Lexical Summary
zeker: memory, name, remembered
Original Word:זֵכֶר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:zeker
Pronunciation:ZAY-ker
Phonetic Spelling:(zay'-ker)
KJV: memorial, memory, remembrance, scent
NASB:memory, name, remembered, remembrance, memorial-name, mention, renown
Word Origin:[fromH2142 (זָכַר - remember)]
1. a memento, abstr. recollection (rarely if ever)
2. (by implication) commemoration
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
memorial, memory, remembrance, scent
Or zeker {zeh'-ker}; fromzakar; a memento, abstr. Recollection (rarely if ever); by implication, commemoration -- memorial, memory, remembrance, scent.
see HEBREWzakar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zakarDefinitionremembrance, memorial
NASB Translationmemorial-name (1), memory (12), mention (1), name (4), remembered (2), remembrance (2), renown (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II.
Exodus 17:14, see following.
Psalm 9:7 (compare HptHebraica. 1885, 230) — absolutePsalm 111:4; constructDeuteronomy 25:19 +; constructExodus 17:14 van d. H; suffixExodus 3:15,Isaiah 26:8 +,Psalm 6:6,Hosea 12:6 +,Deuteronomy 32:26 +: —
remembrance, memory:
,Exodus 17:14 (E; with ) =Deuteronomy 25:19;Deuteronomy 32:26 ()Psalm 34:17;Psalm 109:15 (both ),Psalm 9:7 (),Job 18:17 (; "" ),Isaiah 26:14 (); compare on other hand as portion of righteous.
ofPsalm 6:6;Psalm 102:13 ("" = ).
of s character and worksPsalm 30:5;Psalm 97:12;Psalm 111:4.
remembrance of particular days, i.e. their observanceEsther 9:28 ().
memorial, by which one is remembered:
nearly = ,Proverbs 10:7 ("" ), compare alsoEcclesiastes 9:5 (with ); especially ofExodus 3:15 (E),Hosea 12:6;Isaiah 26:8;Psalm 135:13 (all "" ).
= renown (of Israel)Hosea 14:8 (compare VB).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewזֵכֶר (zeker) denotes “remembrance,” “memory,” or “memorial.” Scripture uses the term both positively—to preserve God’s name, mighty acts, and covenant faithfulness—and negatively—to announce the complete erasure of the wicked. The word therefore functions as a theological hinge between salvation history and human response, anchoring worship, warning, and hope.
Divine Name as Eternal Memorial
God Himself establishes the primary remembrance in Scripture. When revealing His name to Moses He declares, “This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation” (Exodus 3:15).Psalm 135:13 echoes, “Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your remembrance, O LORD, through all generations.” Here zeker underlines the permanence of the covenant name YHWH. Israel is commanded not merely to recall a fact but to perpetuate a living testimony of God’s identity and character. Every feast, sacrifice, and psalm of praise draws its authority from this perpetual memorial.
Covenant Judgment and the Blotting Out of Memory
Conversely, zeker also marks the utter obliteration of those who oppose the LORD. The Amalekites, who attacked Israel’s weak stragglers, become the paradigmatic example: “you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven” (Deuteronomy 25:19; cf.Exodus 17:14). InDeuteronomy 32:26 God warns apostate Israel with the very penalty once reserved for the nations: “I would have said, ‘I will cut them to pieces and blot out their memory from mankind.’” The prophets adopt the same language against the wicked (Isaiah 26:14;Psalm 34:16;Psalm 9:6), showing that divine justice extends beyond physical destruction to historical oblivion. Memory itself becomes an arena of covenant blessing or curse.
Corporate Worship and Praise
Several psalms harness zeker to call God’s people into thanksgiving:
• “Sing to the LORD, you saints of His, and praise His holy name” (Psalm 30:4).
• “He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate” (Psalm 111:4).
• “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His great love” (Psalm 145:7).
In these contexts remembrance is active liturgy. The community rehearses God’s deeds, ensuring that succeeding generations inherit a faith informed by history rather than sentiment. Thus, worship is historically rooted, intellectually engaged, and spiritually enlivened.
The Fate of the Wicked and the Blessing of the Righteous
Wisdom literature applies zeker to individual legacy.Proverbs 10:7 teaches, “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” Job anticipates the same outcome for the ungodly: “The memory of him will perish from the earth” (Job 18:17).Psalm 112:6, by contrast, assures the god-fearer, “Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous man will be remembered forever.” The doctrine is two-edged: God vindicates those who fear Him by preserving their story, while He consigns the unrepentant to obscurity.
Eschatological Longing
Isaiah’s prayer captures Israel’s yearning for covenant fulfillment: “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your judgments, we wait for You; Your name and Your renown are the desire of our souls” (Isaiah 26:8). The remnant’s hope is anchored in God’s remembered faithfulness, which guarantees future restoration (Hosea 14:7). EvenEcclesiastes 9:5—“the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten”—serves to heighten the contrast between life under the sun and the enduring memorial of those who trust in the LORD.
Historical Continuity in Post-Exilic Israel
Esther 9:28 shows how zeker structures Israel’s collective memory after exile: “These days should be remembered and observed in every generation.” The Feast of Purim institutionalizes deliverance as liturgical memory, safeguarding national identity amid diaspora pressures. The principle remains: salvation history must be embedded in calendrical rhythm lest it fade.
New Covenant Resonances
Although the Hebrew term does not appear in the New Testament, its theology undergirds the Lord’s Supper (“Do this in remembrance of Me,”Luke 22:19) and apostolic admonitions to remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead (2 Timothy 2:8). The final book of Scripture culminates in the Lamb’s “book of life,” the ultimate repository of divine remembrance, contrasting with those “whose names are not written” (Revelation 20:15).
Ministry Application
1. Preaching: Proclaim God’s acts with historical specificity; faith is strengthened when believers trace the unbroken line of divine remembrance.
2. Worship Planning: Integrate testimonies, Scripture readings, and hymns that recount God’s deeds, following the psalmic model.
3. Pastoral Care: Encourage saints facing obscurity that “the righteous will be remembered forever” (Psalm 112:6).
4. Discipleship: Teach believers to steward personal and congregational memories—journaling answered prayer, celebrating baptism anniversaries—thus building “living stones” of testimony.
5. Evangelism: Warn the unrepentant that apart from Christ, even the most celebrated earthly name will decay (Proverbs 10:7).
Summary
זֵכֶר frames the biblical drama of salvation and judgment. God’s own name stands as an eternal memorial, inviting perpetual praise. At the same time, He alone has authority to erase remembrance from under heaven, vindicating holiness. For the church today, rightly practicing remembrance nurtures doctrinal fidelity, fuels worship, and readies the saints for the day when “His name will be on their foreheads” and His memorial will fill the new creation forever.
Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝זִכְרְךָ֗ וְזִכְרָ֖ם וּֽלְזִכְרְךָ֖ וזכרך וזכרם ולזכרך זִֽכְרוֹ־ זִכְר֖וֹ זִכְרְךָ֥ זִכְרִ֖י זִכְרֶ֑ךָ זִכְרָ֣ם זִכְרָֽם׃ זִכְרֽוֹ׃ זֵ֖כֶר זֵ֣כֶר זכר זכרו זכרו־ זכרו׃ זכרי זכרך זכרם זכרם׃ לְזֵ֣כֶר לְזֵ֥כֶר לזכר lə·zê·ḵer leZecher ləzêḵer ū·lə·ziḵ·rə·ḵā ulezichreCha ūləziḵrəḵā vezichRam vezichrecha wə·ziḵ·rām wə·ziḵ·rə·ḵā wəziḵrām wəziḵrəḵā zê·ḵer Zecher zêḵer zichRam zichRecha zichRi zichRo zichrov ziḵ·rām ziḵ·re·ḵā ziḵ·rə·ḵā ziḵ·rî ziḵ·rōw ziḵ·rōw- ziḵrām ziḵreḵā ziḵrəḵā ziḵrî ziḵrōw ziḵrōw-
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