H4427a H4427a
To reign, be or become king; in the Hifil, to make someone king or cause to reign over a people or territory.
A verb at the heart of Israel's political theology, meaning to exercise royal authority or to ascend to the throne. When Samuel anoints Saul and later David, this is the word that marks the moment power transfers. In the Hifil stem it takes on causative force: the people or God 'makes someone king,' as when Israel crowns Saul at Gilgal (1 Sam 11:15). Arabic malaka and Akkadian malāku confirm the root's ancient Near Eastern pedigree as the standard term for sovereign rule. The single Daniel 9:1 occurrence preserves a rare passive nuance — Darius 'was made king' — attested also in Aramaic portions of Daniel.
3. sense 3 — A single occurrence in Daniel 9:1 where the Hophal passive or an Aramaic-influenced form yields the meaning 'was made king.' Darius the Mede 'was made king' (humlak) over the Chaldean realm. The passive nuance is confirmed by the Spanish reinó used in a stative-resultative sense and the German der König construction. This bridges Hebrew and the Aramaic sections of Daniel where the root mlk appears frequently in passive constructions. 1×
AR["مُلِكَ"]·ben["রাজা-হলেন"]·DE["der-Koenig"]·EN["was-made-king"]·FR["le-roi"]·heb["הומלך"]·HI["राजा-बना"]·ID["menjadi-raja"]·IT["il-re"]·jav["dipun-dadosaken-raja"]·KO["왕-이-되었는데"]·PT["reinou"]·RU["воцарился"]·ES["reinó"]·SW["alifanywa-mfalme"]·TR["kral-oldu"]·urd["بادشاہ-بنا"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. reign, be king (Qal) — The basic Qal meaning: to reign, rule as king, exercise royal sovereignty. This covers the vast majority of occurrences (300x), spanning Israelite monarchs (David reigned in Hebron, 2 Sam 2:10), foreign kings (the Edomite king-lists of Gen 36:32ff.), and even divine kingship (YHWH reigns forever, Exod 15:18). Every major translation language uses a single core equivalent — Spanish reinar, French régner, German regieren — confirming an undivided semantic core. 300×
AR["مَلَكَ"]·ben["তিনি-রাজত্ব-করলেন","রাজত্ব-করছিল","রাজত্ব-করছে","রাজত্ব-করত","রাজত্ব-করতেন","রাজত্ব-করলেন","রাজত্ব-করেছিল","রাজত্ব-করেছিলেন","রাজত্ব-করেছে","রাজা-হয়েছে"]·DE["er-regierte","hat-become-Koenig","hat-regierte","regierte"]·EN["has-become-king","has-reigned","he-reigned","reigned"]·FR["a-deviens-roi","a-régna","il-régna","régna"]·heb["מלך"]·HI["राज-करता-था","राज-किया","राजा-बना","राजा-रहा","राज्य-करता-था","राज्य-किया","राज्य-किया-उसने"]·ID["dia-memerintah","hanya","ia-memerintah","memerintah","menjadi-raja"]·IT["egli-regnò","ha-diventare-re","ha-regnò","regnò"]·jav["dados-raja","dados-ratu","jumeneng-nata","jumeneng-raja","mréntah"]·KO["그가-왕으로-다스렸다","다스렸다","왕으로-다스렸다","왕이-되었나이까","왕이-되었나이다","왕이-되었다"]·PT["reinou"]·RU["воцарился","царствовал"]·ES["reinaba","reinó"]·SW["Adoniya","alitawala","alivyotawala","ametawala","anamiliki","juu-ya","mwana-wa","saba","thelathini"]·TR["hüküm-sürdü","kral-oldu","krallık-etti","krallık-yaptı"]·urd["اُس-نے-بادشاہی-کی","اُس-نے-بادشاہی-کی۔","بادشاہ-ہوا","بادشاہت-کی","بادشاہی-کرتا-تھا","بادشاہی-کی"]
Josh 13:10, Josh 13:12, Josh 13:21, Judg 4:2, 1 Sam 13:1, 2 Sam 2:10, 2 Sam 5:4, 2 Sam 5:5, 2 Sam 5:5, 2 Sam 15:10, 1 Kgs 1:11, 1 Kgs 1:13 (+38 more)
2. make king, cause to reign (Hifil) — The causative Hifil sense (49x): to install someone as king, to cause to reign. Structurally distinct from Sense 1 — the subject is the kingmaker, not the king. Key passages include Judges 9:6 where the citizens of Shechem 'made Abimelech king,' and 1 Samuel 8:22 where YHWH tells Samuel to 'make them a king.' Arabic mallaka (Form II, with doubled middle radical) parallels this causative pattern precisely. Spanish hacer rey and French faire roi capture the two-participant structure. 49×
AR["فَأَمْلَكَ","فَأَمْلَكُوهُ","فَـ-مَلَّكُوا","فَـ-مَلَّكْتُمْ","فَمَلَّكُوا","فَمَلَّكُوهُ","لِيُمَلِّكُوا","وَ-مَلَّكَ","وَ-مَلَّكُوا","وَ-مَلَّكُوهُ","وَمَلَّكَ","وَمَلَّكُوا","وَمَلَّكُوهُ"]·ben["-রাজা-করতে","আর-তারা-রাজা-করল","আর-রাজা-করলেন","এবং-তাঁকে-রাজা-করলেন","এবং-তারা-রাজা-করল","এবং-রাজা-করল","এবং-রাজা-করলেন","এবং-রাজা-করেছ","এবং-রাজা-করেছিল","ও-রাজা-করল"]·DE["herrschen","und-herrschen","und-machte-Koenig","und-sie-machte-Koenig"]·EN["and-made-king","and-they-made-king","to-make-king"]·FR["et-fit-roi","et-ils-fit-roi","et-régner","régner"]·heb["ו-המליכו","ו-המלכתם","ו-ימליך","ו-ימליכו","וַ-יַּמְלִיכוּ","ל-המליך"]·HI["और-राजबनाया","और-राजा-बनाया","और-राजा-बनाया-उसे","राजा-बनाने"]·ID["Dan-Firaun-Nekho-mengangkat-raja","Dan-ia-mengangkat-sebagai-raja","Dan-mengangkat","dan-kamu-mengangkat-raja","dan-mengangkat","dan-merajakan","dan-mereka-mengangkat","dan-mereka-mengangkat-menjadi-raja","dan-mereka-mengangkat-raja","dan-mereka-menjadikan-dia-raja","dan-mereka-menjadikan-raja","dan-rakyat-negeri-mengangkat-raja","untuk-merajakan"]·IT["e-essi-fece-re","e-fece-re","e-regnare","regnare"]·jav["Lan-ngangkat-ratu","Lan-piyambakipun-ngangkat-dados-raja","kanggé-njumenengaken","lan-dados-rajèng-piyambakipun","lan-ndadosaken-raja","lan-ngangkat-dados-raja","lan-ngangkat-raja","lan-ngangkat-ratu","lan-ngraja-kaken","lan-njumenengaken-raja","lan-piyambakipun-dados-Raja-aken","lan-piyambakipun-sami-ngangkat-dados-raja","lan-sami-ngangkat-ratu","tiyang-"]·KO["그들이-왕으로-세웠다","그래서-왕으로-세웠다","그리고-그들이-왕으로-세웠다","그리고-세웠다","그리고-왕으로-삼았다","그리고-왕으로-세웠다","그리고-왕으로-세웠다-그들이","에-왕으로삼다"]·PT["E-fez-rei","E-fizeram-reinar","e-fez-rei","e-fez-reinar","e-fizeram-rei","e-fizeram-reinar","e-fizestes-rei","para-fazer-reinar"]·RU["воцарить","и-воцарил","и-воцарили","и-поставили","и-поставили-царём","и-сделали-царём"]·ES["E-hicieron-rey","E-hizo-rey","e-hicieron-reinar","e-hicieron-rey","e-hicisteis-rey","e-hizo-rey","para-hacer-rey","y-hicieron-rey","y-lo-hicieron-rey"]·SW["Na-wakamfanya-mfalme","kumfanya-mfalme","na-akamfanya-mfalme","na-mkamfanya-mfalme","na-wakamfanya-mfalme","na-wakamtawaza","wayaּmliykwּ"]·TR["Ve-kral-ettiler","kral-yapmak-için","ve-kral-ettiler","ve-kral-ettiniz","ve-kral-yaptiler","ve-kral-yaptı","ve-kral-yaptılar"]·urd["اور-بادشاہ-بنایا","اور-بادشاہ-بنایا-اُنہوں-نے","بادشاہ-بنانے-کو"]
Judg 9:6, Judg 9:16, Judg 9:18, 1 Sam 8:22, 1 Sam 11:15, 1 Sam 12:1, 1 Sam 15:11, 1 Sam 15:35, 2 Sam 2:9, 1 Kgs 1:43, 1 Kgs 3:7, 1 Kgs 12:1 (+37 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
II. מָלַךְ346 vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign;— Qal296 Pf. מ׳ Jos 13:10 +, etc.; Impf. יִמְלֹךְ (-לוֹךְ) Ex 15:18 +; וַיִּמְלֹךְ Gn 36:32 +; 2 ms. תִּמְלֹךְ Gn 37:8 +, (הֲתִֽמֲלֹךְ Je 22:15 Bear); Imv. מְלָךְ־, Ju 9:14; מָלְכָה Ju 9:8; מָלְכִי Ju 9:10, 12; Inf. abs. מָלֹךְ Gn 37:8 1 S 24:21; cstr. מְלֹךְ 1 K 2:15 +; sf. מָלְכוֹ 1 S 13:1 +; Pt. מֹלֵךְ Je 22:11 + 2 times; מֹלֶכֶת 2 K…