Hebrew word · H2086

זֵד

zed

arrogant

Insolent, presumptuous, arrogant people. It comes from the root zyd/zwd, 'to boil up, act presumptuously' (compare Deut 17:12–13; 18:22, where acting 'presumptuously' means defying God's authority deliberately).

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) arrogant, proud, insolent, presumptuous

1a) the arrogant ones (as n coll pl)

1b) presumptuous (as adj)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Malachi 4:1

Range of meaning

Insolent, presumptuous, arrogant people. It comes from the root zyd/zwd, 'to boil up, act presumptuously' (compare Deut 17:12–13; 18:22, where acting 'presumptuously' means defying God's authority deliberately). In the Psalms the zedim are the scornful who mock the godly and ignore God's law (Ps 19:13; 86:14; 119:21, 51, 69, 78, 85).

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'the proud'. BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB have 'the arrogant'. 'Arrogant' is closer. 'Proud' in modern English can be positive ('proud of my daughter').

How it drifted

'Proud' in Early Modern English mainly meant haughty or overbearing. Today it often means healthy self-respect or satisfaction, which is not what the word means here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Same word in Mal 3:15: 'now we call the zedim blessed.' The Septuagint at 3:15 and 3:19 seems to have read zarim ('foreigners'), translating 'allotrious' and 'allogeneis'. In the Dead Sea Scrolls and later Jewish usage, zedim becomes a label for flagrant, deliberate law-breakers.

From the study of Jeremiah 43:2

Range of meaning

Insolent, presumptuous, defiant. A zed oversteps a boundary he knows is there and acts as if a rightful authority has no claim on him. The word is related to the verb zid, 'to boil (over)' and so 'to act presumptuously', and to the noun zadon, 'presumption, insolence'.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT have 'proud'. BSB and most modern versions have 'arrogant', and at least one major version has 'insolent'. 'Proud' and even 'arrogant' can suggest a personal attitude of self-importance. The Hebrew points to an act of defiance against authority, here against God's spokesman.

How it drifted

In older English 'proud' could mean haughty and defiant. Today it often means self-respecting or pleased ('proud of my kids'), which is far from the Hebrew.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy 17:12–13: the man who acts 'with presumption' (bezadon) by refusing to listen to the priest or judge is to die. Deuteronomy 18:20–22: the prophet who speaks 'presumptuously' is the false prophet. In Psalm 119 the zedim are the enemies of the faithful, and Psalm 119:69 says 'the insolent smear me with lies (sheqer)'. That is the same pairing as here, in reverse. Malachi 3:15 and 4:1 (Hebrew 3:19) use the word for those who defy God and seem to prosper. Proverbs 21:24 defines the zed as a 'scoffer'. The Septuagint usually translates it with hyperēphanos, 'overbearing, haughty'.

From the study of Proverbs 21:24

Range of meaning

The root z-y-d (z-w-d) means acting presumptuously or wilfully: deliberately overstepping a boundary, defying authority, treating limits as if they did not apply to you. The adjective zed means 'insolent, presumptuous person'. The noun zadon means 'insolence, presumption'. BDB lists this root together with the verb 'to boil, seethe' (Genesis 25:29, Jacob 'boiled' stew: wayyazed... nazid). That suggests a picture of something boiling over, but scholars do not all agree the two are the same root.

Against the English

English usually has 'proud' (KJV, BSB, WEB, YLT) or 'arrogant'. Those words point to an inner attitude. The Hebrew word points just as much to action: open, deliberate defiance.

How it drifted

Modern English 'pride' is mostly a feeling or self-image, and it is often a good thing ('proud of my work'). The Hebrew word is closer to 'insolence' or 'contempt': a pride that acts.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 21:14: a man who 'acts presumptuously' (yazid) against his neighbour to kill him by treachery. Deuteronomy 1:43: Israel 'acted presumptuously' by attacking after God said no. Deuteronomy 17:12–13: a man who acts 'in presumption' (bezadon) by refusing to obey the priest or judge is to die. Deuteronomy 18:20, 22: the prophet who speaks 'presumptuously'. Psalm 19:13: 'presumptuous sins' (zedim) as opposed to hidden faults. Psalm 119:51 puts zedim and the root of letz together: 'the insolent mock me greatly.' Proverbs 11:2: 'when zadon comes, disgrace comes'. Proverbs 13:10: 'by zadon comes only strife'.

Where it appears

Psalms · 8

  1. Psalm 19:13 מִזֵּדִ֨ים׀ from presumptuous [sins]

    Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression.

    Here: "From the insolent ones." This is a plural adjective with no noun attached. It means either defiant, high-handed sins or arrogant people. The word itself carries insolence and defiance, not just doing something on purpose.

  2. Psalm 86:14 זֵ֘דִ֤ים arrogant [people]

    The arrogant rise against me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life; they have no regard for You.

    Here: People who are presumptuous and insolent, who overstep the limits set by God and by decency. The word is stronger than an attitude of pride. It describes defiant behaviour.

  3. Psalm 119:21 זֵדִ֣ים arrogant [people]

    You rebuke the arrogant—the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

    Here: People who are insolent and high-handed, who set themselves above God's authority and despise other people. In Psalm 119 they are the psalmist's opponents: they mock him (v. 51), smear him with lies (v. 69) and dig pits for him (v. 85).

  4. Psalm 119:51 זֵ֭דִים arrogant [people]

    The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn from Your law.

    Here: Those who act with deliberate, defiant arrogance, overstepping the limits God set. The word opens the line and fills the zayin slot of this alphabetic stanza; it names a type of person, not just a passing mood.

  5. Psalm 119:69 זֵדִ֑ים arrogant [people]

    Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.

    Here: People who act with defiant self-assertion, especially against God and his law. Putting the subject last in the clause gives it weight: 'they smeared lies on me, the insolent did.' This group comes back again and again in Psalm 119 as the psalmist's opponents.

  6. Psalm 119:78 זֵ֭דִים arrogant [people]

    May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie; I will meditate on Your precepts.

    Here: The insolent: people who brazenly put themselves above God's instruction and walk over others. They are the psalmist's usual opponents in Psalm 119.

  7. Psalm 119:85 זֵדִ֣ים arrogant [people]

    The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.

  8. Psalm 119:122 זֵדִֽים׃ arrogant [people]

    Ensure Your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 21:24 זֵ֣ד proud

    Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man—of him who acts with excessive pride.

    Here: Someone who deliberately oversteps the limits set by God, law or community. It describes what he does, not only how he feels about himself. It opens the verse, and its related noun zadon closes it.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 13:11 זֵדִ֔ים arrogant [people]

    I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.

    Here: People who 'boil over'. They act with brazen presumption, overstepping limits set by God and owed to others. The word often appears with contempt for divine law.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 43:2 הַזֵּדִ֑ים <the> arrogant

    Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’

    Here: This is the narrator's verdict on them, not a neutral description. They are men who defy a rightful authority (see study).

Malachi · 2

  1. Malachi 3:15 זֵדִ֑ים arrogant [people]

    So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”

    Here: People who defy God's will knowingly and brazenly. The word is about open, high-handed contempt for God's law rather than inner vanity. It comes back in 3:19 (English 4:1), where these same 'arrogant' become stubble.

  2. Malachi 4:1 זֵדִ֜ים arrogant [people]

    “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

    Here: 'Arrogant ones.' The same word as in 3:15, where the disillusioned people said, 'now we call the arrogant blessed.' It means people who brazenly defy God and his standards, not people who simply feel good about themselves.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.