Hebrew word · H2135

זָכָה

zikiti

to clean

In the simple form: to be clean or pure in a moral sense, to be in the clear, to be found innocent or acquitted (Ps 51:6 [Eng 51:4], "blameless when you judge"; Mic 6:11; Job 15:14; 25:4). In the active form used here (Piel): to make clean or keep clean (Ps 73:13; 119:9).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be clean, be pure, be clear

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be clean, be pure

1a2) to be clear, be justified

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to make clean, make pure, keep clean, keep pure

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to cleanse

1c2) to make yourself clean, purify oneself

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 Proverbs 20:9

Range of meaning

In the simple form: to be clean or pure in a moral sense, to be in the clear, to be found innocent or acquitted (Ps 51:6 [Eng 51:4], "blameless when you judge"; Mic 6:11; Job 15:14; 25:4). In the active form used here (Piel): to make clean or keep clean (Ps 73:13; 119:9). The reflexive form means to cleanse oneself (Isa 1:16). The related adjective זַךְ means pure, unmixed or clear, as of pure olive oil or pure frankincense, and of conduct that is pure or upright (Prov 16:2; 20:11; 21:8).

Against the English

English "made clean" or "kept pure" sounds like hygiene or general niceness. The Hebrew word leans toward being clear of charges, the condition of someone a judge would acquit.

How it drifted

Little real drift, but English loses the courtroom echo. In later Hebrew and Aramaic the same root gave זַכַּאי ("innocent, acquitted") and זְכוּת ("merit"). Aramaic Daniel 6:23 [Eng 6:22] uses it for innocence before a judge.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 73:13 uses almost the same words: אַךְ־רִיק זִכִּיתִי לְבָבִי, "surely in vain I have kept my heart clean." Job 15:14 asks "What is man, that he could be clean (yizkeh)?" and Job 25:4 asks the same. Micah 6:11 asks, "Can I be clean (ha'ezkeh) with wicked scales and a bag of deceitful weights?" The related Akkadian verb zakû, "to be clear, free, cleared of claims," is used in legal and commercial texts (CAD Z).

From the study of Isaiah 1:16

Range of meaning

To be clean or pure, and morally to be innocent or in the clear (Ps 51:4[6] 'blameless when you judge'; Mic 6:11 'Can I be pure with wicked scales?'). Related to זַךְ 'pure' (pure oil, pure incense; a pure or upright person, Job 8:6; Prov 20:11). The form here is reflexive: 'make yourselves clean.'

Against the English

'Make yourselves clean' (KJV, ESV, NASB, WEB) keeps the reflexive force. YLT's 'make ye pure' leans toward moral purity. 'Be clean' (NLT) loses the point that the people must act.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 73:13 (with רחץ); Job 15:14 and 25:4 ('how can one born of woman be pure?'); Mic 6:11 uses the word for honest dealing in commerce. In Hebrew, being clean shades into being found innocent in court.

From the study of Psalm 119:9

Range of meaning

Basic sense: to be clear, clean, unmixed. The related adjective zak describes 'pure' olive oil for the lampstand (Exodus 27:20) and pure frankincense (Exodus 30:34), meaning free of anything mixed in. Used of people, it means being clean of guilt, innocent, in the right: 'that you may be blameless when you judge' (Psalm 51:4 [Heb. 51:6]); 'how can one born of woman be clean?' (Job 15:14; 25:4). The form used here (Piel, an active and intensive form) means to make or keep clean: 'in vain I have kept my heart clean' (Psalm 73:13); 'who can say, I have made my heart clean?' (Proverbs 20:9). The reflexive form appears in Isaiah 1:16: 'wash yourselves, make yourselves clean', followed by a list of social wrongs to stop.

Against the English

'Keep pure' (BSB, ESV, NASB), 'cleanse' (KJV), 'stay on the path of purity' (NIV), 'stay pure' (NLT). All are fair glosses. KJV's 'cleanse' brings out the active verb but suggests the path is already dirty; 'keep pure' suggests protecting a clean state that already exists. The Hebrew form can carry either sense.

How it drifted

In modern church usage 'purity', especially next to 'young man', has narrowed to mean sexual abstinence. Zakah is never specifically sexual. It covers innocence and blamelessness in every kind of conduct, and is closer to 'clean hands' than to 'chastity'. It is also distinct from tahor, the usual word for ritual (temple) cleanness.

Used elsewhere in the period

Biblical Aramaic zakhu means 'innocence' (Daniel 6:22 [Heb. 6:23]: 'innocence was found in me'). Later Rabbinic Hebrew develops zakah/zekhut into 'to be acquitted' and 'merit'. Both developments keep the core idea of being clean of guilt. The Septuagint renders this verse with katorthōsei, 'set straight, make succeed', which shows its translators heard a moral and directional idea, not a ritual one.

Where it appears

Job · 2

  1. Job 15:14 יִזְכֶּ֑ה he will be pure

    What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

    Here: Imperfect form used with the sense "could / should be". It means to be morally clean, cleared, innocent. The Aramaic form of the same root was a law-court word for being acquitted, and that overtone fits Job's courtroom language.

  2. Job 25:4 יִּ֝זְכֶּ֗ה will he be pure

    How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure?

    Here: To be clean, morally spotless. Related words in other Semitic languages also mean 'cleared' or 'acquitted', so the line about purity keeps a legal edge. The next verse uses the same root for stars that are not 'pure' (bright and clear) in God's sight.

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 51:4 תִּזְכֶּ֥ה you will be pure

    Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.

    Here: 'You are clean', meaning pure and beyond reproach. Your judgment can't be faulted. The same word family describes 'pure' olive oil and frankincense. In Aramaic and later Hebrew it also means 'be acquitted, win the case'. It balances 'in the right' in the line before.

  2. Psalm 73:13 זִכִּ֣יתִי I have kept pure

    Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.

    Here: "I have made clean / kept clean". The verb form stresses deliberate, continued effort. He has worked at keeping his inner life free of wrong. The only other place this exact form appears is Proverbs 20:9: "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean'?"

  3. Psalm 119:9 יְזַכֶּה־ will he keep pure

    How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.

    Here: An active, intensive verb form: the young man is the one doing the cleaning or keeping clean. The future-type form here means 'can he / is he to'. The cleanness meant is moral: being free of guilt and wrongdoing, not ritual or specifically sexual purity.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 20:9 זִכִּ֣יתִי I have kept pure

    Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

    Here: "I have made clean." The verb form is active: the speaker presents himself as the one who did the cleansing. The word has moral and legal overtones, being clear of guilt or acquitted. It is not the priestly word for ritual purity.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 1:16 הִזַּכּ֔וּ cleanse yourselves

    Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!

    Here: 'Make yourselves clean.' The verb form is reflexive: they are to clean themselves. The root covers physical cleanness and also moral innocence, being clear of guilt, so this second command moves the washing image toward the question of guilt.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 6:11 הַאֶזְכֶּ֖ה ¿ will I be clear

    Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?

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