Hammelech הַמֶּלֶךְ
Father of Jerahmeel and Malchijah (or 'Malchiah'), officials during Jeremiah's time.
Who is Hammelech in the Bible?
Hammelech, a name meaning "the king" in Hebrew, was the father of two officials during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. His son Jerahmeel is mentioned in Jeremiah 36:26 as one of the officials ordered by the king to arrest the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch after King Jehoiakim burned a scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies. Another son, Malchijah, appears in Jeremiah 38:6 among the officials who cast Jeremiah into a cistern to silence his warnings against Jerusalem's coming judgment. Some scholars debate whether "Hammelech" was a proper name or a title designating royal office, but both his sons played roles in opposing Jeremiah's message during a critical period in Judah's history. Their actions against the prophet underscore the political and spiritual conflict that characterized Jeremiah's ministry.
Biography
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.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentJeremiah 2 verses
- Jeremiah 36:26
"Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them."
Study Jeremiah → - Jeremiah 38:6
"So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud."
Study Jeremiah →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | הַמֶּלֶךְ | melek | a king |