What does זֵכֶר (zeker) mean in the Bible?
זֵכֶר (zēker) is a Hebrew noun associated with remembrance, memory and the continuing mention of someone or something. The selected passages do more than describe the private ability to recall facts.
Hebrew · H2143
זֵכֶר
זֵכֶר (zēker) is a Hebrew noun associated with remembrance, memory and the continuing mention of someone or something. The selected passages do more than describe the private ability to recall facts.
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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זֵכֶרH2143
Pronunciationzeker
What does זֵכֶר (zeker) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for זֵכֶר (H2143) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2143?
The BSB source-word alignment has 23 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the memory (4), name (2), their memory (2), [all] memory of them (1), and renown (1).
Where does זֵכֶר (zeker) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 3:15. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (11), Deuteronomy (2), Exodus (2), Hosea (2).
What This Word Actually Means
זֵכֶר (zēker) is a Hebrew noun associated with remembrance, memory and the continuing mention of someone or something. The selected passages do more than describe the private ability to recall facts. Exodus 3:15 identifies how the Lord is to be remembered through generations; Psalm 111:4 praises the remembrance He has made of His wonders. Proverbs 10:7 contrasts the blessed memory of the righteous with the decaying name of the wicked. The object remembered and the passage's purpose govern the noun's significance.
Esther 9:28 speaks of preserving the memory of Purim among descendants, showing remembrance carried through a community's observance. These different settings join memory to divine identity, narrated deeds, moral reputation and generational transmission. The word does not guarantee that personal fame proves righteousness or that a commemorative practice earns favor. Its teaching value is to ask what is being kept before a people and whether their remembering remains faithful to the deed or identity the passage names.
Passage contextCanonical parallel
How the Bible Uses It
The selected witnesses concern God's enduring name, remembrance of His wonders, the moral character of a person's remembered life, and the transmission of Purim's memory. Remembrance can be communal and enduring without being a single prescribed ritual in every context.
- Exod.3.15
God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
The Lord identifies Himself as the God of the fathers and names how He is to be remembered across generations. Moses receives an identity and commission, rather than a technique for generating religious experience.
- Ps.111.4
He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
Remembrance of God's wonders appears amid assembled thanksgiving and praise of His gracious compassion. The remembered object is His work, not the worshipers' achievement at sustaining attention.
- Prov.10.7
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
The proverb contrasts the blessing attached to a righteous person's memory with the rotting name of the wicked. Its moral comparison should not be converted into a measure of righteousness by popularity.
- Esth.9.28
These days should be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.
Purim's remembrance is to endure among generations, families, provinces and cities. This particular commemorative instruction preserves the narrated deliverance and does not prescribe the same observance for every church.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itthe memory4×Exodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:19, Proverbs 10:7, Ecclesiastes 9:5
name2×Psalms 30:4, Psalms 97:12
their memory2×Deuteronomy 32:26, Psalms 109:15
[all] memory of them1×Psalms 34:16
and renown1×Isaiah 26:8
His renown will be1×Hosea 14:7
is His name of renown1×Hosea 12:5
is how I am to be remembered1×Exodus 3:15
memory1×Isaiah 26:14
mention of You1×Psalms 6:5
nor should the memory of them1×Esther 9:28
remembered1×Psalms 112:6
the fame1×Psalms 145:7
The memory of him1×Job 18:17
the very memory1×Psalms 9:6
to be remembered1×Psalms 111:4
Your renown1×Psalms 135:13
Your renown endures1×Psalms 102:12
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 3:15זִכְרִ֖יtois how I am to be rememberedNoun - masculine singular construct | first person common singularExodus 17:14זֵ֣כֶרtothe memoryNoun - masculine singular constructDeuteronomy 25:19זֵ֣כֶרtothe memoryNoun - masculine singular constructDeuteronomy 32:26זִכְרָֽם׃totheir memoryNoun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine pluralEsther 9:28וְזִכְרָ֖םtonor should the memory of themConjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine pluralJob 18:17זִֽכְרוֹ־toThe memory of himNoun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singularPsalms 6:5זִכְרֶ֑ךָtomention of YouNoun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singularPsalms 9:6זִכְרָ֣םtothe very memoryNoun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine pluralPsalms 30:4לְזֵ֣כֶרtonamePreposition-l | Noun - masculine singular constructPsalms 34:16זִכְרָֽם׃to[all] memory of themNoun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowExodus 3:15
Aligned rows23
Books represented9
Exodus2Deuteronomy2Esther1Job1Psalms11Proverbs1Ecclesiastes1Isaiah2Hosea2
Source forms
זֵ֣כֶר5xzê·ḵerExodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:19, Psalms 111:4, Psalms 145:7
זִכְרָֽם׃4xziḵ·rāmDeuteronomy 32:26, Psalms 34:16, Psalms 109:15, Ecclesiastes 9:5
לְזֵ֣כֶר2xlə·zê·ḵerPsalms 30:4, Psalms 97:12
וְ֝זִכְרְךָ֗1xwə·ziḵ·rə·ḵāPsalms 102:12
וְזִכְרָ֖ם1xwə·ziḵ·rāmEsther 9:28
וּֽלְזִכְרְךָ֖1xū·lə·ziḵ·rə·ḵāIsaiah 26:8
זֵ֖כֶר1xzê·ḵerIsaiah 26:14
זִכְר֖וֹ1xziḵ·rōwHosea 14:7
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural5xDeuteronomy 32:26, Psalms 9:6, Psalms 34:16, Psalms 109:15
Noun - masculine singular construct4xExodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:19, Psalms 145:7, Proverbs 10:7
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular3xJob 18:17, Hosea 12:5, Hosea 14:7
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct3xPsalms 30:4, Psalms 97:12, Psalms 112:6
Noun - masculine singular2xPsalms 111:4, Isaiah 26:14
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular2xPsalms 6:5, Psalms 135:13
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular1xPsalms 102:12
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural1xEsther 9:28
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Tell a community's history truthfully, allowing harm and failure to remain visible rather than treating positive remembrance as a duty to conceal them.
- A practice of remembrance should direct attention to its stated object; inherited ceremony can require explanation rather than automatic admiration.
Avoid claiming...
- A well-known name is not proof of righteousness; Proverbs blesses the memory of the righteous rather than declaring every remembered person righteous.
- The shared noun does not make Purim, every human memorial and the Lord's Supper the same commanded practice or a means of earning salvation.
Evidence Summary
JusticeRevelation
Hebrew word. Moves from concrete memorial object to abstract recollection; emphasizes God's remembered covenant and Israel's identity.
Source Gloss
a memento , abstractly recollection (rarely if ever); by implication, commemoration
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Moves from concrete memorial object to abstract recollection; emphasizes God's remembered covenant and Israel's identity.
a memento, abstractly recollection (rarely if ever); by implication, commemoration BDB: remembrance Usage: memorial, memory, remembrance, scent.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
remembrance, memorial, or lasting reputation
Showing 1 selected witness from 23 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
זֵכֶר is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
The word emphasizes the enduring influence of a righteous life.Proverbs 10:7
Canonical Themes
JusticeRevelation
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Psalm 111 sets remembering within thanksgiving among the upright and the assembly. The wonders remembered belong to the Lord, whose work is splendid, righteous and marked by grace and compassion. Memory here serves recognition of His character and deeds. The worshiping community does not create that character by keeping its attention active; it receives and recounts what the passage attributes to God.
Exodus 3:15 gives the generations a named identity to confess, while Esther 9:28 directs a particular community to preserve the memory of deliverance. Proverbs 10:7 adds a moral distinction about human remembrance: a righteous life and a wicked reputation are not equivalent legacies. These texts invite teachers to ask whether inherited stories keep the truthful object in view or have become a means of flattering a family, leader or institution. Christian remembrance of Jesus in Luke 22 likewise has an explicitly named object, His given body and covenant blood. The connection is canonical; it does not make every memorial the same observance.
Anchor passage
Ps.111.4
Doctrinal connections
- Exodus 3:13-15 connects remembrance with the Lord's revealed name and His identification as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- Psalm 111:1-6 places remembered wonders within assembled thanksgiving for God's righteousness, grace and covenant care.
- Proverbs 10:6-8 contrasts the righteous memory and the wicked name within teaching about truthful and destructive conduct.
- Esther 9:26-28 binds Purim's transmitted memory to the deliverance narrated in that book and its particular community.
- Psalm 135:13-14 joins the Lord's enduring name and renown with His vindication and compassion for His servants.
- Luke 22:19-20 directs remembrance to Jesus' given body and covenant blood, identifying the object of the Christian comparison explicitly.
The noun's range includes memory or remembrance and enduring mention. Its occurrence with God's name, remembered wonders and a righteous person's reputation shows why English memory cannot be limited here to a private cognitive operation. Related memorial nouns have their own contexts and should not be treated as interchangeable by default.
From Old to New Testament
Exodus and the psalms keep the Lord's name and deeds before His people, while Esther preserves the memory of a particular deliverance. Luke 22:19-20 gives the disciples Jesus' own instruction to remember Him in the meal through His given body and covenant blood. The shared concern is faithful remembrance of its named object; the practices and covenant settings differ, and no direct Hebrew occurrence is added by the comparison.
Passage contextCanonical parallel