מַלְכָּא
𐤌𐤋𐤊𐤀
malkâʼ
H4433 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Female ruler, sovereign or royal consort; in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, specifically denotes a woman who holds royal status either as a reigning monarch or as the chief wife of a king. May refer to a queen regnant in her own right or a queen consort married to the king.
Semantic Range
queen, female ruler, queen consort, queen mother, sovereign woman
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root מלך (mlk), meaning 'to reign, rule, be king.' The Aramaic feminine noun מַלְכָּא (malkâʼ) adds the feminine -א ending to form 'queen,' paralleling the Hebrew מַלְכָּה (malkâ). Both ultimately trace back to the shared Semitic root for rule or kingship.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מַלְכָּא occurs only in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably Daniel and Ezra). It describes female royalty in contexts relating to Babylonian and Persian courts (e.g., Daniel 5:10—the queen mother). Unlike the Hebrew מַלְכָּה, which can denote either a queen regnant or consort in Israelite contexts, the Aramaic usage is shaped by administrational and court terminologies of eastern empires. In some translations, 'queen' may refer specifically to the king's mother or the chief royal woman, not necessarily the reigning monarch. Later Jewish Aramaic and post-biblical usage also employs the term for royal women, and its scope may be broader in rabbinic or targumic literature. Modern translations often render it simply as 'queen,' but context may indicate a range of statuses: consort, mother, or regnant, depending on the passage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to מַלְכָּה; a queen; queen.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
מלך (Yamelekhe) — to reign, to be king, to rule
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3230 | יַמְלֵךְ | He-Will-Reign |
| H4409 | מַלּוּךְ | to Reigning-One |
| H4427 | מָלַךְ | in his reigning |
| H4428 | מֶלֶךְ | among the kings |
| H4429 | מֶלֶךְ | the sovereign |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4433-01 |
מַלְכְּתָ֕/א | maleketa | ANcfsd/Td |
the queen | the queen | the queen | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4433-01 |
Daniel 5:10 | מַלְכְּתָ֕/א | maleketa | ANcfsd/Td |
the queen | the queen | the queen |
H4433-01 |
Daniel 5:10 | מַלְכְּתָ֜/א | maleketa-2 | ANcfsd/Td |
the queen | the queen | the queen |