4433. malka or malkah

Lexical Summary

malka or malkah: Queen

Original Word: מַלְכָּא
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: malka'
Pronunciation: mal-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mal-kaw')
KJV: queen
NASB: queen
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H4436 (מַלכָּה - Queen)]

1. a queen

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

queen

(Aramaic) corresponding to malkah; a queen -- queen.

see HEBREW malkah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to malkah
Definition
queen
NASB Translation
queen (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מַלְכָּה] noun feminine queen; — emphatic מַלְכְּתָא Daniel 5:10 (twice in verse).

Topical Lexicon

Scope and General Sense

Strong’s Hebrew (Aramaic) 4433, מַלְכָּא, denotes the royal woman who holds the position of queen in Babylonian court life. While the masculine form for “king” saturates the Aramaic chapters of Daniel, this feminine form is reserved for a single narrative moment, thereby drawing special attention to the role and voice of a queen whose words prove decisive.

Occurrences in Scripture

Daniel 5:10 records the only verse where מַלְכָּא appears, yet it is used twice within that verse to emphasize her entrance and her speech. This two-fold repetition underscores both her identity and her authority amid the chaos of Belshazzar’s feast.

Historical and Cultural Background

1. Babylonian protocol normally sidelined royal women from public banquets, especially those marked by revelry. The queen’s uninvited arrival therefore signals an extraordinary breach of etiquette prompted by crisis (compare Esther 1:11-12).
2. Ancient Near-Eastern queens often served as repositories of dynastic memory and religious tradition. Her familiarity with Daniel, whom the king has forgotten, reflects this broader cultural function of queens as counselors and preservers of wisdom.
3. The queen in Daniel 5 may be Belshazzar’s mother, possibly the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Daniel 5:2, “Nebuchadnezzar your father”). This lineage would explain both her authoritative tone and her detailed recollection of past events in the empire.

The Queen’s Role in Daniel 5

“Now the queen, because of the words of the king and his nobles, entered the banquet hall. ‘O king, live forever!’ said the queen. ‘Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your countenance be changed.’” (Daniel 5:10)

1. Voice of Calm: She counters the king’s panic with composure, mirroring the peace that true wisdom imparts (James 3:17).
2. Herald of Prophetic Truth: By directing Belshazzar to Daniel, she becomes the human link through whom God’s revelatory message reaches the throne.
3. Contrast to the King: Whereas Belshazzar disregards sacred vessels and mocks the Most High, the queen recalls a time when humility before God saved the empire under Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34-37). Her remembrance highlights divine faithfulness across generations.

Theological Significance

• Providence: The queen’s timely entrance shows God’s sovereign orchestration; no voice is insignificant when He chooses to speak (1 Samuel 25:32-33).
• Memory of Revelation: Spiritual decline often follows collective amnesia. Her recollection of Daniel’s past ministry rebukes Belshazzar’s forgetfulness and anticipates the divine judgment soon announced.
• Gender and Ministry: Scripture occasionally elevates the testimony of women at turning points in redemptive history (Judges 4:4; Luke 24:10). The queen’s role in Daniel 5 belongs to this pattern, affirming that God employs both men and women to preserve and proclaim truth.

Christological and Eschatological Connections

Daniel 5 prefigures the coming King whose kingdom will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14). The queen’s reminder of a faithful servant (Daniel) foreshadows the ultimate faithful Servant, Jesus Christ, who stands before rulers and whose word judges every kingdom (John 18:37; Revelation 19:11-16).

Ministry Applications

1. Spiritual Memory: Churches and families need “queens”—mature believers who remember God’s past works and call others back to them (Psalm 78:4).
2. Courageous Counsel: Like the queen stepping into the banquet hall, believers are called to bring calm, truth-filled counsel into fearful settings (2 Timothy 1:7).
3. Preparedness: Daniel was ready because he had remained faithful in obscurity. Ministry opportunities often arise suddenly through someone else’s recommendation.

Summary

מַלְכָּא appears only in Daniel 5:10 yet plays a pivotal role. The Babylonian queen, by invoking Daniel’s God-given wisdom, becomes an instrument through which divine revelation confronts royal arrogance and heralds impending judgment. Her example affirms God’s sovereign use of remembered truth and courageous counsel to accomplish His redemptive purposes across history.

Forms and Transliterations

מַלְכְּתָ֕א מַלְכְּתָ֜א מלכתא mal·kə·ṯā malkeTa malkəṯā

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 5:10
HEB: מַלְכְּתָ֕א לָקֳבֵ֨ל מִלֵּ֤י
NAS: The queen entered the banquet
KJV: [Now] the queen, by reason
INT: the queen because of the words

Daniel 5:10
HEB: ק) עֲנָ֨ת מַלְכְּתָ֜א וַאֲמֶ֗רֶת מַלְכָּא֙
NAS: and his nobles; the queen spoke
KJV: house: [and] the queen spake
INT: bring in spoke the queen and said king

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4433
2 Occurrences

mal·kə·ṯā — 2 Occ.