According to John Tvedtnes, the name Mulek comes from the Hebrew root mlk for "king," and it may be that the "king-men" (Alma 51:5) of the Book of Mormon were, in fact, Mulekites. The text informs us that these were people of "high-birth" (Alma 51:8), "who professed the blood of nobility" (Alma 51:21), and who felt that they should rule -- perhaps because of descent from King Zarahemla or King Zedekiah of Judah . . . It is interesting that the king-men who survived the war "were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities" (Alma 51:20). If this means that they were settled in specific cities, then they are more likely a tribal group than a political faction. [John A. Tvedtnes, "Book of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes," in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 299]