Hebrew word · H2087

זָדוֹן

zadon

arrogance

Insolence, arrogance, presumption. The root (z-y-d / z-w-d) describes going beyond proper bounds: acting willfully and defiantly, overstepping. The word is always negative in the Hebrew Bible. In Proverbs it goes with shame and strife (Proverbs 11:2; 13:10: 'by zadon comes only strife').

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance

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 Obadiah 1:3

Range of meaning

Insolence, arrogance, presumption. The root (z-y-d / z-w-d) describes going beyond proper bounds: acting willfully and defiantly, overstepping. The word is always negative in the Hebrew Bible. In law it marks the deliberate, defiant act: the prophet who speaks 'presumptuously' (Deuteronomy 18:22, bezadon) and the man who 'acts presumptuously' by refusing the priest's or judge's ruling (Deuteronomy 17:12). In Proverbs it goes with shame and strife (Proverbs 11:2; 13:10: 'by zadon comes only strife').

Against the English

Most versions say 'pride'. That is acceptable, but modern English 'pride' can be healthy (self-respect, 'proud of my kids'). Zadon never is. 'Arrogance', 'presumption' or 'insolence' keep the sense of overreach.

How it drifted

'Pride' has gained positive senses in modern English (dignity, self-esteem, group pride), so the bare word no longer says 'overreaching insolence' on its own.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Jeremiah 49:16, the parallel oracle against Edom, the same phrase zedon libbekh ('the arrogance of your heart') appears with the same verb 'deceived you'. Elsewhere: 1 Samuel 17:28 (Eliab accuses David of zadon, presumptuous cheek), Jeremiah 50:31–32 (Babylon called 'Arrogance' itself, zadon). The Septuagint here uses hyperēphania, 'haughtiness'.

From the study of Proverbs 11:2

Range of meaning

Presumption, insolence, arrogant overstepping. The noun comes from the root zyd/zwd, whose basic picture is "to boil up, seethe." The same root is used when Jacob "cooked" (boiled) stew in Genesis 25:29. In its moral sense the verb means "to act presumptuously": to boil over your proper bounds. The related adjective zed means "the insolent," and Psalm 119 uses it again and again for people who mock God's law.

Against the English

Most English versions say "pride" (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV). Some recent versions say "arrogance." Modern English "pride" covers good things too: pride in your children, pride in good work, healthy self-respect. Zadon has none of that. It is always bad, and it is about what a person does, overstepping limits, more than a private feeling of self-importance.

How it drifted

English "pride" took on positive senses (dignity, self-esteem, rightful satisfaction) in modern usage. The older theological sense of "pride" as the root sin is closer to zadon, but readers now often hear the softer modern word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy 1:43: Israel "acted presumptuously" (same root), went up into the hill country after God said not to, and were routed. That is presumption followed by disgrace. Deuteronomy 17:12–13 and 18:22: acting or prophesying "presumptuously" (be-zadon). 1 Samuel 17:28: Eliab accuses young David, "I know your zadon," meaning "your nerve, your presumption." Proverbs 13:10: "by insolence comes only strife." Proverbs 21:24 describes the scoffer who acts "in a fury of insolence." Jeremiah 50:31–32 gives Babylon the name "Insolence" (Zadon). Obadiah 3: "the zadon of your heart has deceived you." The Greek translation of this verse renders it hybris, the Greek word for arrogant overreach that invites downfall.

From the study of Ezekiel 7:10

Range of meaning

Insolence, presumption, arrogant defiance. It is related to a verb used for acting deliberately against what one knows to be right (Exodus 21:14; Deuteronomy 1:43).

Against the English

KJV, ESV and WEB say "pride"; BSB, NIV and NASB say "arrogance." "Arrogance" is closer, because "pride" can suggest an inner feeling or even something healthy.

How it drifted

Latin superbia (Vulgate) and English "pride" made it read as a general vice of the heart. Modern English also uses "pride" positively, which is far from this word.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Deuteronomy 17:12 acting with zādôn by refusing to obey the priest or judge is a capital matter. In Deuteronomy 18:22 it describes a prophet speaking without God's authority. Proverbs 11:2 says that when it comes, disgrace follows. In Jeremiah 50:31–32 Babylon itself is addressed as "Arrogance," and Obadiah 3 and Jeremiah 49:16 use it of Edom.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 2
  1. Deuteronomy 17:12 בְזָד֗וֹן with presumption

    But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.

    Here: 'With insolence', meaning a deliberate, self-willed defiance. Its root suggests something boiling over. It is not a mistake or simple confusion. The same root comes back in v.13 ('will no longer act arrogantly'), framing the law.

  2. Deuteronomy 18:22 בְּזָדוֹן֙ with presumption

    When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

1 Samuel · 1
  1. 1 Samuel 17:28 זְדֹנְךָ֗ arrogance your

    Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”

    Here: "Your presumption": overstepping your place and acting above your station. Eliab charges that the youngest son, a shepherd, is meddling in soldiers' affairs and the king's business.

Proverbs · 3
  1. Proverbs 11:2 זָ֭דוֹן pride

    When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

    Here: Not self-respect or satisfaction in good work. It is presumption: stepping past your proper limits toward God or other people, acting as if the rules and boundaries don't apply to you.

  2. Proverbs 13:10 בְּ֭זָדוֹן with pride

    Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.

    Here: "By means of" a presumptuous, overbearing attitude. This is someone who acts on their own authority and will not listen. It is the means through which the strife comes.

  3. Proverbs 21:24 זָדֽוֹן׃ pride

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

    Here: The noun from the same root as zed in the first word. The verse closes where it began: insolence describes the man and also his behaviour. This is the word Deuteronomy uses for someone who defies a judge or speaks presumptuously in God's name.

Jeremiah · 3
  1. Jeremiah 49:16 זְד֣וֹן [the] arrogance of

    The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

    Here: Not a quiet sense of self-worth but brazen, overreaching arrogance that oversteps its limits. The root word is used of food 'boiling' over (Gen 25:29), fittingly in the story of Esau, Edom's ancestor.

  2. Jeremiah 50:31 זָד֔וֹן O arrogance

    “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.

    Here: An abstract noun used as a name for Babylon, spoken to her directly: 'O Arrogance!' or 'you, Insolence!' Babylon is so full of defiant presumption that God addresses her by it.

  3. Jeremiah 50:32 זָדוֹן֙ arrogance

    The arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to pick him up. And I will kindle a fire in his cities to consume all those around him.”

Ezekiel · 1
  1. Ezekiel 7:10 הַזָּדֽוֹן׃ <the> arrogance

    Behold, the day is here! It has come! Doom has gone out, the rod has budded, arrogance has bloomed.

    Here: Defiant insolence, the attitude of someone who knowingly overrides authority. It is the last word of the verse, and it is what the plant has produced.

Obadiah · 1
  1. Obadiah 1:3 זְד֤וֹן [the] presumption of

    The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

    Here: Overbearing, limit-defying arrogance: confidence that goes past where it has any right to go. It comes first in the sentence, so the verse opens by naming the real problem.

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