Lexical Summary
millah or milleh: words, speech, word
Original Word:מִלָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:millah
Pronunciation:mil-lah or mil-leh
Phonetic Spelling:(mil-law')
KJV: + answer, by-word, matter, any thing (what) to say, to speak(-ing), speak, talking, word
NASB:words, speech, word, anything to say, byword, said, speaking
Word Origin:[fromH4448 (מָלַל - To speak) (plural masculine as if from milleh {mil-leh'}]
1. a word
2. collectively, a discourse
3. (figuratively) a topic
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
answer, by-word, matter, any thing what to say, to speaking, speak, talking, word
Frommalal (plural masculine as if from milleh {mil-leh'}; a word; collectively, a discourse; figuratively, a topic -- + answer, by-word, matter, any thing (what) to say, to speak(-ing), speak, talking, word.
see HEBREWmalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
malalDefinitiona word, speech, utterance
NASB Translationanswer* (1), anything to say (1), byword (1), said (1), speaking (1), speech (5), talking (1), utterances (1), what to say (1), word (2), words (22).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(in poetry, especially Job; common in Aramaic); —
Psalm 139:4;
Job 30:9; suffix
Job 13:17 3t.;
2 Samuel 23:2; plural
Job 6:26 9t. (all Job);
Job 4:2 12t. (all Job); plural suffix
Job 19:23 4t.;
Job 4:4;
Proverbs 23:9;
Psalm 19:5; —
wordin (
on)
my tonguePsalm 139:4;
word (of ),
on my tongue2 Samuel 23:2;
Proverbs 23:9; figurative
Psalm 19:5 ("" ; but read see Che critical note); elsewhere only Job (34 t.); singular
speech, utteranceJob 13:17;
Job 21:2;
Job 24:25;
Job 29:22; also
word = by-word,
Job 30:9; plural
words,
Job 4:4;
Job 6:26;
Job 8:10;
Job 12:11;
Job 15:3 ("" ),
Job 16:4;
Job 19:2,23;
Job 32:11,14;
Job 33:1,8 (),
Job 34:2,3,16 (),
Job 36:2,4; words of God
Job 23:5;
words = speech, speaking,
Job 4:2, compare
Job 29:9;
utter words,
Job 15:13;
Job 26:4;
laysnares for wordsJob 18:2, compare
Job 32:15 ;
Job 32:18I am full of words, compare
Job 33:32;
Job 35:4;
Job 35:16, compare
Job 38:2.
Topical Lexicon
Essential meaningמִלָּה (millah) designates an articulated word, utterance, or discourse—spoken rather than written, personal rather than impersonal. It points to the single unit of speech and also to a carefully framed statement. The term never carries the idea of idle chatter; it puts the spotlight on the weight, intent, and moral freight of every syllable that leaves human or divine lips.
Distribution across the Old Testament
Approximately thirty-eight uses occur, over thirty of them clustered in the dialogues of Job (Job 4–42). Outside Job the term is rare but strategic—appearing, for example, inPsalm 139:4;Ecclesiastes 12:11; andEsther 3:8. This pattern highlights two settings: (1) wisdom debate where the adequacy of human speech before God is tested, and (2) moments where a single utterance carries life-altering authority in covenant history.
Representative passages
Job 4:2
“If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?”
Eliphaz’s opening shows millah introducing a carefully measured remark that claims moral urgency.
Job 6:25
“How forceful are right words! But what does your argument prove?”
Here millah is valued for its penetrating power when it aligns with righteousness.
Job 6:26
“Do you intend to correct my words and treat the speeches of a desperate man as wind?”
Job pleads that his millah be weighed, not dismissed, underscoring the pastoral demand to listen before judging.
Psalm 139:4
“Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.”
David places every millah under divine omniscience, reminding worshipers that no utterance is truly private.
Ecclesiastes 12:11
“The words of the wise are like goads, and the collected sayings are like firmly embedded nails given by one Shepherd.”
The Teacher likens millah to prods that direct the soul, ultimately sourced in the Shepherd—an indirect messianic hint.
Esther 3:8
“There is a certain people dispersed and separated among the peoples… whose laws differ from those of every other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws. And it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.”
Haman’s calculated millah sets in motion a decree of genocide, demonstrating the destructive reach of perverted speech.
Theological themes
1. Accountability before God
Psalm 139:4 reveals that the Lord knows every millah before it is formed. Jesus echoes this principle when He warns that “men will give account for every careless word” (Matthew 12:36). The Old Testament vocabulary prepares the reader for the New Testament ethic of speech.
2. Power to wound or heal
Job 6:25–27 shows that words rightly used strengthen, while the speeches of Job’s friends compound his agony.Proverbs 18:21—though using a different Hebrew term—confirms that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Millah texts reinforce this perennial wisdom.
3. The insufficiency of human discourse before divine mystery
Job 38–42 climaxes in God’s response to Job’s torrent of milloth (plural). Job confesses, “I will cover my mouth… I spoke once, but I have no answer” (Job 40:4–5). Human rhetoric collapses in the presence of unfathomable sovereignty.
4. Decree and destiny
InEsther 3:8–15 one man’s words shape an imperial edict; yet unseen providence overturns it. The narrative illustrates that even when evil words seem to prevail, the covenant Lord retains the final word.
Contrast with other Hebrew terms
• דָּבָר (dabar) often speaks of matter, event, or overarching revelation;
• אִמְרָה (imrah) highlights promise or command;
• מִלָּה confines itself to the spoken unit and its immediate moral force.
The Spirit-inspired choice of vocabulary signals nuance: millah keeps the reader’s attention on the ethical weight and relational dimension of speech.
Implications for ministry and discipleship
1. Preaching
Every sermon sentence is a millah that ought to be “right words” (Job 6:25). The preacher therefore crafts phrases under the gaze ofPsalm 139:4, trusting the Lord to turn them into goads and well-driven nails (Ecclesiastes 12:11).
2. Pastoral care
Job’s anguish warns shepherds against superficial milloth. Counsel must be slow, empathetic, and saturated with revealed truth lest it become “words of wind” (Job 6:26).
3. Personal holiness
Believers monitor conversation, prayer, and social media posts in light of the certainty that every millah is weighed by the Shepherd.Psalm 19:14’s prayer—though using another term—captures the aim: “May the words of my mouth… be pleasing in Your sight.”
Messianic and New Testament resonance
While millah itself is not used in prophetic messianic titles, its concept prepares hearts for John’s revelation of the eternal Logos. The same God who weighs each human word has spoken decisively in His Son (Hebrews 1:1–2). Christ embodies flawless speech, fulfilling the wisdom ideal that “gracious words flowed from His lips” (Luke 4:22).
Summary
מִלָּה confronts the reader with the gravity of spoken language. From the stormy debates of Job to the intimacy ofPsalm 139 and the political intrigue of Esther, Scripture portrays words as instruments that can illuminate truth, propagate evil, or submit in awe before God. The faithful steward treats every millah as sacred trust, relying on the Spirit to transform human utterance into life-giving proclamation.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּ֝מִלִּ֗ין בְּמִלִּ֑ים בְמִלִּ֑ים בְמִלִּ֗ין בְמִלִּֽים׃ במלים במלים׃ במלין וּ֝מִלִּ֗ים וּמִלָּת֖וֹ ומלים ומלתו לְמִלִּ֑ין לְמִלָּֽה׃ למלה׃ למלין מִ֭לָּה מִלִּ֑ים מִלִּ֑ין מִלִּ֣ים מִלִּ֣ין מִלִּ֥ין מִלִּֽים׃ מִלִּֽין׃ מִלֵּיהֶ֑ם מִלֶּ֑יךָ מִלֶּֽיךָ׃ מִלָּ֑י מִלָּֽי׃ מִלָּתִ֑י מִלָּתִֽי׃ מלה מלי מלי׃ מליהם מליך מליך׃ מלים מלים׃ מלין מלין׃ מלתי מלתי׃ bə·mil·lîm ḇə·mil·lîm bə·mil·lîn ḇə·mil·lîn bemilLim bəmillîm ḇəmillîm bemilLin bəmillîn ḇəmillîn lə·mil·lāh lə·mil·lîn lemilLah ləmillāh lemilLin ləmillîn mil·lā·ṯî mil·lāh mil·lāy mil·lê·hem mil·le·ḵā mil·lîm mil·lîn Millah millāh milLai millaTi millāṯî millāy millêhem milLeicha milleiHem milleḵā milLim millîm milLin millîn ū·mil·lā·ṯōw ū·mil·lîm umillaTo ūmillāṯōw umilLim ūmillîm vemilLim vemilLin
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