Milcah Meaning in the Bible

Milcah (Hebrew מִלְכָּה) comes from melek, 'king,' in its feminine form: 'queen' or 'counsel.' It is a straightforwardly royal name, and it belongs to two very different women in the Pentateuch.

The first is Abraham's sister-in-law: 'Abram and Nahor took them wives... the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran' (Genesis 11:29). Genesis 22:20-23 then lists her eight sons and closes with the detail that matters later — 'Bethuel begat Rebekah.' Milcah is Rebekah's grandmother, and the genealogy is placed right after the binding of Isaac, so that the wife is already on the page before the servant is sent to find her.

The second Milcah is one of the five daughters of Zelophehad, who had no brothers and who stood before Moses, Eleazar and the whole congregation to ask why their father's name should be lost (Numbers 27:1-4). They won. The ruling that daughters inherit when there is no son (Numbers 27:8) is one of the earliest recorded property judgments in favour of women.

Milcah is used today mainly in Jewish families and in parts of East Africa, and it sits close enough to Milka and Malka to be recognisable. Both biblical bearers are worth knowing: one is remembered for her line, the other for speaking up.