Malchijah

MALCHIJAH

mal-ki'-ja (malkiyah, "Yah is king"; Melcheias, with variants):

(1) A Levite, descendant of Gershom, of those whom David set over the "service of sting" in the worship (1 Chronicles 6:40).

(2) The head of the 5th course of priests (1 Chronicles 24:9).

(3) One of the laymen who had taken "strange wives" during the exile (Ezra 10:25); the "Melchias" of 1 Esdras 9:26.

(4) Another of the same name (Ezra 10:25; two in same verse). Called "Asibias" in 1 Esdras 9:26.

(5) Another under the same offense, son of Harim (Ezra 10:31). "Melchias" in 1 Esdras 9:32.

(6) One of the "repairers" who helped with the "tower of the furnaces" (Nehemiah 3:11).

(7) Son of Rechab ruler of Beth-haccerem, repairer of the dung gate (Nehemiah 3:14).

(8) A goldsmith who helped in building the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:31).

(9) One of those at Ezra's left hand when he read the law (though possibly one of the above (Nehemiah 8:4)). In 1 Esdras 9:44 "Melchias."

(10) One of the covenant signatories (Nehemiah 10:3).

(11) The father of Pashhur (Nehemiah 11:12; Jeremiah 21:1; 38:1).

(12) A priest, a singer at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:42).

(13) (malkiyahu as above with u ending):

Son of Ham-melech (or, as 1 Kings 22:26; 2 Chronicles 28:7 translate it, "king's son"). Jeremiah was cast into his dungeon or pit (Jeremiah 38:6).

The King James Version spells "Malchiah" or "Malchijah" indifferently with "Melchiah" in Jeremiah 21:1; the English Revised Version has "Malchiah" in Jeremiah 21:1; 38:1,6, elsewhere "Malchijah"; the American Standard Revised Version has "Malchijah" throughout.

Henry Wallace