Editing LMLK seal (section)

==Text==
 [[File:Lmlk-seal impression-h2d-gg22 2003-02-21.jpg|thumb|Type H2D LMLK stamp, 2003]]
LMLK—[[lamedh]], [[mem]], lamedh, [[kaph]]—is vocalized in the [[Hebrew language]] as {{Transliteration|he|lamelekh}} ({{Langx|phn|𐤋𐤌𐤋𐤊}} {{Transliteration|phn|lāmed-mēm-lāmed-kāp}}), which can be translated as:

* "[belonging] to the king" (of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]])
* "[belonging] to King" (name of a person or [[Religions of the ancient Near East|deity]])
* "[belonging] to the government" (of Judah)
* "[to be sent] to the king"

As a prepositional prefix, the lāmed ({{Langx|phn|𐤋|label=none}}) has either a genitive or dative function, and the "to" in each of the above readings can also be read as "for" or "of". The other three letters form the word {{lang|he|[[melekh]]}}; as shown above, its translation can refer to a specific king, to any king, or to the king's government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=King Seal Artifacts Attest to Hebron&#039;s Jewish History |url=http://hebron.org.il/history/693 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=the Jewish Community of Hebron |language=en}}</ref>

A number of jars say "lmlk Ziph", "lmlk Hebron", "lmlk Socoh", and "lmlk mmst" (whose identification is unknown). These jars were all manufactured in a single site in the [[Shephelah]], possibly at [[Tel Lachish|Lachish]], under the authority of the king (alluded to in [[1 Chronicles 4|1 Chronicles 4:23]], thus 'lmlk' means 'belonging to the king'), and from there they were sent to each one of the four administrative regions, as indicated by the name of the localities on the jars: [[Ziph (Bible)|Ziph]], [[Hebron]], [[Sokho|Socoh]], and [[MMST]]).<ref>Naʼaman, Nadav. Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors: Interaction and Counteraction. Vol. 1. Eisenbrauns, 2005, 173–174.</ref>