Hebrew word · H4442
מַלְכִּי־צֶ֫דֶק
umalki-
Melchizedek
A personal name built from melekh, 'king', and tsedeq, 'rightness, justice, right order'. The -i in malki is either 'my' ('my king') or an old connecting vowel ('king of'). So: 'My king is righteous(ness)', 'King of righteousness', or, if Tsedeq is a god's name, 'Tsedeq is my king'.
Appears 4 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.14.18
Also named: Melchisedek (Μελχισεδέκ "Melchizedek" G3198)
§ Melchizedek = "my king is Sedek"
king of Salem and priest of the Most High God to whom Abram paid tithe after the battle he fought to free Lot; 'the order of Melchizedek' the order of the priesthood to which Christ belongs
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Genesis 14:18
- Range of meaning
A personal name built from melekh, 'king', and tsedeq, 'rightness, justice, right order'. The -i in malki is either 'my' ('my king') or an old connecting vowel ('king of'). So: 'My king is righteous(ness)', 'King of righteousness', or, if Tsedeq is a god's name, 'Tsedeq is my king'. Tsedeq in the biblical period means the right order of things that a just ruler keeps up, not only personal moral goodness.
- Against the English
English Bibles transliterate the name ('Melchizedek'), so readers lose the meaning a Hebrew hearer would catch at once. Hebrews 7:2 spells it out ('king of righteousness… king of peace'), which shows ancient readers heard the meaning.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Parallel name: Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem (Joshua 10:1), formed the same way, which suggests a naming pattern tied to Jerusalem. West Semitic personal names with the element ṣdq are common. Philo of Byblos (preserved in Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica 1.10) lists a god Sydyk, 'the Just', which supports the 'Tsedeq is my king' reading, though this is debated. Ancient interpreters read the name as a description: Josephus (Antiquities 1.180) explains it as 'righteous king', and so does Philo (Allegorical Interpretation 3.79). 11QMelchizedek (11Q13) from Qumran makes him a heavenly judge, and 2 Enoch 71–72 gives him a miraculous birth.
- Range of meaning
A personal name that can mean 'my king is Tsedeq', 'king of rightness' or 'rightful king'. Tsedeq means rightness, what is properly in order, legitimacy. It may also have been the name of a god worshipped in Canaanite Jerusalem. Compare Adoni-tsedeq, king of Jerusalem in Josh 10:1.
- Against the English
English versions transliterate it as a name, which is correct for Genesis 14. A Hebrew hearer would also have heard what it means, a layer that Hebrews 7:2 spells out: 'king of righteousness… king of peace'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In Gen 14:18–20 Melchizedek, king of Salem, 'priest of God Most High (El Elyon)', blesses Abram and receives a tenth. Ps 76:2 identifies Salem with Zion. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 11Q13 (11QMelchizedek) presents Melchizedek as a heavenly figure who brings final release. Phoenician royal texts use ṣdq for a 'legitimate' heir. Compare Jer 23:5, 'a righteous Branch'.
Similar words
Where it appears
Genesis · 2
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Genesis 14:18 וּמַלְכִּי־ צֶ֙דֶק֙ and Melchi-, -zedek
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
Here: The first half of the name: 'my king' or 'king of', from melekh. The 'and' sits at the head of a clause that starts with the subject, not with the usual narrative verb. That word order is Hebrew's way of saying 'Now, meanwhile…': a new character steps into the scene, breaking into the meeting with the king of Sodom that verse 17 began.
Psalms · 2
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Psalm 110:4 מַלְכִּי־ צֶֽדֶק׃ Melchi-, -zedek
The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Here: The first part of the name Melchizedek, built on melekh, 'king'. It is joined to the next word by a hyphen.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.