מְשֻׁלֶּמֶת
Meshullemeth, an Israelitess
Definition
Meshullemeth is the name of a woman mentioned in 2 Kings 21:19. She is identified as the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah and the wife of King Manasseh of Judah, making her the queen mother during the reign of their son, King Amon. As a proper noun, it refers solely to this individual, with no other meanings or senses in the biblical text. Her brief mention places her within the lineage of the Judean monarchy during a period of significant idolatry and national decline.
Biblical Usage
The name Meshullemeth is used only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 21:19. It appears in a genealogical and historical context, identifying the mother of King Amon of Judah. The usage is purely referential, serving to connect Amon to his father, the notoriously wicked King Manasseh, and to establish his maternal lineage from the town of Jotbah.
Etymology
Meshullemeth (מְשֻׁלֶּמֶת) is the feminine form of the Hebrew name Meshullam (מְשֻׁלָּם, H4918), which means 'repaid' or 'requited.' It is derived from the root verb שָׁלַם (shalam, H7999), meaning 'to be complete, sound, or at peace,' and often carries the sense of recompense or restitution. The feminine form indicates the name belonged to a woman, following a common Hebrew naming pattern.
Semantic Range
While the name Meshullemeth itself is not theologically loaded, her placement in the biblical narrative is significant. As the wife of Manasseh, Judah's most wicked king (2 Kings 21:1-18), and mother of the equally corrupt Amon (2 Kings 21:19-26), she is part of a lineage that led Judah toward divine judgment. Her mention underscores the theme of generational consequence and the profound influence of leadership (and family) on national spiritual health, culminating in the eventual Babylonian exile.
As a queen mother (Gebirah), Meshullemeth held a position of considerable honor and influence in the royal court of Judah. Her identification by her father's name ('daughter of Haruz') and hometown ('of Jotbah') was standard for establishing a person's lineage and social standing. Her name, meaning 'repaid,' likely reflected a parental sentiment of gratitude or a sense of divine blessing at her birth, a common practice in Hebrew naming.
Meshullam (Mᵉshullâm, H4918) — The masculine form of the same name, meaning 'repaid.'
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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