A king
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מֶלֶךְ (melek) is the ordinary Hebrew noun for a king or ruler. It names Israelite kings, foreign kings, the promised Davidic king, and the LORD as King, so readers must identify the referent before drawing theological conclusions.
Reader summary
Full entry for מֶלֶךְ (H4428) · Open the biblical lexicon
מֶלֶךְ (melek) is the ordinary Hebrew noun for a king or ruler. It names Israelite kings, foreign kings, the promised Davidic king, and the LORD as King, so readers must identify the referent before drawing theological conclusions.
The BSB source-word alignment has 2,525 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the king (584), king (547), of the King (136), kings (68), of the Kings (68).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 14:1. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Kings (370), 1 Kings (305), 2 Samuel (283), 2 Chronicles (277).
מֶלֶךְ (melek) is the ordinary Hebrew noun for a king or ruler. It names Israelite kings, foreign kings, the promised Davidic king, and the Lord as King, so readers must identify the referent before drawing theological conclusions. Deuteronomy 17 anticipates a king and places him under God's instruction. First Samuel 8 does not declare every human kingship inherently evil; it exposes Israel's demand for a king like the nations and warns how royal power can take people, labor, land, and wealth.
The Psalms proclaim the Lord as King over all the earth and also sing of His anointed ruler. The histories then measure Israel's kings by covenant faithfulness, justice, and dependence on God. Zechariah 9 presents a righteous, humble king whose arrival the Gospels associate with Jesus. The word melek therefore helps teachers distinguish God's unrivaled rule, delegated human authority, failed kingship, and messianic hope without treating any present political leader or nation as the direct fulfillment of Israel's royal promises.
מֶלֶךְ names human rulers and the Lord as King. Israel's royal texts place human kings under God's word, expose abusive rule, sustain Davidic hope, and confess God's universal kingship. The referent and genre control each use.
For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise.
The psalm summons all peoples to praise because God is King over all the earth. Divine kingship is the controlling claim; no earthly ruler shares His unrestricted sovereignty.
Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
The King of Glory enters amid a liturgical call. The title celebrates the Lord's victorious presence and should not be transferred casually to a human ruler.
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.
Israel's request for a king like the nations expresses rejection of the Lord's kingship. The chapter criticizes the desired model and its abuses while the wider canon still holds kings accountable under God's rule.
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.”
Isaiah sees the Lord of Hosts as King and responds with confession. The vision joins kingship, holiness, judgment, cleansing, and prophetic commission.
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zion's coming king is righteous, victorious, and humble. The Gospels use this passage when Jesus enters Jerusalem, placing His kingship against proud and coercive models of rule.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. a king
a king BDB: king Usage: king, royal.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 2,526 lexical occurrence verses.
It affirms that ultimate restoration centers on the Lord’s reign, anticipating the messianic kingship fulfilled in Christ.Hosea 13:9-16
Affirms the Lord’s supreme authority over Zion.Hosea 3:1-5
Highlights misplaced trust in monarchy.Isaiah 33:13-24
Highlights political collapse before restoration.Micah 2:12-13
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
The royal vocabulary of Scripture is both confession and critique. The Lord is King over all the earth, so every human ruler exercises limited and accountable authority. Deuteronomy 17 places Israel's king under the written instruction of God. First Samuel 8 warns that a king shaped like the nations will take rather than serve. The histories confirm that warning while also preserving God's promise to David.
Psalms and prophets therefore hold together divine kingship, failed human rule, judgment, and hope for a righteous king. Zechariah's humble king and Jesus' entry into Jerusalem reveal a reign that does not depend on pride or coercion. Teaching melek well should strengthen worship of God, sober evaluation of leaders, protection for those harmed by power, and confidence in Christ's kingdom.
It should never turn one political party, nation, or leader into the unqualified bearer of biblical royal promises.
Ps.47.7
מֶלֶךְ is a masculine noun used for many kinds of rulers. Titles, possessive forms, and nearby names identify the referent. The same noun can name the Lord, an Israelite king, or a foreign king, so theology must follow the subject and passage rather than the word form alone.
The Gospels present Jesus as Son of David and use Zechariah 9 at His entry into Jerusalem. His kingdom fulfills Israel's royal hope while confronting domination and self-exaltation. Revelation's King of kings title belongs to Christ and relativizes every earthly ruler.