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).
Grammatical forms 32 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 108 times (31%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 83 times (24%)
- Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct 65 times (19%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 17 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 15 times (4%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Infinitive Construct 9 times (3%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 7 times (2%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular 4 times (1%)
+24 more forms (43 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 351 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–284 of 284 distinct verses where H4427 appears, across 22 books. 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 Chronicles 57 verses
- 2 Chronicles 11:22 לְ/הַמְלִיכֽ/וֹ prep + Hiphil inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, [even] the prince among his brothers; for [he was minded] to make him king.
- 2 Chronicles 12:13 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֑ךְ בְּ/מָלְכ֜/וֹ מָלַ֣ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
- 2 Chronicles 12:16 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 13:1 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 מָלַךְ֙ Qal pf 3ms Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
- 2 Chronicles 14:1 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
- 2 Chronicles 16:13 לְ/מָלְכֽ/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
- 2 Chronicles 17:1 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 17:7 לְ/מָלְכ֗/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben Hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
- 2 Chronicles 20:31 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֥ךְ בְּ/מָלְכ֗/וֹ מָלַ֣ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
- 2 Chronicles 21:1 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 21:5 בְּ/מָלְכ֑/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 21:8 וַ/יַּמְלִ֥יכוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20 בְ/מָלְכ֔/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 in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 22:1 וַ/יַּמְלִיכוּ֩ וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place; for the band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.
- 2 Chronicles 22:2 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
- 2 Chronicles 22:12 מֹלֶ֥כֶת Qal ptcp.act fs He was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
- 2 Chronicles 23:3 יִמְלֹ֔ךְ Qal impf 3ms All the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. He said to them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David.
- 2 Chronicles 23:11 וַ/יַּמְלִ֖יכוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp Then they brought out the king's son, and put the crown on him, and [gave him] the testimony, and made him king: and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him; and they said, [Long] live the king.
- 2 Chronicles 24:1 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.
- 2 Chronicles 24:27 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens [laid] on him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 25:1 מָלַ֣ךְ מָלַ֖ךְ Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 26:1 וַ/יַּמְלִ֣יכוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
- 2 Chronicles 26:3 בְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 26:23 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 27:1 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
- 2 Chronicles 27:8 בְ/מָלְכ֑/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 27:9 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 28:1 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Ahaz was twenty years old 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, like David his father;
- 2 Chronicles 28:27 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they didn't bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 29:1 מָלַ֗ךְ מָלַ֖ךְ Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
- 2 Chronicles 29:3 לְ/מָלְכ֜/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, and repaired them.
- 2 Chronicles 32:33 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 33:1 בְ/מָלְכ֑/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.
- 2 Chronicles 33:20 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 33:21 בְּ/מָלְכ֑/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.
- 2 Chronicles 33:25 וַ/יַּמְלִ֧יכוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 34:1 בְ/מָלְכ֑/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.
- 2 Chronicles 34:3 לְ/מָלְכ֗/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the engraved images, and the molten images.
- 2 Chronicles 34:8 לְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.
- 2 Chronicles 36:1 וַ/יַּמְלִיכֻ֥/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:2 בְּ/מָלְכ֑/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:4 וַ/יַּמְלֵ֨ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
- 2 Chronicles 36:5 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 he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God.
- 2 Chronicles 36:8 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 בְּ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ מָלַ֖ךְ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Qal pf 3ms Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 וַ/יַּמְלֵךְ֙ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms At the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:11 בְ/מָלְכ֑/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:
- 2 Chronicles 36:20 מְלֹ֖ךְ Qal inf.cs Those who had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
Nehemiah 1 verse
Esther 4 verses
- Esther 1:1 הַ/מֹּלֵךְ֙ ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Now it happened in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),
- Esther 1:3 לְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him;
- Esther 2:4 תִּמְלֹ֖ךְ Qal juss 3fs and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. The thing pleased the king; and he did so.
- Esther 2:17 וַ/יַּמְלִיכֶ֖/הָ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3fs The king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Job 1 verse
Psalms 6 verses
- Psalms 47:8 מָלַ֣ךְ Qal pf 3ms God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne.
- Psalms 93:1 מָלָךְ֮ Qal pf 3ms Yahweh reigns! He is clothed with majesty! Yahweh is armed with strength. The world also is established. It can't be moved.
- Psalms 96:10 מָלָ֗ךְ Qal pf 3ms Say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns." The world is also established. It can't be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
- Psalms 97:1 מָ֭לָךְ Qal pf 3ms Yahweh reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad!
- Psalms 99:1 מָ֭לָךְ Qal pf 3ms Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.
- Psalms 146:10 יִמְלֹ֤ךְ Qal impf 3ms Yahweh will reign forever; Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise Yah!
Proverbs 2 verses
Ecclesiastes 1 verse
Isaiah 5 verses
- Isaiah 7:6 וְ/נַמְלִ֥יךְ conj + Hiphil impf 1cp "Let's go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let's divide it among ourselves, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel."
- Isaiah 24:23 מָלַ֞ךְ Qal pf 3ms Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory.
- Isaiah 32:1 יִמְלָךְ Qal impf 3ms Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.
- Isaiah 37:38 וַ/יִּמְלֹ֛ךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It happened, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
- Isaiah 52:7 מָלַ֥ךְ Qal pf 3ms How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!
Jeremiah 9 verses
- Jeremiah 1:2 לְ/מָלְכֽ/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms to whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
- Jeremiah 22:11 הַ/מֹּלֵךְ֙ ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms For thus says Yahweh touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, [and] who went forth out of this place: He shall not return there any more.
- Jeremiah 22:15 הֲ/תִֽמְלֹ֔ךְ ptcl inter + Qal impf 2ms Shall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Didn't your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him.
- Jeremiah 23:5 וּ/מָ֤לַךְ conj + Qal wpf 3ms Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
- Jeremiah 33:21 מֹלֵ֣ךְ Qal ptcp.act ms then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
- Jeremiah 37:1 וַ/יִּ֨מְלָךְ הִמְלִ֛יךְ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hiphil pf 3ms Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
- Jeremiah 51:59 לְ/מָלְכ֑/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was chief chamberlain.
- Jeremiah 52:1 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.
- Jeremiah 52:4 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 Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
Ezekiel 2 verses
- Ezekiel 17:16 הַ/מַּמְלִ֣יךְ ptcl def.art + Hiphil ptcp.act ms As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
- Ezekiel 20:33 אֶמְל֥וֹךְ Qal impf 1cs As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you:
Daniel 2 verses
- Daniel 9:1 הָמְלַ֔ךְ Hophal pf 3ms In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,
- Daniel 9:2 לְ/מָלְכ֔/וֹ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years about which the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.
Hosea 1 verse
Micah 1 verse
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.
