Hebrew word · H2098
זוּ
zu
this
An old poetic word meaning 'which, that, who.' It is related to the demonstrative zeh ('this'). It appears in a handful of poems, several of them ancient.
Appears 15 times in 15 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
demons pron
1) this, such rel pron
2) (of) which, (of) whom
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
- Range of meaning
An old poetic word meaning 'which, that, who.' It is related to the demonstrative zeh ('this'). It appears in a handful of poems, several of them ancient.
- Against the English
YLT treats it as 'this' ('this Thou hast wrought'). KJV/WEB/BSB/ESV take it as 'that which' or 'by which.' Some take it as 'O you who have acted' (cf. NASB 'who has acted').
- Used elsewhere in the period
Exod 15:13, 16 ('the people whom you redeemed / acquired'); Ps 9:15; 17:9; 31:4; 32:8; 62:11; 142:3; 143:8.
From the study of Isaiah 43:21
- Range of meaning
An old relative or demonstrative word ('which, whom, that'). It survives almost only in poetry: Exodus 15:13, 16; Psalms 9:16; 10:2; 17:9; 31:5; 32:8; 62:12; 68:29; 132:12; Isaiah 42:24; 43:21. Prose uses אֲשֶׁר (ʾăšer) instead.
- Against the English
KJV and YLT translate it 'This people', as if it pointed to something. BSB, WEB and most modern versions translate it 'the people (whom/which)'. Most grammars read it as 'which' here. Either way, English cannot show that the word sounds old and poetic.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Exodus 15:13: 'In your steadfast love you led the people whom (ʿam-zû) you redeemed.' Exodus 15:16: 'until the people whom (ʿam-zû) you acquired pass by.' The exact phrase ʿam-zû shows up only there and here (compare Isaiah 42:24, zû on its own).
- Range of meaning
A rare, old-fashioned poetic particle. It can point ('this') or link a clause ('which, that'), much like the more common zeh/ʾăšer. It appears in early or elevated poetry (Exod 15:13, 16; Ps 9:15; 17:9; 31:4; 32:8; 142:3; 143:8; Isa 42:24; 43:21).
- Against the English
KJV, ESV, NASB, BSB and WEB read it as 'this' ('I have heard this'). NIV and similar versions take it as 'which/that', with 'two' as a noun: 'two things [that] I have heard'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Exod 15:13 'the people whom (zû) you redeemed'; Ps 17:9 'the wicked who (zû) despoil me'.
Where it appears
Exodus · 2
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Exodus 15:13 ז֣וּ which
With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
Here: An old poetic word used here as "that / whom": "the people whom you redeemed." The same form comes again in v. 16 ("the people whom you acquired"), and it is one sign of the song's archaic language.
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Exodus 15:16 ז֥וּ which
and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.
Here: An archaic word for 'which / whom', rare outside old poetry. The same phrase ʿam-zû ('the people whom') appears in v. 13, 'the people whom you redeemed', so the two lines are meant to be heard together.
Psalms · 10
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Psalm 9:15 ז֥וּ which
The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
Here: An old poetic word for 'which' (also in Exod 15:13, 16). It links the net to the hiding that follows: 'the net that they hid'.
-
Psalm 10:2 ז֣וּ which
In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
Here: An old, poetic relative word ('which') used in songs such as Exodus 15. It gives the line an elevated, archaic sound.
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Psalm 12:7 ז֣וּ this
You, O LORD, will keep us; You will forever guard us from this generation.
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Psalm 17:9 ז֣וּ who
from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
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Psalm 31:4 ז֭וּ which
You free me from the net laid out for me, for You are my refuge.
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Psalm 32:8 ז֥וּ which
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
Here: An old poetic word that links "the way" to the clause after it ("the way which…"). The Greek translators read it as "this" ("in this way").
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Psalm 62:11 ז֥וּ this
God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: that power belongs to God,
Here: A rare poetic word that can point ('this') or link a clause ('which'). So the phrase reads 'twice, this I heard' or 'two [things] which I heard'. It is old-fashioned, elevated wording that gives the line a solemn tone.
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Psalm 68:28 ז֝֗וּ who
Summon Your power, O God; show Your strength, O God, which You have exerted on our behalf.
Here: An old, poetic way of saying 'which/that.' It introduces what God has done: 'that which you have worked for us.' The same word appears in the Song of the Sea: 'the people whom (zû) you redeemed' (Exod 15:13, 16).
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Psalm 142:3 ז֥וּ which
Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.
Here: An old poetic word meaning "which" (related to 'this'). It connects the path to the walking: "the path which I walk." The Greek translation took it as "this."
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Psalm 143:8 ז֥וּ which
Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
Here: An old poetic word meaning 'which': 'the way which…'.
Isaiah · 2
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Isaiah 42:24 ז֚וּ whom
Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they would not obey His law.
Here: An old, poetic word meaning 'who/whom', found in archaic songs like Exodus 15:13, 16. It gives the clause a solemn, hymn-like sound: 'he whom…'.
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Isaiah 43:21 זוּ֙ which
The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.
Here: An old, poetic word for 'which/whom'. It is rare, and its best-known use is in the Song of the Sea: 'the people whom (ʿam-zû) you redeemed' and 'the people whom (ʿam-zû) you acquired' (Exodus 15:13, 16). So the wording itself recalls the first exodus.
Habakkuk · 1
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Habakkuk 1:11 ז֥וּ [the one] who
Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their own strength is their god.”
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.