Lexical Definition

‎זָקֵן‎ zâqên (zaw-kane') old: elder ^H:A
from ‎זָקֵן‎

aged, ancient (man), elder(-est), old (man, men and...women), senator.

• old

1) old
1a) old (of humans)
1b) elder (of those having authority)

See Greek: ἀνήρ · γερουσία · γέρων · πρεσβύτης

Extended Information

• Also means: za.qen (‎ז‎ָ‎ק‎ֵ‎ן‎ ": elder" זָקֵן)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎זָקֵן‎ adjective old, absolute ‎׳‎‎ז‎ Gen 19:4 + 30 t. (on distinction from verb see above); construct ‎זְקַן‎ Gen 24:2 plural ‎זְקֵנִים‎ Gen 18:11 + 44 t.; ‎זְקֵנוֺת‎ Zech 8:4 construct ‎זִקְנֵי‎ Gen 50:7 + 85 t.; suffix ‎זְקֵנַי‎ Lam 1:19, ‎זְקֵנֶיךָ‎ Deut 21:2; Deut 32:7, ‎זְקֵנָיו‎ Josh 8:33 + 3 t., ‎זְקֵנֶיהָ‎ Judg 8:14, ‎זְקֵנֵינוּ‎ Exod 10:9; Josh 9:11, ‎זִקְנֵיכֶם‎ Deut 5:20 + 2 t.; —

1. old, of human beings, as adjective predicate Gen 18:11 (J), Job 32:4 (‎מִמֶּנּוּ לְיָמִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ז‎, in comparison), or attributive ‎אָב זָקֵן‎ Gen 44:20 (J), ‎׳‎‎אִישׁ ז‎ Judg 19:16; Judg 19:17; Judg 19:20; Judg 19:22, ‎׳‎‎נָבִיא ז‎ 1Kgs 13:11; 1Kgs 13:25; 1Kgs 13:29, ‎׳‎‎מֶלֶךְ ז‎ Eccl 4:13 probably also ‎וּשְׂבַע ימים‎ ‎׳‎‎ז‎ Gen 35:29 (P), Job 42:17 and Gen 25:8 (P) according to ᵐ5 Sam Di; compare also Ezra 3:12.

2. usually as substantive:
a. old man (or woman),
b. elder;
a. old man Gen 43:27 (J), Lev 19:32 (H), Deut 28:50; Deut 32:7 (|| ‎אָב‎), 1Sam 2:31; 1Sam 2:32; 1Sam 28:14; Isa 47:6; Job 12:20; Job 32:9; Prov 17:6; Prov 20:29; Ps 119:100; Joel 1:2 old men and old women Zech 8:4 (twice in verse); compare ‎זְקַן בֵּיתוֺ‎ Gen 24:2 (J), ‎זִקְנֵי בֵיתוֺ‎ 2Sam 12:17 especially opposed to ‎נַעַר‎ Exod 10:9 (E), Isa 3:5; Isa 20:4; Jer 51:22; Lam 2:21; Ps 148:12, and in phrase ‎מִנַּעַר וְעַד זָקֵן‎ Gen 19:4 (J), Josh 6:21 (JE), Esth 3:13 opposed to ‎ילדים‎ 1Kgs 12:6; 1Kgs 12:8; 1Kgs 12:13 = 2Chr 10:6; 2Chr 10:8; 2Chr 10:13 opposed to ‎בַּחוּרִים‎ Jer 31:13; Ezek 9:6; Joel 3:1*, compare 2Chr 36:17 (+ ‎יָשֵׁשׁ‎) and Jer 6:11 (+ ‎מְלֵא ימים‎); opposed to ‎עוּל‎ ‎ימים‎ Isa 65:20 opposed to ‎יונקי שׁדים‎ and ‎עוללים‎ Joel 2:16.
b. usually plural elders, as having authority, term techn. (100 t. +); elders of a people, especially Israel Exod 3:16; Exod 3:18; Exod 12:21 (all J), Exod 17:5; Exod 17:6; Exod 18:12; Exod 19:7; Exod 24:1; Exod 24:9; Exod 24:14; Josh 24:1 (all E), Num 11:16 (twice in verse) (‎שֹׁטְרָיו‎), vNum 11:24 vNum 11:25 vNum 11:30; Num 16:25; Josh 7:6; Josh 8:10; Josh 9:11 (all J E), Deut 5:20 (|| ‎רָאשֵׁי שִׁבְטֵיכֶם‎), Deut 27:1; Deut 29:9* (|| ‎ראשׁי שׁבטיכם‎, ‎שֹׁטְרֵיכֶם‎), Deut 31:9; Deut 31:28; Josh 8:33 (|| ‎שֹׁטְרִים‎ ‎וְשֹׁפְטָיו‎), Josh 23:2 (|| ‎רָאשׁיו‎, ‎שֹׁפְטָיו‎, ‎שֹׁטְרָיו‎); compare also probably Josh 24:31 = Judg 2:7 (all D); Lev 9:1, compare ‎זִקְנֵי הָעֵדָה‎ Lev 4:15 ( both P), Judg 21:16 see also 1Sam 4:3; 1Sam 8:4; 1Sam 15:30; 2Sam 3:17; 2Sam 5:3 = 1Chr 11:3; 2Sam 17:4; 2Sam 17:15; 1Kgs 8:1; 1Kgs 8:3 = 2Chr 5:2; 2Chr 5:4, also 1Chr 15:25; 1Chr 21:16 compare Isa 3:2 (‎גִּבּוֺר וְאִישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁוֺפֵט וְנָבִיא וְקֹסֵם וְז‎), Isa 9:14* (|| ‎נְשׂוּאפָֿנִים‎, but see probably gloss, compare Ew Che Di Du and others); elders of one tribe (Judah) 1Sam 30:26; 2Sam 19:12*, so of Gilead Judg 11:5; Judg 11:7; Judg 11:8; Judg 11:9; Judg 11:10; Judg 11:11 after the division of the kingdoms, of Northern Israel ‎זקני הארץ‎ 1Kgs 20:7 compare v1Kgs 20:8, also 2Kgs 6:32 (twice in verse); 2Kgs 10:1 (|| ‎שָׂרִים‎ etc.) compare v2Kgs 10:5 under Josiah ‎זקני יְהוּדָה‎ 2Kgs 23:1 = 2Chr 34:29 see also ‎הארץ‎ ‎׳‎‎ז‎ Jer 26:17, compare ‎זקני ארץ‎ Prov 31:23, compare Lam 1:19; Lam 2:10; Lam 4:16; Lam 5:12; Lam 5:14 (|| ‎שׂרים‎; + ‎שַׁעַר‎); often in Ezek.: Ezek 7:26 (|| ‎כהן‎), of Judah Ezek 8:1, of Israel Ezek 8:11; Ezek 8:12; Ezek 14:1; Ezek 20:1; Ezek 20:3, also Ezek 9:6 (but strike out Co). Exilic ‎הַגּוֺלָה‎ ‎׳‎‎ז‎ Jer 29:1 (|| ‎הכהנים‎, ‎הנביאים‎); post-exile Ezra 10:8 (|| ‎שׂרים‎), possibly also Joel 1:14 elders of ‎׳‎‎י‎ Isa 24:23 (compare Exod 24:1; Exod 24:9), ‎זִקְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים‎ 2Kgs 19:2 = Isa 37:2, so Jer 19:1 (|| ‎זקני העם‎); of other peoples, Midian Num 22:4; Num 22:7, Moab vNum 22:7 (all E), Egypt Ps 105:22 (|| ‎שׂרים‎); of Gebal Ezek 27:9 elders of a city, especially as sitting in the gate to judge Deut 19:12; Deut 21:2 (+ ‎שֹׁפְטֶיךָ‎) vDeut 21:3 vDeut 21:4 vDeut 21:6 vDeut 21:19 (+ ‎שַׁעַרמְֿקֹמוֺ‎), vDeut 21:20; Deut 22:15 (+ ‎הַשָּׁ֑עְרָה‎), vDeut 22:16 vDeut 22:17 vDeut 22:18; Deut 25:7 (+ ‎הַשַּׁ֫עֲרָה‎), vDeut 25:8 vDeut 25:9 (all in Deuteronomic code, and only so therein), Ruth 4:2; Ruth 4:4; Ruth 4:9; Ruth 4:11 (compare ‎שַׁעַר‎ vRuth 4:1 vRuth 4:11), ‎מוֺשַׁב זְקֵנִים‎ Ps 107:32 (|| ‎קְהַלעָֿ֑ם‎); Judg 8:14 (|| ‎שׂרים‎), vJudg 8:16; 1Sam 11:3; 1Sam 16:4; 1Kgs 21:8; 1Kgs 21:11; Ezra 10:14.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References