מֲלְאָךְ
mălʼâk · mal-awk'
a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
Lexicon
Derivation: from an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy;
a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
- a messenger
- specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
Letters
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
- לLamed30
Picture: shepherd's staff or goad
- Concrete
- staff · goad · yoke · cattle prod
- Extended
- authority · to lead · to teach · to bind · toward
- אAlef1
Picture: ox head
- Concrete
- ox · bull · cattle
- Extended
- strength · leader · first · the one in front
- כKaf20
Picture: open palm
- Concrete
- palm · open hand · sole of the foot
- Extended
- to open · to allow · to cover · to tame · like / as
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
water, chaos, the mighty deep › authority, the one who leads › strength, the leader › the open hand that covers
Water, chaos, the mighty deep of authority, the one who leads of strength, the leader of the open hand that covers.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of מֲלְאָךְ above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
214 occurrences · 214 OT · 0 NT · 88 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- messengers44 · 27%
- and the angel31 · 19%
- the angel16 · 10%
- the messengers8 · 5%
- an angel7 · 4%
- then the angel7 · 4%
- a messenger5 · 3%
- and the messengers5 · 3%
- unto the angel5 · 3%
- of the messengers3 · 2%
- and the messenger3 · 2%
- to the angel3 · 2%
- but the angel3 · 2%
- messenger3 · 2%
- unto the messengers3 · 2%
- angels2 · 1%
- the messenger2 · 1%
- and when the messengers2 · 1%
- that the angel2 · 1%
- of an angel2 · 1%
- that he was an angel2 · 1%
- and let the angel2 · 1%
- his angel2 · 1%
- and behold the angels1 · 1%
- then the angels1 · 1%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.