Strong’s H4397 · Hebrew
מֲלְאָךְ
mălʼâk
mal-awk'
Definition
a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
Etymology
from an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy;
Where the KJV renders it
- ambassador
- angel
- king
- messenger
Every distinct English word the King James Version uses to translate this Hebrew term. The variety shows what readers in English receive across many different surface words — the same underlying word, scattered across the English Bible under different names.
What the first audience heard
A deep-dive treatment of this word is in the works. The featured chapter above carries the long form of what this word meant to its first audience.