נְתַן־מֶלֶךְ
𐤍𐤕𐤍־𐤌𐤋𐤊
Netan Melekhe
H5419 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper noun designating an individual named Nethan-Melek; the primary lexical meaning is 'Nethan-Melek,' meaning 'the king has given' or 'given by the king.' Attested as a personal name, the name implies either divine bestowal by a ruler or, less likely, a gift or beneficence from a human monarch.
Semantic Range
Nethan-Melek (personal name), the king has given, given by the king; name signifying royal bestowal or beneficence
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root נתן (n-t-n), meaning 'to give,' and מֶלֶךְ (melekh), meaning 'king.' The compound structure follows a naming pattern where the first component is a verb or participle, and the second is the noun; thus, the name means 'the king has given' or 'given of the king.' Root נתן (give) is common in personal names; מֶלֶךְ (king) frequently appears in combination names referencing royal or divine authority.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Nethan-Melek appears as a personal name in 2 Kings 23:11, identified as an official (sar) in the court of Josiah during the late monarchic (First Temple) period. The name follows a widespread Israelite and Northwest Semitic practice of theophoric and honorific naming, but in this case, it does not explicitly reference a deity, only 'king.' Depending on context, 'king' in such names may reference the reigning Israelite king or, less commonly, the deity portrayed as king. There is no evidence that נְתַן־מֶלֶךְ refers to a title or office—its sole attestation in the Hebrew Bible is as a personal name. The English translation 'Nathanmelech' is a transliteration intended to render the Hebrew name; the actual meaning of the compound is rarely expressed in English Bibles. Later periods saw this style of name continue but with possible shifts in meaning as the term 'melekh' became explicitly linked to God ('the King'). However, the biblical usage should be understood against the background of Israelite court and administrative naming conventions of the late monarchic period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָתַן and מֶלֶךְ; given of (the) king; Nethan-Melek, an Israelite; Nathanmelech.
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 exercise authority
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5419-01 |
מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekhe | HNp |
Melech | ruling sovereign of | Netan Melekhe | 1 |
H5419-02 |
נְתַן | netan | HNp |
Nathan | King-has-given | Netan Melekhe | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5419-02 |
2 Kings 23:11 | נְתַן | netan | HNp |
Nathan | King-has-given | Netan Melekhe |
H5419-01 |
2 Kings 23:11 | מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekhe | HNp |
Melech | ruling sovereign of | Netan Melekhe |