 12:20; 16:16 2 K 8:20 1 Ch 12:38; 28:4 (acc. om.), 23:1 2 Ch 1:9, 11; 21:8; 36:4, 10, cf. 2 S 2:9 (3 times עֲל־, 3 times אֶל־); + תַּחַת 1 K 3:7 2 K 14:21; 21:24; 23:30 (anointing), v 34; 24:17 2 Ch 1:8; 22:1; 26:1; 33:25; 36:1; Est 2:17 (= make queen at coronation); abs. Ho 8:4. e.g. 1 Samuel 15:35
Hophal
- Pf. הָמְלַךְ עַל מַלְכוּת כַּשְׂדִּים Dn 9:1. e.g. Daniel 9:1
מלך II counsel, advise (loan-wd. from Aramaic ܡܠܰܟ, מְלַךְ
Niphal
- (so NH) Impf. וַיִּמָּלֵךְ לִבִּי עָלַי i.e. I considered carefully, Ne 5:7. e.g. Nehemiah 5:7
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign;—
II. vb. counsel, advise (loan-wd. from Aramaic ܡܠܰܟ, מְלַךְ; cf. Assyrian malâku, DlHWB 412);—only
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
*מַלָּךְ
- (= מַה לָךְ) what is it to thee?; of no practical value. Sabb. 150ᵃ sq. חשבונות של מ׳ ושל מה בכך (Ms. M. מה לך, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) accounts of ‘what is it to thee?’ and of ‘what is in it?’, i.e. for no practical purpose. [Oth. opin., v. Ar.]
מָלַךְ
- (b. h.) [to lead in council,] to preside; to officiate; to be ruler. B. Bath. 164ᵇ מ׳ שנה מונין לו שתים when he has been in office one year, they date (in documents) ‘the second year’. Meg. 11ᵃ (ref. to המֹלֵךְ, Esth. I, 1) מ׳ מעצמו started a dynasty with himself (had no claims of succession). Ib. מָלְכוּ בכיפה, v. כִּיפָּה. Zeb. 118ᵇ עשרה שנה שמ׳ וכ׳ ten years during which Samuel ruled alone, ושנה שמ׳ שאול וכ׳ and one year during which Saul and Samuel ruled conjointly; Tem. 15ᵃ; a. fr. e.g. Esther 1:1
- [to be led,]
- 1. to take council, to ask advice or permission. Ber. 3ᵇ נִמְלָכִין בסנהדרין they ask the Sanhedrin for their confirmation. Ib. 4ᵃ כל מה … אני נ׳ במפיבשת וכ׳ in whatever I undertake, I consult the opinion of M., my teacher. Ib. 29ᵇ וכשאתה … הִמָּלֵךְ בקונך וצא and when thou art about to go on a journey, take council of thy Maker (pray) and go out. B. Mets. 14ᵃ צריך לִימָּלֵךְ the scribe must ask for authorization (to insert in the contract); a. fr.
- 2. [to take council with one’s self,] to reconsider, change one’s mind. Gitt. III, 1. Dem. III, 2 הלוקח … ונ׳ להחזיר if one buys vegetables …. and then decides to return (the goods). Ib. 3 נטלן לאוכלן ונ׳ להצניע if he took them up to eat them and changed his mind (deciding) to keep them; a. fr.
- to appoint or elect for rulership, to acknowledge the authority of. Snh. 64ᵃ שהִמְלִיכוּהוּ עליהם, v. מוֹלֶךְ. Y. Ned. IX, beg. 41ᵇ (ref. to Ps. LXXXI, 10) זר שבקרבך אל תַּמְלִיכֵהוּ עליך allow not the tyrant within thee (the evil inclination) to rule over thee. Ab. Zar. 18ᵃ אומה זו מן השמים הִמְלִיכוּהָ this (Roman) nation has been given the rulership by divine decree. R. Hash. 16ᵃ אמרו לפני … מלכיות שתַּמְלִיכוּנִי עליכם recite before me verses of homage (v. מַלְכוּת), in order that you may declare me your ruler; a. fr. e.g. Psalms 81:10
מְלַךְ
- 1. to rule. Targ. Gen. XXXVII, 8; a. fr.—Part. מָלִיךְ. Targ. Jer. XXXIII, 21 (ed. Wil. מְלִיךְ, corr. acc.); a. fr.—Ab. Zar. 10ᵃ בעינא דיִמְלַךְ וכ׳ I desire that my son Severus be king after me; ib. דיִמְלוֹךְ.—Ber. 64ᵃ מ׳ רבה Rabbah officiated (as teacher and judge); a. fr.
- 2. (mostly מליך) to decide. Targ. Is. XIV, 27. Ib. XXIII, 8 (ed. Ven. מַלִּיךְ). Ib. 9 מִילְכָהּ ed. Lag. (some ed. מלכא, read: מִלְכָהּ); a. fr.—Part. pass. מְלִיךְ. Ib. XIV, 26; a. e.
- 3. to advise. Targ. II Sam. XVII, 7. Targ. I Kings I, 12; a. fr.
- 1. to advise. Targ. Job XXVI, 3.
- 2. to decide, v. supra.
- 1. = preced. = preced. Hif. Targ. I Kings III, 7; a. fr.
- 2. to counsel, persuade. Targ. Josh. XV, 18. Targ. Y. Deut. XXX, 6; a. e.—[Targ. Prov. VIII, 15 מַמְלְכִין ed. Lag. rule (oth. ed. מלכין).]
- , אִמְּ׳ = preced. Nif.—Targ. Is. XXXII, 7; a. fr.—B. Bath. 4ᵃ בתר דעבדין מִתְמַלְּכִין do people ask for advice (or permission) after they have acted? Ber. 27ᵇ אִימְּלִיךְ וכ׳ consult my family. Ib. אזיל ואִמְּ׳ וכ׳ he went and consulted his wife. Ned. 54ᵃ כל מילתא דצריך שליחא לאִמְּלוּכֵי וכ׳ any change of order for which the messenger has to ask special authorization, is heterogeneous (to the object of the original commission); כל מילתא דמִימְּלִיךְ שליח עלה וכ׳ a change for which the messenger asks for instructions is homogeneous. Sot. 43ᵇ אי אימ׳ עלה if he reconsiders his original disposal; a. fr.
מֶלֶךְ
- preced.) leader in council, chief, king. Ber. 3ᵇ אדוננו המ׳ our lord the king! Tosef. Snh. VIII, 5, a. fr. מ׳ מלכי המלכים the Most Supreme King (the Lord). Ib. IX, 8 אפי׳ מ׳ של מלכים even a king of kings (great sovereign). Snh. 38ᵃ, a. fr. מ׳ בו"ד (v. בָּשָׂר) a human chief. Ab. Zar. 10ᵃ אין מושיבין מ׳ בן מ׳ they (the Romans) do not allow the son of a king to succeed his father. Kerith. 5ᵇ מ׳ ראשון a first king, starter of a dynasty. Shebu. 6ᵇ מַלְכֹּו של זה this hyparch’s chief. Num. R. s. 18 משה מ׳ וכ׳ Moses has made himself the chief, and Aaron is high priest &c.; a. v. fr.—Pl. מְלָכִים. Hor. 12ᵃ כיצד מושחין את המ׳ וכ׳ how are kings anointed? By drawing with the oil the outlines of a crown; Ker. 5ᵇ. Ib. מַלְכֵי בית דוד the kings of the house of David (southern kingdom); מ׳ ישראל the kings of the northern kingdom; a. v. fr.—בַּת מְ׳ Princess, name of a demon afflicting the eye, also a certain disorder of the eye, v. בַּת I. Sabb. 109ᵃ (Var. בת חורין, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note).—Pl. בנות מֶלֶךְ. Tosef. B. Kam. IX, 27 יצאו בנות מ׳ the ‘princesses’ (humors of the eye) escaped (in consequence of a blow).
מֶלֶךְ ²
- Targ. Ps. XXIV, 7; 9. Targ. Ex. I, 8; a. fr.—Snh. 110ᵃ איהו הוה מ׳ he (Moses) himself is chief. Y. Yeb. XVI, 15ᶜ, v. אָרְסְקִינָס. Y. Ter. VIII, 46ᵇ bot. אתעביד מ׳ he (Dioclet) became king; a. fr.—Pl. מַלְכֵין, מַלְכַיָּא, מַלְכֵי. Targ. Gen. XVII, 6. Ib. XIV, 5. Targ. Prov. VIII, 15; a. fr.—Gitt. 62ᵃ שלמא עלייכו מ׳ (to scholars) peace be with you, chiefs!—Shebu. 6ᵇ תרי מ׳ וכ׳ two kings and two viceroys (hyparchs); a. fr.
מֵלַךְ
- (preced. wds.) counsel, advice. Targ. Is. III, 3. Targ. Y. Deut. VIII, 18 (O. עצה; h. text כֹּחַ); a. fr.—Pl. מִלְכִין, מִלְכַיָּא, מִי׳. Targ. Is. XXV, 1. Targ. Job XII, 17 (not מַ׳). Targ. Hos. X, 6; a. e.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 119 distinct written forms H4427 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 59 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H4427, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- מלוכה mᵉlûwkâh H4410 kingship
- מלך melek H4428 king
- מלך mᵉlak H4431 counsel
- מלכות malkûwth H4438 kingdom
- מלכת mᵉleketh H4446 queen
- ממלכה mamlâkâh H4467 kingdom
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- ימלך Yamlêk H3230 Jamlech
- מלוך Mallûwk H4409 Malluch
- מלך Môlek H4432 Molech
- מלכת Môleketh H4447 Hammoleketh
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 11 — not the complete family. 4 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 264 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 284 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 36:31
- Exodus 15:18
- Joshua 13:10
- Judges 4:2
- 1 Samuel 8:7
- 2 Samuel 2:9
- 1 Kings 1:5
- 2 Kings 1:17
- 1 Chronicles 3:4
- 2 Chronicles 1:8
- Esther 1:1
- Job 34:30
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.