אֲדְרַמֶּלֶךְ
𐤀𐤃𐤓𐤌𐤋𐤊
Aderamelekhe
H152 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper noun used in the Hebrew Bible both as the name of an Assyrian deity and as the personal name of a son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. In the first instance, it designates a foreign god worshiped by people displaced into Samaria; in the second, it is used for a historical prince involved in Sennacherib’s assassination. The semantic range thus includes both divine and personal naming, with an emphasis on foreign, specifically Assyrian, cultural context.
Semantic Range
foreign deity, Assyrian divine name, royal Assyrian personal name, figurative reference to splendor of a king
Root / Etymology
The name is usually considered a compound of אָדַר (adar, 'majestic, splendid') and מֶלֶךְ (melek, 'king'), potentially meaning 'Majestic is the king' or 'Adar is king.' Some scholars suggest possible reference to the Mesopotamian storm-god Adad/Adar or a theophoric device, but the precise origin and meaning in the Assyrian context is debated. The etymology is uncertain beyond the immediate Hebrew explanation, as the name as a royal or divine title reflects broader ancient Near Eastern naming practices.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֲדְרַמֶּלֶךְ appears in 2 Kings 17:31 as the name of a deity worshiped by the people of Sepharvaim, brought into Samaria during the Israelite exile. In 2 Kings 19:37 (and Isaiah 37:38), it is also found as the name of a son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who, together with his brother Sharezer, assassinated their father. The application of the name to both a presumed deity and a royal person likely reflects Assyrian practice of using divine names in royal titulature. English translations sometimes render the name 'Adrammelech,' obscuring the direct transfer from its original Assyrian setting into the biblical text. The identification with a specific Mesopotamian god has been proposed but is not certain; see the possible link to Adad/Adramus. Its use as both a theonym and personal name is consistent with Neo-Assyrian naming conventions but rare in Hebrew contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָדַר and מֶלֶךְ; splendor of (the) king; Adrammelek, the name of an Assyrian idol, also of a son of Sennacherib; Adrammelech.
Bantu Hebrew
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אדר, מלך (ʾ-d-r; m-l-k) — majestic, splendid, king, to rule
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H152-02 |
וְֽ/אַדְרַמֶּ֨לֶךְ | veaderamelekhe | HC/Np |
and Adrammelech | and Majestic-King | 2 |
H152-01 |
לְ/אַדְרַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | leaderamelekhe | HR/Np |
to-Adrammelech | to Majestic-King | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H152-01 |
2 Kings 17:31 | לְ/אַדְרַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | leaderamelekhe | HR/Np |
to-Adrammelech | to Majestic-King |
H152-02 |
2 Kings 19:37 | וְֽ/אַדְרַמֶּ֨לֶךְ | veaderamelekhe | HC/Np |
and Adrammelech | and Majestic-King |
H152-02 |
Isaiah 37:38 | וְֽ/אַדְרַמֶּ֨לֶךְ | veaderamelekhe | HC/Np |
and Adrammelech | and Majestic-King |