Jeremiah 38:6 speaks of a "dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech . He was the last king of Judah. If Mulek did not have a genuine claim to the throne of Judah, it might have been easier for his descendants to accept the rule of the impressive King Mosiah with all the trappings of real kingship (sacred relics like the Liahona, the plates of Nephi and Laban, the sword of Laban, and a high level of literacy and education that was missing among the Mulekites, who came to the New World without written records.). One of many pages at Helaman 6:10; “Now the land south was called Lehi and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south. Mormon Dilemma 916 Zedekiah’s Son Mulek. This chiasm, therefore, actually works better when you translate it back into Hebrew, which I think is an interesting point. Nibley suggests that this little boy could have been the one that escaped and was named Mulek - "little king" in Hebrew (pp. The Mulekite colony, after arriving from Jerusalem, settles the land of Zarahemla. At some point in this final period of the Babylonian siege, Mulek, the sixth son of Zedekiah, was spirited out of Jerusalem, evidently by those who were assigned to watch over him in the Palace. Zedekiah was the king of Judah at the time Lehi and his colony fled from Jerusalem (1 Nephi 1:4). When pursued, Ishmael abandoned his captives and fled with eight men to Ammon. The study of a seal owned by Jeremiah's scribe shows that his full name was Berekyahu (in English, Berechiah), although the biblical text uses only the shorter Baruch (Avigad). But nothing in the Bible or other known sources precludes the possibility of his escape from Jerusalem. General Notes. Some like to think that Mulek was perhaps the youngest son and even an infant or yet unborn son of Zedekiah. Though the entire article should be read carefully to appreciate the possible significance of the find, here are the concluding remarks of Chadwick: Created: July 29, 2001. But Hammelech is a translator's error, since ben-hammelek means "son of the king" and is not a proper name - a fact confirmed by the Septuagint (LXX Jer. Turning to the Book of Mormon, Mulek (or Muloch2), the son of Zedekiah (Helaman 6:10; 8:21; cf. It does not clarify where he was living before coming to America. He came to America, and his descendants were among the people who founded the city of Zarahemla. It may be possible that Mulek's description as a "son" of King Zedekiah in Helaman 6:10 and 8:21, as well as the apparent reference to Malkiyahu (Mulek) king of the son in Jeremiah 38:6, might not refer to a direct biological relationship. Slaughter of the Sons of Zedekiah by Gustave Dore. This is consistent with viewing the hypocoristic Mulek as the diminutive of Malkiyahu, since a is often assimilated to o or u in the vocalic structure of most Semitic languages. Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Mulek? History tells us that Zedekiah had all his sons murdered in front of him and then blinded. Helaman 6:10 implies that 'Mulek' was the name of 'the son of Zedekiah.' Helaman 8:2121) And now will you dispute that Jerusalem was destroyed? For the village in Poland, see Mułek, West Pomeranian Voivodeship. But was this MalkiYahu the same person as Mulek? "Three Hebrew Ostraca from Arad," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 197 (Feb. 1970):16-42. The Nephites discovered in Mulek's descendants an additional witness concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. Mulek, the son of Zedekiah, is mentioned several times in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 25:2; Helaman 6:10; 8:21) but not in the Bible—at least not in a way that people have recognized, until just recently. According to the Book of Mormon, Mulek was the only surviving son of Zedekiah, the last King of Judah, after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Avigad, Nahman. Biblical evidence does not preclude the existence of another son of King Zedekiah: Recent evidence indicates otherwise 11:2-4]); he may even have been unborn, although he probably avoided captivity some other way. His people's arrival in the New World is one of three recorded migrations from the Old World. Certainly Zedekiah would have had 'baby' sons for Zedekiah himself was but 32 years old at the destruction of Jerusalem, that being he was age 21 when made king … There Nebuchadnezzar forced Zedekiah to watch as he executed all of Zedekiah's sons. Mulek - Son of Zedekiah. Now the land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south. According to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and "Mulekites" formed a coalition, making Mosiah 2 king over both groups. Its longer form occurs in the Bible as Malkiyahu (in English, Malchiah), meaning "Jehovah is king." The Lord has not fully revealed his purpose in leading this remnant, including a surviving heir to David’s throne, out of Jerusalem to be … . Is Mulek, a man identified in the Book of Mormon as the only surviving son of Zedekiah, king of Judah, mentioned in the Bible? Update. Omni 1:15, Helaman 8:21. He had an unknown number of sons, but all his sons would eventually perish by the sword (although the Book of Mormon would allege that one son of his, named Mulek, would escape, cross the Atlantic Ocean and found a nation that would figure in an alleged pre-history of the United States). Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem? You see a double Lord, right there in the middle of that turning point. At some point in this final period of the Babylonian siege, Mulek, the sixth son of Zedekiah, was spirited out of Jerusalem, evidently by those who were assigned to watch over him in the Palace. Jeremiah 38:6 speaks of a "dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech . Nebuchadnezzar then had Zedekiah blinded and chained for deportation to Babylon. (Hel. Mulek is important because he established one of the Book of Mormon Peoples and because Bible students have assumed that Nebuchadnezzar executed all of Zedekiah's sons, an observation unsupported by ancient evidence and refuted by the Book of Mormon account of Mulek's survival. 1 Nephi 1:4), makes his first appearance in Mosiah 25. But nothing in the Bible or other known sources precludes the possibility of his escape from Jerusalem. 6:10.) Mulek was a son of Zedekiah, and may be featured in various Old Testament passages. Based on Amaleki's account in Omni, it would appear that Mulek and his party left Jerusalem at the time king Zedekiah was captured trying to escape (Omni 1:15). The Book of Mormon’s assertion that King Zedekiah had a son named Mulek is supported by linguistic and archaeological evidence. A fictive paternity thus obscures the lineage of Malchiah as the actual son of Zedekiah. Mulek, a Book of Mormon character, son of Zedekiah, escaped the sack of Jerusalem (587 B.C.) Aharoni, Yohanan. Meeting Mulek When the Nephites who followed King Mosiah came into the land of Zarahemla, " they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla. By the way, The Lachish Letters, dating from Palestine in the 7th century B.C., also raise an intriguing possibility, discussed by Hugh W. Nibley in "Two Shots in the Dark" in Book of Mormon Authorship (Noel B. Reynolds, ed., Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1982), pp. The Book of Mormon teaches that when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon during the reign of Zedekiah all of the sons of Zedekiah were killed, except one son named Mulek. 1 Kings 22:24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh go from me to speak to you?" Shanks explains that he used quotes around the term "son" because it was not clear whether the term mean a biological son or son in some other sense, such as a royal official unrelated to the king or any male descendent of the royal family. "Three Hebrew Ostraca from Arad." See this page in the original 1992 publication. F.A.R.M.S. Helaman 6:10. Later a region was named for Zarahemla, a descendant of Mulek (Mosiah 25:2). })(). Since King Jehoiakim was only 31 years old at the time referred to Jeremiah 36:26, it is unlikely that he would have had a son old enough to go arrest the prophet Jeremiah. in the FARMS publication Insights, Feb. 1999, p.2). Mulek This son of the Jewish King Zedekiah escaped from Jerusalem at the time the Babylonian king slew Mulek’s brothers, then put out the eyes of Mulek’s father and carried him captive into Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7). For one thing, the title "son of the king" was used throughout the ancient Near East to refer to actual sons of kings who served as high officers of imperial administration [Rainey, 1975, pp. The Bible records that all the sons of Zedekiah were slain ( 2 Kgs. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1368362-1']); I have to look again at this book that I read years ago that lays out the claim that Jeremiah went to Spain and then Ireland with King Zedekiah's daughters. Jeremiah 37-41 New International Version (NIV) Jeremiah in Prison. Posts Tagged ‘Zedekiah’s son Mulek’ Mormon Dilemma 916 Zedekiah’s Son Mulek. Aharoni, Yohanan. According to the Book of Mormon, Zedekiah's son Mulek escaped death and traveled across the ocean to the Americas, where he founded a nation, the Mulekites, which later merged with another Israelite splinter group, the Nephites, to form one nation who retained the name Nephites. Jeremiah 38:6 mentions Malchiah the son of Hammelech, … Study of these names tells us he may very well be. Sorenson, John L. "The 'Mulekites'." An excerpt follows: Biblical scholars have recently had interesting things to say about a person named Malchiah. Was this MalkiYahu a son of King Zedekiah? According to the Book of Mormon, a son of King Zedekiah named Mulek escaped the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon and fled with others to the New World. The Nephite record informs us that one of the sons of Zedekiah survived. Mulek See this page in the original 1992 publication. Mulek is important because he established one of the Book of Mormon Peoples and because Bible students have assumed that Nebuchadnezzar executed all of Zedekiah's sons, an observation unsupported by ancient evidence and refuted by the Book of Mormon account of Mulek's survival. Later a region was named for Zarahemla, a descendant of Mulek (Mosiah 25:2). Author: Wright, H. Curtis Mulek, a Book of Mormon character, son of Zedekiah, escaped the sack of Jerusalem (587 B.C.) The Seal of Mulek "Now the land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south. "(Helaman 6:10)The Seal of Mulek Has the Seal of Mulek Been Found?, by Jeffrey R. Chadwick 37 Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin [] son of Jehoiakim. Mulek plays a minor but important role in the Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 1:4), makes his first appearance in Mosiah 25. Regardless of the plural possibilities, one thing is clear: the Book of Mormon account is highly plausible, and offers details consistent with modern scholarship in ways that seem to make Joseph Smith either a miraculously lucky guesser, or a miraculously blessed prophet who translated a genuine ancient record with the power of God. His people, known as the Mulekites in the Book of Mormon, named their land Mulek after the king's son (Hel. Nephi recorded that it was during the first year of Zedekiah’s rule that Lehi was called to warn the people of Jerusalem about the … But my study led me in … Mulek, the son of Zedekiah, is mentioned several times in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 25:2; Helaman 6:10; 8:21) but not in the Bible—at least not in a way that people have recognized, until just recently. Scholars now recognize the possibility that someone could be called "son of the king" in the Bible without necessarily being a real biological son. Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Mulek? Keep in mind that Zedekiah was Jewish. Zedekiah was the king of Judah at the time Lehi and his colony fled from Jerusalem (1 Nephi 1:4). 04/17/2014 by lifeafterministry. The Mulekites lived thenceforth among the Nephites, enjoying separate-but-equal status and ultimately outnumbering the descendants of Nephi (Mosiah 25:1-4, 13). This page was last modified on 27 May 2011, at 16:33. According to the Nephite record, Mulek escaped the massacre of his family at the hands of the Babylonians (cf. According to the Book of Mormon, a son of King Zedekiah named Mulek escaped the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon and fled with others to the New World. Turning to the Book of Mormon, Mulek (or Muloch), the son of king Zedekiah (Helaman 6:10; 8:21; cf. 6:10.) Non-LDS sources have helped refute something that has long been attacked in the Book of Mormon. The first clue of the existence and escape of Mulek, son of Zedekiah, can be found in 2 Kings 25:1-10, which reports that Nebuchadrezzar and "all his host" scattered "all the men" and "all [the king's] army" and burnt "all the houses of Jerusalem," and with "all the army" they destroyed the walls. Mulek, the son of Zedekiah, is mentioned several times in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 25:2; Helaman 6:10; 8:21) but not in the Bible—at least not in a way that people have recognized, until just recently. Moreover, in view of the fact that the name MalkiYahu has been found on two ostraca from Arad (in southern Judah), the late head of the Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, Yohanan Aharoni, said that "Malkiyahu is a common name and was even borne by a contemporary son of king Zedekiah" [Aharoni, 1970, p. 22 - emphasis mine]. Nebuchadnezzar slew Zedekiah's sons and courtiers, put his eyes out, and deported him to Babylon (Josephus, Antiquities, 10.8.2). The study of a seal owned by Jeremiah's scribe shows that his full name was Berekyahu (in English, Berechiah), although the biblical text uses only the shorter Baruch (Avigad). But his daughters, and presumably his wives, stayed at Mizpah until Gedeliah, a former minister with Babylonizing tendencies in Zedekiah's cabinet, was murdered by Ishmael, who then tried to deport the Mizpah colony. When Mulek, son of King Zedekiah, secretly surfaces in Jerusalem some years after his escape, he brings with him a mysterious and legendary object: the curious compass reputed to have guided Noah’s ark to safety.