Melchizedek
/mɛlˈkɪzədɛk/noun
A biblical king of Salem and priest of God Most High who blesses Abraham in Genesis.
Did you know?The Letter to the Hebrews treats Melchizedek’s unexplained biblical appearance as a symbol of an eternal, non-Levitical priesthood.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק (Malki-Tsedek)
“King of righteousness, or my king is righteousness”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Μελχισεδέκ (Melchisedek)
“Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name in the Septuagint”
1st Century CE
Koine Greek
Μελχισεδέκ (Melchisedek)
“The priest-king of Salem discussed in Genesis and Hebrews”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Melchisedech
“Latin biblical form of the name”
Middle English
English
Melchisedec
“The biblical priest-king, transmitted through Latin and French religious texts”
Modern English
English
Melchizedek
“The standard English form of the biblical name”