מִלְכָּה
𐤌𐤋𐤊𐤄
Milekah
H4435 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun: Milkâh, a personal name borne by several Israelite women. The name likely means 'Queen,' deriving from a feminized form of 'king' (מלך, melech). In narrative contexts, Milcah is the daughter of Haran and wife of Nahor, kin to the patriarch Abraham, as well as the grandmother of Rebekah. The word, in its common noun form (מַלְכָּה), also signifies 'queen' or 'queen consort,' but as a personal name here it designates a named individual.
Semantic Range
proper noun: Milcah (personal name); common noun: queen, queen consort
Root / Etymology
From the root מלך (m-l-k), meaning 'to rule, to be king.' מַלְכָּה is the regular feminine form of 'king' (מֶלֶךְ), thus 'queen.' The proper noun מִלְכָּה preserves this form as a personal name. In this entry, the word functions as a name rather than a title.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In genealogical passages (Genesis 11:29; 22:20-23), Milcah is an Israelite matriarch, associated with Aramean kin in Haran, and significant as part of the ancestry of Rebekah. The name appears only for women, and its use as a personal name may reflect the social value placed on rulership or status within a clan or family. The use of 'queen' as a personal name does not indicate royal status; rather, it is a common theophoric or honorific pattern in Near Eastern onomastics. Standard English translations generally preserve the name as Milcah; when the term is not a personal name but the noun for 'queen,' English versions often simply translate as 'queen.' The personal name מִלְכָּה is distinct from the title מַלְכָּה ('queen'), though they are formed identically in Hebrew. There is no evidence of a development from title to personal name within the biblical tradition, but both forms share the same etymological basis. Later translations sometimes use 'Jewess,' but this is anachronistic for the patriarchal context of Genesis.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a form of מַלְכָּה; queen; Milcah, the name of a Hebrewess and of an Israelite; Milcah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מלך (m-l-k) — to rule, to reign, to be king, to be queen
| 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
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4435-01 |
מִלְכָּ֔ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah | 9 |
H4435-02 |
וּ/מִלְכָּ֖ה | umilekah | HC/Np |
and Milcah | and Milkah | and Milekah | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
11 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4435-01 |
Genesis 11:29 | מִלְכָּ֔ה | milekah | HNp |
was Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 11:29 | מִלְכָּ֖ה | milekah-2 | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 22:20 | מִלְכָּ֥ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 22:23 | מִלְכָּ֔ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 24:15 | מִלְכָּ֔ה | milekah | HNp |
of Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 24:24 | מִלְכָּ֕ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Genesis 24:47 | מִלְכָּ֑ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-01 |
Numbers 26:33 | מִלְכָּ֖ה | milekah | HNp |
Milcah | Milcah | Milekah |
H4435-02 |
Numbers 27:1 | וּ/מִלְכָּ֖ה | umilekah | HC/Np |
Milcah | and Milkah | and Milekah |
H4435-02 |
Numbers 36:11 | וּ/מִלְכָּ֛ה | umilekah | HC/Np |
and Milcah | and Milkah | and Milekah |