Malchiah

Malchiah (also spelled Malchijah, meaning Jehovah is my king or the LORD my king) is the name of ten or more distinct individuals in the Old Testament, most belonging to the priestly and Levitical circles of the later monarchy and post-exilic period. The most notable: (1.) The head of the fifth of the twenty-four courses of priests established by David (1 Chronicles 24:9). (2.) A priest of the family of Immer, descended from Pashhur (1 Chronicles 9:12). (3.) A son of Hammelech in whose cistern Jeremiah was cast during the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 38:6), where he sank in the mud until rescued by Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. (4.) A man who stood beside Ezra during the public reading of the law (Nehemiah 8:4).

The cistern episode involving Malchiah son of Hammelech is the most narratively significant: Jeremiah's imprisonment there at the height of the Babylonian siege represents one of the prophet's most extreme sufferings for the word of God. The name's prevalence among post-exilic priestly families reflects the pious naming convention affirming divine kingship.