Meshach
/ˈmiːʃæk/noun
A Babylonian name assigned to one of Daniel’s three companions in the Book of Daniel.
Did you know?The name’s original Babylonian meaning is uncertain, but scholars often connect it with the moon-god Aku, suggesting a deliberate renaming into Babylonian religious culture.
Etymological Timeline
Late 1st millennium BCE
Akkadian?
Unknown original Babylonian form
“The precise Babylonian source is uncertain; proposed interpretations connect it with the moon-god Aku.”
6th Century BCE
Biblical Aramaic
מֵישַׁךְ (Mêshak)
“The Babylonian name given to Mishael during the exile described in Daniel.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Koine Greek
Μισάχ (Misách)
“Greek transliteration of the name in the Septuagint tradition.”
4th Century CE
Latin
Misach
“Latin biblical transliteration used in the Vulgate tradition.”
14th Century
English
Meschak / Meshach
“English forms adopted through biblical and liturgical transmission.”
Modern English
English
Meshach
“The conventional English spelling of the Babylonian name in the Book of Daniel.”