Lexical Summary mallach: Sailor, mariner Original Word: מַלָּח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance mariner From malach in its second. Sense; a sailor (as following "the salt") -- mariner. see HEBREW malach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as melach Definition a mariner NASB Translation sailors (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַלָּח] noun masculine mariner (loan-word from Assyrian mala—u DlHWB 412 compare IdProverbs 1.178; HalZA iv. 1880, 53; so also Aramaic  (see Brock.), whence Arabic  Frä221); — plural מַלָּחִים Jonah 1:5; Ezekiel 27:29; מַלָּחַיִךְ Ezekiel 27:27; מַלָּחֵיהֶם Ezekiel 27:9 (BaNB 49 Anm. 3); — mariners, sailors of ship going to Tarshish Jonah 1:5 (compare רַב הַחֹבֵל Jonah 1:6); to Tyre Ezekiel 27:9, compare Ezekiel 27:27; Ezekiel 27:29 ("" חֹבְלִים). מִלְחָמָה see I. לחם. Topical Lexicon Overview of the Term מַלָּח designates professional sailors or mariners. In every canonical occurrence the word places the reader on the decks of ocean-going vessels, highlighting the skill, daring, and vulnerability of those who navigate the great waters of the Mediterranean. Scriptural Occurrences 1. Ezekiel 27:9, 27, 29 – the seafarers of Tyre Historical Background The eighth- to sixth-century Near East saw Phoenician, Tyrian, and other Mediterranean fleets dominate commerce. Mariners were indispensable to a city’s economic vitality, yet their work, conducted far from land, underscored humanity’s smallness before God’s untamable seas (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 107:23-25). Thematic Significance in Ezekiel Tyre is personified as a magnificent ship whose “sailors” (27:9) and “mariners” (27:27, 29) symbolize the international workforce sustaining her wealth. When divine judgment falls, every sailor’s expertise proves futile. The prophet thus exposes the frailty of human enterprise that refuses to acknowledge the LORD. The lament of these skilled men as they “come down from their ships” (27:29) dramatizes the sudden collapse of an idolatrous economy. The Narrative Function in Jonah Jonah 1:5 portrays hardened mariners reduced to panic: “Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god”. Their fear contrasts with Jonah’s indifference and propels the narrative toward repentance and faith. By verse 16 the same crew “feared the LORD exceedingly,” offering sacrifice and vows. God uses their peril—and Jonah’s reluctant testimony—to reveal Himself to Gentiles long before Pentecost. Wider Biblical Motifs of Seafarers and the Sea • Psalm 107:23-32 celebrates sailors who witness God’s “wonders in the deep,” paralleling the scenes in Ezekiel and Jonah. Practical Ministry Reflections 1. Human skill is a divine gift yet powerless to avert judgment when nations exalt commerce above covenant fidelity. Key Lessons for Today • Dependence: Expertise cannot replace humble trust in the LORD of sea and land. Forms and Transliterations הַמַּלָּחִ֗ים המלחים וּמַלָּֽחֵיהֶם֙ ומלחיהם מַלָּחִ֕ים מַלָּחַ֖יִךְ מלחיך מלחים ham·mal·lā·ḥîm hammallaChim hammallāḥîm mal·lā·ḥa·yiḵ mal·lā·ḥîm mallaChayich mallaChim mallāḥayiḵ mallāḥîm ū·mal·lā·ḥê·hem umallacheiHem ūmallāḥêhemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 27:9 HEB: אֳנִיּ֨וֹת הַיָּ֤ם וּמַלָּֽחֵיהֶם֙ הָ֣יוּ בָ֔ךְ NAS: of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal KJV: of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy INT: the ships of the sea and their sailors become to deal Ezekiel 27:27 Ezekiel 27:29 Jonah 1:5 4 Occurrences |
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