זָקֵן
zâqên · H2205 · Hebrew · 178 occurrences
Meanings
-
old
State in which a human being is nearing the end of a long life
ExamplesGenesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.
Genesis 25:8 Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
Genesis 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
-
elder
A council or a group of older men who act with authority on behalf of or over their people; some represent an entire nation, others manage the affairs at the town level; some provide their leader with counsel; involved in both judicial and military decisions, and participating in cultic ceremonies; expected to be wise and considered worthy of deference and respect
ExamplesGenesis 50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
Exodus 3:16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
Exodus 3:18 “Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
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old person
A person who is nearing the end of a relatively long life; regarded as wise, worthy of respect, and an asset to the community
ExamplesGenesis 19:4 Before they lay down, the men of the city—the men of Sodom—surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;
Exodus 10:9 Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:32 ‘You shall stand up in the presence of the grayheaded and honor elders, and you shall fear your God; I am the LORD.
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senior, veteran
Person who has been given a certain level of authority due to experience and skill
ExamplesGenesis 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh,
Ezekiel 27:9 “The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your leaks; All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
101 occurrences in 24 groups
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 32
- עִירcity, town 16
- עַםpeople 7
- גִּלְעָדGilead 6
- בַּיִתhouse, household 5
- יְהוּדָהJudah 5
- Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (19) 19
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
9 occurrences in 8 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 2
- רָאָהto see 2
- אָרַךְto be long 2
- יָדַעto know 1
- יָשַׁבto dwell, to live, to sit 1
- כָּסָהto cover 1
Named alongside itApposition
8 occurrences in 8 groups
- אִישׁman, person, each 4
- גָּלוּתexiles, exile 1
- יֶתֶרremainder 1
- כֹּהֵןpriest 1
- לֵוִיִּיLevite 1
- עֶבֶדservant, slave 1
What it doesIt is the subject
54 occurrences in 28 groups
- אָמַרto say 8
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 6
- הָיָהto be, to become 5
- הָלַךְto go, to walk 4
- יָשַׁבto dwell, to live, to sit 4
- Other words · 23 groups that occur once or twice (27) 27
What is done to itIt is the object
17 occurrences in 12 groups
- אָסַףto gather, to assemble 4
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הֶםthem 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- הֵםthey, them 2
- כָּבוֹדglory, honor 1
- שָׂרָהprincess 1
- אַבְרָהָםAbraham 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
53 occurrences in 9 groups
- אֵלto, toward 21
- מִןfrom 18
- לto/for 16
- עִםwith 8
- אֵתwith 6
- עַלon, upon, over, against 4
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
18 occurrences in 9 groups
- עֵצָהcounsel, advice, plan 5
- עַיִןeye, sight 3
- פָּנִיםface, presence, before 3
- Other words · 6 groups that occur once or twice (7) 7
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 2 words
- יָשִׁישׁ yâshîysh · H3453 · aged
- Both lexemes are genuine age-descriptors ("aged," "ancient," "old") denoting elderliness in persons, representing plausible near-synonyms. יָשִׁישׁ (yâshîysh, H3453) appears to be an intensified or more specific variant ("very aged," "very old") of the general concept זָקֵן (zâqên, H2205) conveys.
- עַתִּיק ʻattîyq · H6267 · taken from the breast, weaned, old
- Both genuinely describe age or antiquity, functioning as near-synonyms for something old or ancient.
Contrasting words 1 word
- בָּחוּר bâchûwr · H970 · young man
- The direct lexical opposite of בָּחוּר, denoting an aged or elderly man in contrast to a young man.
In the other Testament 2 words
- πρεσβύτερος presbýteros · G4245 · older, of ancient times
- Greek πρεσβύτερος serves as the standard Septuagint rendering of Hebrew זָקֵן across its semantic range (aged person, elder, official), with both terms denoting seniority by age and the associated authority/status roles that derive from it.
- γερουσία gerousía · G1087 · high council of the Jews
- γερουσία (gerousía, G1087) γερουσία denotes the collective body or council of elders (the Sanhedrin assembly as an institution), whereas זָקֵן (zâqên, H2205) זָקֵן refers primarily to individual aged persons or elders; the Greek term represents the institutionalized collective sense derived from the underlying individual-elder concept.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Old002001001041
- זָקֵן denotes an aged person, as Abraham and Sarah are described as old, advanced in age.
- People001001003
- The word designates a category of person by age, distinguishing the old from the young among the people of a city.
- Wise002001002029
- The term also carries connotations of the wisdom associated with age, underlying its use for a respected senior figure.
- Leaders001001003005
- In its most frequent institutional use the word designates the elders, the recognized leaders who govern and represent the community.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2205. zaqen זָקֵן adjective old, absolute ׳ז Gen 19:4 Gen 19:30t. (on distinction from…
זָקֵן adjective old, absolute ׳ז Gen 19:4 Gen 19:30t. (on distinction from verb see above); construct זְקַן Gen 24:2; plural זְקֵנִים Gen 18:11 44t.; זְקֵנוֺת Zec 8:4; construct זִקְנֵי Gen 50:7 85t.; suffix זְקֵנַי Lam 1:19, זְקֵנֶיךָ Deu 21:2; Deu 32:7, זְקֵנָיו Jos 8:33 Jos 8:3t., זְקֵנֶיהָ Jdg 8:14, זְקֵנֵינוּ Exo 10:9; Jos 9:11, זִקְנֵיכֶם Deu 5:20 Deu 5:2t.; —
1 old, of human beings, as adjective predicate Gen 18:11 (J), Job 32:4 (׳ז לְיָמִים מִמֶּנּוּ, in comparison), or attributive זָקֵן אָב Gen 44:20 (J), ז ׳אִישׁ Jdg 19:16-17, Jdg 19:20, Jdg 19:22, ז ׳נָבִיא 1Ki 13:11, 1Ki 13:25, 1Ki 13:29, ז ׳מֶלֶךְ Ecc 4:13; probably also ׳ז ימים וּשְׂבַע Gen 35:29 (P), Job 42:17 and Gen 25:8 (P) according to ᵐ5 Sam Di; compare also Ezr 3:12.
2 usually as substantive:
a. old man (or woman),
b. elder; a. old man Gen 43:27 (J), Lev 19:32 (H), Deu 28:50; Deu 32:7 (|| אָב), 1Sa 2:31-32, 1Sa 28:14; Isa 47:6; Job 12:20; Job 32:9; Pro 17:6; Pro 20:29; Psa 119:100; Joe 1:2; old men and old women Zec 8:4 (twice in verse); compare בֵּיתוֺ זְקַן Gen 24:2 (J), בֵיתוֺ זִקְנֵי 2Sa 12:17; especially opposed to נַעַר Exo 10:9 (E), Isa 3:5; Isa 20:4; Jer 51:22; Lam 2:21; Psa 148:12, and in phrase זָקֵן וְעַד מִנַּעַר Gen 19:4 (J), Jos 6:21 (JE), Est 3:13; opposed to ילדים 1Ki 12:6, 1Ki 12:8, 1Ki 12:13 2Ch 10:6; 2Ch 10:8; 2Ch 10:13; opposed to בַּחוּרִים Jer 31:13; Eze 9:6; Joe 3:1, compare 2Ch 36:17 (+ יָשֵׁשׁ) and Jer 6:11 (+ ימים מְלֵא); opposed to ימים עוּל Isa 65:20; opposed to שׁדים יונקי and עוללים Joe 2:16. b. usually plural elders, as having authority, term techn. (100 t. +); elders of a people, especially Israel Exo 3:16, Exo 3:18; Exo 12:21 (all J), Exo 17:5-6, Exo 18:12; Exo 19:7; Exo 24:1, Exo 24:9, Exo 24:14; Jos 24:1 (all E), Num 11:16 (twice in verse) (שֹׁטְרָיו), Num 11:24; Num 11:25; Num 11:30; Num 16:25; Jos 7:6; Jos 8:10; Jos 9:11 (all J E), Deu 5:20 (|| שִׁבְטֵיכֶם רָאשֵׁי), Deu 27:1; Deu 29:9 (|| שֹׁטְרֵיכֶם שׁבטיכם, ראשׁי), Deu 31:9, Deu 31:28; Jos 8:33 (|| וְשֹׁפְטָיו שֹׁטְרִים), Jos 23:2 (|| שֹׁטְרָיו שֹׁפְטָיו, רָאשׁיו,); compare also probably Jos 24:31 = Jdg 2:7 (all D); Lev 9:1, compare הָעֵדָה זִקְנֵי Lev 4:15 ( both P), Jdg 21:16; see also 1Sa 4:3; 1Sa 8:4; 1Sa 15:30; 2Sa 3:17; 2Sa 5:3 = 1Ch 11:3; 2Sa 17:4, 2Sa 17:15; 1Ki 8:1, 1Ki 8:32Chronicles 5:2, 4, also 1Ch 15:25; 1Ch 21:16; compare Isa 3:2 (וְז וְקֹסֵם וְנָבִיא ׳שׁוֺפֵט מִלְחָמָ֑ה וְאִישׁ גִּבּוֺר), Isa 9:14 (|| נְשׂוּאפָֿנִים, but see probably gloss, compare Ew Che Di Du and others); elders of one tribe (Judah) 1Sa 30:26; 2Sa 19:12, so of Gilead Jdg 11:5, Jdg 11:7, Jdg 11:8, Jdg 11:9, Jdg 11:10, Jdg 11:11; after the division of the kingdoms, of Northern Israel הארץ זקני 1Ki 20:7 compare 1Ki 20:8, also 2Ki 6:32 (twice in verse); 2Ki 10:1 (|| שָׂרִים etc.) compare 2Ki 10:5; under Josiah יְהוּדָה זקני 2Ki 23:1 2Ch 34:29; see also ׳ז הארץ Jer 26:17, compare ארץ זקני Pro 31:23, compare Lam 1:19; Lam 2:10; Lam 4:16; Lam 5:12, Lam 5:14 (|| שׂרים; + שַׁעַר); often in Ezek.: Eze 7:26 (|| כהן), of Judah Eze 8:1, of Israel Eze 8:11-12, Eze 14:1; Eze 20:1, Eze 20:3, also Eze 9:6 (but strike out Co). Exilic ׳ז הַגּוֺלָה Jer 29:1 (|| הנביאים הכהנים,); post-exile Ezr 10:8 (|| שׂרים), possibly also Joe 1:14; elders of ׳י Isa 24:23 (compare Exo 24:1, Exo 24:9), הַכֹּהֲנִים זִקְנֵי 2Ki 19:2 = Isa 37:2, so Jer 19:1 (|| העם זקני); of other peoples, Midian Num 22:4, Num 22:7, Moab Num 22:7 (all E), Egypt Psa 105:22 (|| שׂרים); of Gebal Eze 27:9; elders of a city, especially as sitting in the gate to judge Deu 19:12; Deu 21:2 (+ שֹׁפְטֶיךָ) Deu 21:3; Deu 21:4; Deu 21:6; Deu 21:19 (+ שַׁעַרמְֿקֹמוֺ), Deu 21:20; Deu 22:15 (+ הַשָּׁ֑עְרָה), Deu 22:16; Deu 22:17; Deu 22:18; Deu 25:7 (+ הַשַּׁ֫עֲרָה), Deu 25:8; Deu 25:9 (all in Deuteronomic code, and only so therein), Rth 4:2, Rth 4:4, Rth 4:9, Rth 4:11 (compare שַׁעַר Rth 4:1; Rth 4:11), זְקֵנִים מוֺשַׁב Psa 107:32 (|| קְהַלעָֿ֑ם); Jdg 8:14 (|| שׂרים), Jdg 8:16; 1Sa 11:3; 1Sa 16:4; 1Ki 21:8, 1Ki 21:11; Ezr 10:14.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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