Boy Old Testament Rare
Hammelech
a king; a counselor
הַמֶּלֶךְ me.lekh
Hammelech (Hebrew: הַמֶּלֶךְ, me.lekh) means “a king; a counselor”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 2 verses across 1 book of the Bible. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Abdeel in Jeremiah 36.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Hammelech
father of Jerahmeel
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 2 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Jeremiah 36:26 |
| Last appears | Jeremiah 38:6 |
| Cross-references | 91 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Abdeel co-occurrence Appears with Abdeel in Jeremiah 36.
- Shelemiah co-occurrence Appears with Shelemiah in Jeremiah 36.
- Azriel co-occurrence Appears with Azriel in Jeremiah 36.
- Seraiah co-occurrence Appears with Seraiah in Jeremiah 36.
- Jerahmeel co-occurrence Appears with Jerahmeel in Jeremiah 36.
- Malchijah co-occurrence Appears with Malchijah in Jeremiah 38.
- Malchiah co-occurrence Appears with Malchiah in Jeremiah 38.
- Elimelech root Shares the element -melech, “king”.
Origin & meaning
'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;
father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";
§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;
father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";
Hammelech, meaning "the king," was the father of Jerahmeel and Malchijah (or 'Malchiah'), officials mentioned in the book of Jeremiah.
The biblical story
Hammelech, which means "the king" in Hebrew, is mentioned in Jer.36.26 and Jer.38.6 as the father of two officials during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. In Jer.36.26, Jerahmeel, the son of Hammelech, is identified as one of the officials sent by King Jehoiakim to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet after the king burned the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies. In Jer.38.6, Malchijah (or 'Malchiah'), another son of Hammelech, is mentioned as one of the officials who threw Jeremiah into a cistern at the request of the princes who opposed the prophet's message. The use of the term "Hammelech" in these passages has led some scholars to believe that it may be a title rather than a proper name, indicating that Jerahmeel and Malchiah were royal officials. However, the exact nature of their roles and their relationship to the king remains unclear.
Key verses
Hammelech appears in 2 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them.
Jeremiah 36:26 -
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
Jeremiah 38:6
Show all 2 references
Jeremiah (2)
- Jeremiah 36:26
- Jeremiah 38:6