Malchus
/ˈmæl.kəs/noun
A biblical male personal name, especially the name of the high priest’s servant whose ear was cut off during Jesus’ arrest.
Did you know?According to the Gospel of John, Malchus was the servant whose right ear Peter severed; Luke uniquely records that Jesus healed him.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*malk-
“King or ruler; the reconstructed root behind several Semitic royal terms.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מֶלֶךְ (melekh)
“King; ruler.”
Second Temple period
Aramaic/Hebrew
מַלְכּוֹס (Malkos)
“The personal name traditionally associated with the servant in the Jerusalem arrest narrative.”
1st Century
Ancient Greek
Μάλχος (Málkhos)
“The Greek form of the name Malchus in the New Testament tradition.”
4th Century
Latin
Malchus
“The Latin biblical form of the name.”
Modern English
English
Malchus
“A biblical proper name, chiefly used in religious, historical, and literary contexts.”
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