milchemet reshut

noun

A war commanded by a ruler rather than God.

OriginHebrew מִלְחֶמֶת רְשׁוּת →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounmilchemet reshut (plural milchamot reshut)

plural milchamot reshut

  1. JudaismA war commanded by a ruler rather than God.
  2. JudaismA war not fought out of necessity.

    The war in Southeast Asia, far from being a milchemet chovah in the defense of South Vietnam, is a milchemet reshut against the entire civilian population of all Vietnam.

    1995, Moses Rischin, edited by Jeffrey S. Gurock and Marc Lee Raphael, An Inventory of Promises: Essays on American Jewish History, Carlson Pub, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Hebrewמִלְחֶמֶת רְשׁוּת
  2. Englishmilchemet reshut

Borrowed from Hebrew מִלְחֶמֶת רְשׁוּת.

More words from Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

milchemet reshut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milchemet%20reshut

MLA

“milchemet reshut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milchemet%20reshut. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “milchemet reshut,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milchemet%20reshut.

Source: milchemet reshut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.