Prince Malkijah – The Missing Chapter of Book of Mormon History, Geography, and Prophecy: Advanced Book of Mormon Studies

By Arlin Ewald Nusbaum

This title is not fiction but the true account of Prince Malkijah, or “Mulek” in The Holy Book of Mormon. Prince Malkijah was the only remaining heir of the Judean Empire through King Zedekiah, and God brought him to America to preserve the Royal Davidic Bloodline.

In The Holy Book of Mormon, the Jaredites were a people whom God destroyed because they would not repent and turn to Him. Both their lands and promises were forfeited and given to the people of Prince Malkijah and the tribe of Judah—not Nephi—nor the tribe of Joseph.

The author clearly establishes that the family of Lehi (& tribe of Joseph) forfeited Book of Mormon lands by bringing wicked Laman & Lemuel (& Ishmael’s wicked sons and daughters). Most wars in the Book of Mormon resulted from the wicked they brought.

The author makes the case that Sariah bears the title of “The most wicked person in the Book of Mormon” because she would not leave her wicked sons behind. The author establishes that the entire Book of Mormon narrative whitewashes this family dynamic, rewrites land prophecies, and promises to favor the tribe of Joseph and the Nephites when the truth is Jaredite lands were given to Prince Malkijah. The promises and prophecies should be understood through the tribe of Judah first.

The author postulates that the Royal Davidic Bloodline was preserved on the ships of Hagoth. The descendants of Prince Malkijah relocated to the Toronto area in Canada and are now found among the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in upstate New York and some in Canada.

The story goes deep into the details of who may have traveled with Prince Malkijah and explains how the Urim and Thummim, and High Priest’s Breastplate made it to America.

Mormon (or another scribe) purposely omitted the history of Mulek and the source of these sacred items to sanitize the “Nephite record” of any credit going to the tribe of Judah. The book clears up conflicting Book of Mormon Geography details and traces exactly where Prince Malkijah landed and settled.

It also bears out with specificity how the “Remnant of the Seed of Jacob” fulfilled the New Jerusalem prophecies and defines who that remnant is.

The author shows parallels between Lehi being led far from Book of Mormon lands (they landed deep in Lamanite territory) and Joseph Smith being removed from Book of Mormon lands (western NY to Kirtland OH)—both because they refused to adhere to the requirements of God strictly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Land of Promise
• Release date: Feb 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9781601356208

Book preview

1

Introduction

What you’re about to read will astound Book of Mormon enthusiasts. It’s not meant to undermine the Book of Mormon in any way but is intended to right wrongs that have existed for a long time. It’s not known why the writers of the Nephite record were biased against the Royal Davidic Bloodline of Mulek [Prince Malkijah], but such bias did exist, and evidence of it is found throughout the Book of Mormon.

Perhaps their inclinations were because he was the son of the Judean King Zedekiah, who was in power when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, or maybe the old-world feud between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel carried over to the New World.

The United Kingdom of Israel

The United Monarchy is the name given to the Israelite kingdom of Israel and Judah, during the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon, as depicted in the Hebrew Bible. This is traditionally dated between 1050 and 930 BCE. On the succession of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, in c. 930 BCE the biblical account reports that the country split into two kingdoms; the Kingdom of Israel in the north (including the cities of Shechem and Samaria) and the Kingdom of Judah in the south (containing Jerusalem).[1]

The United Kingdom of Israel

The United Kingdom of Israel

The Divided Kingdom of Israel

Following Solomon’s death in c. 926 BCE, tensions between the northern part of Israel containing the ten northern tribes [including the tribe of Joseph], and the southern section dominated by Jerusalem and the southern tribes reached boiling point.

When Solomon’s successor Rehoboam dealt tactlessly with economic complaints of the northern tribes, in about 930 BCE (there are differences of opinion as to the actual year) the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah split into two kingdoms: the northern Kingdom of Israel, which included the cities of Shechem and Samaria, and the southern Kingdom of Judah, which contained Jerusalem; with most of the non-Israelite provinces achieving independence.

The Kingdom of Israel (or Northern Kingdom, or Samaria) existed as an independent state until 722 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, while the Kingdom of Judah (or Southern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 586 BCE when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire.[2]

The Divided Kingdom of Israel

The Divided Kingdom of Israel

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Wikipedia—Kingdom of Israel. ↵

Wikipedia—Kingdom of Israel. ↵

2

Royal Davidic Bloodline

Lineages were important for most of Biblical history, and the Bible includes many lengthy genealogies, even for Jesus Christ. The Royal Davidic Bloodline was of great interest to the Jews because the prophecies said the Messiah would come through the lineage of David. There was no greater prophecy than the arrival of the Messiah and no more extraordinary bloodline than that of David.

The Davidic line: (also referred to as the House of David) (known in Hebrew as Malkhut Beit David (מלכות בית דוד) – Kingdom of the House of David) refers to the tracing of lineage to King David referred to many times in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament…

All subsequent kings in both the ancient first united Kingdom of Israel and the later Kingdom of Judah claimed direct descent from King David to validate their claim to the throne in order to rule over the Israelite tribes."[1]

David is of the tribe of Judah, a tribe upon which was bestowed tremendous blessings and promises.

Blessings of Judah

Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Jacob was later named Israel, and his sons became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, the Israelites), and he gave each of his sons and their tribal lines a blessing; this is the blessing to the tribe of Judah:

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you.

9 Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.

11 He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. (Genesis 49 NLT)

That’s a pretty incredible blessing to the tribe of Judah. There’s no more tremendous blessing than having the respect of your relatives and enemies be in submission.

Genealogy of the Kings of Israel and Judah

Genealogy of the Kings of Israel and Judah

Thus, there was an interest in lineages until Jesus arrived; since then, genealogies have not been kept within scripture (so far as we know). Some speculate a second Davidic King will come, so a Davidic bloodline is paramount for them. Other than that, the reason bloodlines, and in particular those of David and the tribe of Judah, are important is because of coming prophecies that pertain to them both.

There may also be interest in bloodlines by the many descendants of the siblings of Jesus, as their lineage is the same as the Messiah’s. Aside from those points of interest, there should remain interest for two additional reasons: to track the fulfillment of tribal prophecies and land prophecies, especially regarding Book of Mormon lands, which is the subject of this book.

It’s important to remember that blessings and promises were based on righteousness and were not randomly given out. Therefore, a lack of righteousness would result in curses or a loss of blessings, land, etc. Bloodlines, generations, and even the whole world are blessed or cursed by the faithfulness or evil acts of a single person or group (i.e., a tribe). For example, the world is blessed through Jacob’s sons’ faithfulness via Abraham, known as the Abrahamic Covenant.

Today, what we know most about the blessings and promises in the Book of Mormon are tied first to Lehi, then to Nephi and those descendants, the Nephites. They were of the tribe of Joseph, and in Mormonism, to have your Patriarchal Blessing identify you as being of the tribe of Ephraim or Manasseh (the sons of Joseph) is considered the preferred tribe to be from, but the kings of Israel and the Messiah hail from the tribe of Judah, which had the greater blessing.

Did the royal Davidic bloodline make it to America? That question will be answered in this book. The significance, purpose, and fulfillment of prophecy through the only surviving son of the last Judean King is little known to most readers. Yes, he did make it to the New World; it’s an incredible story, and his name was Prince Malkijah.

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Wikipedia—Davidic line. ↵

3

What's In a Name?

Let’s begin with the name of the father of Prince Malkijah, Mattaniah:

17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. (2 Kings 24)

We see that his father, Mattaniah, had his name changed to Zedekiah, and he became king at 21 and reigned for 11 years. Remember, no one could be appointed king unless they were of the Royal Davidic Bloodline, the tribe of Judah. Zedekiah was also called Hammelech in another verse, which will be the main verse for establishing who Prince Malkijah was.

6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. (Jeremiah 38 NIV)

The KJV puts it like this:

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. (Jeremiah 38)

For the benefit of King James readers, we will explore the expression son of Hammelech. Here, in another verse:

26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them. (Jeremiah 36)

Bible commentaries confirm that Hammelech is not a name but rather a court title:

The dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech.—Literally, the pit, or cistern. The LXX. agrees with the marginal reading in describing him as a son of the king. The same phrase is so translated in 1Kings 22:26; 2Chronicles 28:7, and would seem to have been an official or COURT TITLE, applied to one of the royal house, as distinguished from others.[1]

The son of Hammelech; rather, a royal prince (we should render similarly in Jeremiah 38:6; 1Kings 22:26; 2Kings 11:1, 2; Zephaniah 1:8).[2]

The king’s son mg. (less well) the son of Hammelech. It probably means simply one of the royal house. So in Jeremiah 38:6.[3]

An important archaeological discovery of a seal has the following Hebrew inscription: Malchiah son of Hammelech, just as in Jeremiah 38:6.

Nahman Avigad and Benjamin Sass, Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals, Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1997, p.55, item no. 15

(Nahman Avigad and Benjamin Sass, Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals, Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1997, p. 55, item no. 15.)

LDS Professor Jeffrey R. Chadwick came to the same conclusion after studying the seal that, in all probability, did belong to Prince Malkijah (in the Book of Mormon, known as Mulek, son of Zedekiah):

The stamp seal of Malkiyahu son of the king now in the London collection of Shlomo Moussaieff seems to be authentic. In answer to the question posed at the outset of this article—and the significance of this can hardly be overstated—it is quite possible that an archaeological artifact of a Book of Mormon personality has been identified. It appears that the seal of Mulek [Prince Malkijah] has been found.[4]

Not to get too technical, we’ll briefly go a little deeper into the significance of this name. Malkiyahu is the Hebrew word that was translated as Malkijah in the NIV, Malchiah in the KJV, and Mulek in the Book of Mormon. Curtis Wright, in his article in The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, notes that the Book of Mormon Mulek is simply the shortened form of the Hebrew Malkiyahu:

Concerning Mulek’s existence, the Bible offers important evidence. Mulek is a nickname derived from melek (Hebrew, king), a diminutive term of endearment meaning little king. Its longer form occurs in the Bible as Malkiyahu (in English, Malchiah), meaning Jehovah is king. Malchiah is identified as the son of Hammelech in Jeremiah 38:6. 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. 45:6). A fictive paternity thus obscures the lineage of Malchiah as the actual son of Zedekiah. It is also known that names ending in -yahu (in English, -iah ) were common during the late First Temple period, that Zedekiah indeed had a son named Malkiyahu (Aharoni, p.22), and that the familial forms of yahu -names were shorter than their full forms. 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). This is consistent with viewing the hypocoristic [i.e. shortened] Mulek as the diminutive [i.e. smaller] of Malkiyahu, since a is often assimilated to o or u in the vocalic structure of most Semitic languages. It is therefore possible that the Mulek of the Book of Mormon is Malchiah, son of the king mentioned in Jeremiah 38:6.[5]

Strong’s definition puts it as this:

מַלְכִּיָּה Malkiyah is translated in the KJV: Malchiah (10x), Malchijah (6x) and is defined my king is Jehovah It is made-up of two root words:

מֶלֶךְ melek translated in the KJV: king (2,518x), royal (2x), Hammelech (1x), Malcham (1x), Moloch (1x) and יָהּ Yahh translated in the KJV: LORD (48x), JAH (1x). (Strong’s Definitions—H4441)

I highlighted the word Moloch because of Dr. Royal Skousen’s discovery during his work on the Critical Book of Mormon Project. Dr. Skousen discovered that the original spelling of the name Mulek on the Printer’s Manuscript was actually Muloch; here’s a picture of his transcription of Mosiah 25:2.

Royal Skousen, Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, BYU, 2001, p.363

(Royal Skousen, Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, BYU, 2001, p. 363.)

This fantastic discovery confirms that the Book of Mormon is an English translation of an ancient Hebrew document. In researching this further, Dr. Skousen found there were similarly misspelled words such as Zenock, which should be spelled "Zenoch, similar to the spelling of Enoch":

The spelling of Muloch (ending in och) reminds us of the biblical spelling Enoch and the Book of Mormon spelling Zenoch for an earlier prophet in Israel. Thus the spelling Muloch for son of Zedekiah is quite reasonable; it also conforms to other biblical spellings ending with och (such as Antioch, Arioch, and Hanoch, the last a variant of Enoch). The spelling of Muloch suggests an ominous connection with the god Moloch (to which children in Israel were sacrificed prior to the Babylonian captivity).[6]

Naming a child Muloch might not have been that much out of character for some of the people living in the kingdom of Judah prior to its fall to the Babylonians. It should be noted that changing the spelling of the name of the son of Zedekiah to Muloch means that his people should be referred to as the Mulochites, not the Mulekites. Of course, this designation (as either Mulekites or Mulochites) occurs nowhere in the Book of Mormon text per se but only in extracanonical material.[7]

In his final analysis of the name Mulek, Dr. Skousen recommended that it be restored in four places to Muloch but leaving the other land and city references as they are (how those land and city references should be distinguished is essential to understand which I address later):

Summary: Restore in