H4437 H4437
Kingdom, reign, or royal dominion; the Aramaic term for sovereign rule, territorial realm, and kingly authority in Daniel and Ezra.
Malku is the Aramaic counterpart of Hebrew malkut, appearing exclusively in the Aramaic portions of Daniel and Ezra. It carries the full weight of ancient Near Eastern political theology: Nebuchadnezzar's world-empire, the succession of four kingdoms in Daniel's visions, and ultimately God's everlasting kingdom that shatters all others (Dan 2:44). The word flexes between the abstract authority of a king's reign (Dan 4:17), the concrete territory he rules, and the plural 'kingdoms' of apocalyptic prophecy. Spanish reino, French royaume, and German Koenigreich all converge on a single rendering, but the Aramaic contexts demand careful attention to whether malku means 'your kingship' or 'your kingdom' — the power or the place.
Senses
1. kingdom, realm — A kingdom or realm as a political and territorial entity ruled by a sovereign. This dominant sense (46 occurrences) covers Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian empire (Dan 2:37), the successive world-kingdoms of Daniel's statue vision (Dan 2:39–40), and God's eternal kingdom (Dan 2:44, 7:27). Spanish el reino, French le royaume, and German das Koenigreich all treat it as a concrete domain. The emphatic state malkuta in Aramaic often carries the definite article sense, 'the kingdom.' 46×
AR["الـ-مَمْلَكَةَ","الـ-مَمْلَكَةِ","الْمَلَكُوتَ","الْمَلَكُوتُ","الْمَلَكُوتِ","مَلَكُوتٌ","مَلَكُوتٍ","مَمْلَكَة","مَمْلَكَةً","مَمْلَكَةٌ"]·ben["রাজকীয়","রাজত্ব","রাজ্য","রাজ্যে","রাজ্যের"]·DE["Koenigreich","das-Koenigreich","sein-Koenigreich"]·EN["kingdom","kingdom-of","the-kingdom","the-realm-of"]·FR["le-royaume","royaume","royaumes","son-royaume"]·heb["ה-מלכות","מלכות"]·HI["राजत्व-के","राज्य","राज्य-के","राज्य-को"]·ID["-kerajaan","kerajaan"]·IT["il-regno","regno"]·jav["karajan","kerajaan","kraton","kratonipun"]·KO["그-나라를","나라","나라-가","나라-를","나라-에","나라-와","나라-의","나라가","왕국","왕권을","왕권이"]·PT["o-reino","o-reino-de","reino","um-reino","é-um-reino-de"]·RU["-царства","-царство","царского","царства","царстве","царство","царством"]·ES["el-reino","el-reino-de","reino","un-reino"]·SW["ni-ufalme-wa","ufalme"]·TR["kralliginin","krallık","krallıkta","krallığı","krallığın"]·urd["بادشاہی","بادشاہی-کا","بادشاہی-کے","بادشاہی-ہے","سلطنت","سلطنت-میں","سلطنت-پر","سلطنت-کی","سلطنت-کے"]
2. reign, royal rule — The reign or exercise of royal authority, emphasizing the temporal and functional aspect of rule rather than the geographic realm. In Ezra 4:24 and 6:15 it marks dating formulae — 'in the reign of Darius.' Daniel 4:17–32 uses it for the kingly authority that is given and taken away. Spanish reinado de and German zu Koenigreich distinguish this from territorial kingdom, capturing the dynamic, personal quality of sovereignty that God grants to whom he wills. 8×
AR["فِي-مَلَكُوتِ","لِ-مَمْلَكَة","لِ-مُلْكِ","وَ-فِي-مَلَكُوتِ"]·ben["-রাজত্বে","-রাজত্বের","-রাজ্যে","এবং-রাজত্বে","রাজত্বের"]·DE["Koenigreich","und-Koenigreich","zu-Koenigreich"]·EN["and-in-reign-of","in-kingdom-of","in-reign-of","of-reign-of","of-the-reign-of"]·FR["dans-le-royaume","et-dans-le-royaume","royaume"]·heb["ב-מלכות","ו-ב-מלכות","ל-מלכות"]·HI["और-में-राज्य","पर-राज्य","में-राज्य","राज्य-के"]·ID["atas-kerajaan","dan-pada-pemerintahan","pada-pemerintahan","pemerintahan"]·IT["e-regno","regno"]·jav["ing-kerajaan","ing-kraton","kangge-kraton","lan-ing-kerajaan","wonten-ing-kerajaan"]·KO["그리고-나라-에서","나라-에서","에-왕국"]·PT["do-reinado-de","e-no-reinado-de","no-reinado-de","no-reino-dos"]·RU["в-царстве","и-в-царстве","над-царством","царствования"]·ES["de-reinado-de","del-reinado-de","en-el-reinado-de","en-el-reino-de","y-en-el-reinado-de"]·SW["katika-ufalme-wa","na-katika-ufalme-wa","wa-utawala"]·TR["kralliginin","krallığında","ve-krallığında"]·urd["اور-سلطنت-میں","بادشاہی-پر","سلطنت-میں","لے-سلطنت"]
3. kingdoms (plural) — Kingdoms in the plural, referring to multiple political entities collectively, especially in apocalyptic contexts. Daniel 2:44 declares that God's kingdom will crush 'all these kingdoms,' and 7:23 describes a fourth beast that devours 'all the kingdoms.' The plural construct malkevat appears only three times, marking climactic moments where individual empires give way to God's universal dominion. 3×
AR["الـ-مَمَالِكِ","الْمَمَالِكِ","لِلْمَمَالِكِ"]·ben["রাজত্বগুলি","রাজত্বগুলির","রাজ্যগুলোকে"]·DE["Koenigreich","das-Koenigreich"]·EN["kingdoms","the-kingdoms"]·FR["le-royaume","royaumes"]·heb["ה-ממלכות","ממלכות"]·HI["राज्यों","राज्यों-की"]·ID["-kerajaan-kerajaan","kerajaan-kerajaan"]·IT["il-regno","regno"]·jav["kerajaan","kerajaan-kerajaan","kraton"]·KO["나라들에게서","나라들의","왕권들을"]·PT["os-reinos","reinos"]·RU["царств","царства"]·ES["los-reinos","reinos"]·SW["falme"]·TR["krallıklardan","krallıkları","krallıkların"]·urd["سلطنتوں","سلطنتوں-کی"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַלְכוּ n.f. royalty, reign, kingdom;—abs. מ׳ Dn 2:39 +; cstr. מַלְכוּת Ezr 4:24 +; emph. -תָא Dn 2:37 +, -תָה 2:44; sf. -תִי 4:15 +, -תֵהּ 3:33 +, -תָךְ 4:23 +; pl. cstr. מַלְכְוָת 7:27; emph. -וָתָא 2:44; 7:23;— 1. royalty, kingship, kingly authority: Dn 4:23, 28, 33; הֵיכַל מ׳ v 26, בֵּית מ׳ v 27, כָּרְסֵא מ׳ 5:20. 2. organized (world-) kingdom: 2:39(×2), 40, 41, 42, 44; 7:23(×2), 24, 27; מ׳…