kwēn : The Bible applies this term: (1) To the wife of a king ("queen consort") ( מלכּה , malkāh ). In the Book of Esther it is the title given to Vashti ( Esther 1:9 ) and Esther (Esther 2:22 ); compare Song of Solomon 6:8 f. Another Hebrew word for queen consort is גּבירה , gebhı̄rāh , literally "mistress" (compare 1 Kings 11:19 , the wife of Pharaoh; 2 Kings 10:13 , "the children of the king and the children of the queen"). In Nehemiah 2:6 and Psalm 45:9 we find the expression שׁגּל , shēghāl , which some trace back to שׁגל , shāghal , "to ravish," a rather doubtful derivation. Still another term is שׂרה , sārāh , literally, "princess" (Isaiah 49:23 ). The Septuagint sometimes uses the word βασίκισσα , bası́lissa ; compare Psalm 45:9 . (2) To a female ruler or sovereign ("queen regnant"). The only instances are those of the queen (malkāh ) of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13; compare 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 ) and of Candace, the queen (basilissa ) of the Ethiopians (Acts 8:27 ). In Matthew 12:42 (compare Luke 11:31 ) Christ refers to the queen of the south (βασίλισσα νότου , bası́lissa nótou ), meaning, of course, the queen of Sheba. (3) To a heathen deity, השּׁמים מלכת , melekheth ha -shāmayim , "the queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:17 ff). See QUEEN OF HEAVEN .
(4) Metaphorically , to the city of Babylon (Rome) ( Revelation 18:7 ): an expression denoting sovereign contempt and imaginary dignity and power.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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