Μαλελεήλ

Mahalaleel, Maleleel

Definition

Μαλελεήλ (Mahalaleel or Maleleel) is a proper name referring to a patriarch in the genealogical line from Adam to Jesus. In the New Testament, he appears exclusively in Luke 3:37 as a son of Kenan and father of Jared, listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This name corresponds directly to the Old Testament patriarch Mahalalel (Genesis 5:12-17, 1 Chronicles 1:2), whose name in Hebrew (מַהֲלַלְאֵל) is often interpreted as 'praise of God' or 'God is splendor.' The Greek form is a direct transliteration used to preserve the identity of this ancestral figure within the Greek text.

Biblical Usage

The word is used only once in the New Testament, in Luke 3:37, within the genealogy that traces Jesus's lineage back to Adam. It functions strictly as a proper name to identify a specific link in the ancestral chain. There are no variations in its usage or meaning across biblical texts; it serves solely to denote this individual in genealogical lists.

Etymology

Μαλελεήλ is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name מַהֲלַלְאֵל (Mahalal'el). The Hebrew name is a compound, likely from the root הָלַל (halal, 'to praise') and אֵל (el, 'God'), meaning 'praise of God' or 'God is splendor.' The Greek form does not translate the meaning but phonetically adapts the Hebrew name for a Greek-speaking audience, a common practice for personal names in the Septuagint and New Testament.

Semantic Range

While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its inclusion in Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) is significant. It connects Jesus to the universal human lineage from Adam, emphasizing Jesus's role as the Savior for all humanity, not just Israel. Understanding that this is a direct link to the Genesis patriarchs reinforces the continuity of God's redemptive plan from creation through the Old Testament covenants to Christ.

In the 1st-century Jewish and Greco-Roman world, genealogies established identity, heritage, and legitimacy. For Luke's audience, listing names like Μαλελεήλ validated Jesus's messianic claim by rooting him in the historic, God-ordained line of promise recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. The use of the Greek transliteration, rather than a translation of the name's meaning, shows a cultural priority on preserving the precise ancestral identity as known from the Septuagint.

There are no direct synonyms, as it is a unique proper name. Related are other patriarchal names in the same genealogy, such as: Ἀδάμ (Adam, G76) — the first man; Ἐνώς (Enos, G1800) — son of Seth; Καϊνάν (Cainan, G2536) — father of Mahalaleel.

Word Details

Scripture References