2121. zedon
Lexical Summary
zedon: Arrogance, pride, insolence

Original Word: זֵידוֹן
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: zeydown
Pronunciation: zay-dohn'
Phonetic Spelling: (zay-dohn')
KJV: proud
NASB: raging
Word Origin: [from H2102 (זוּד זִידּ - acted arrogantly)]

1. boiling of water, i.e. wave

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
proud

From zuwd; boiling of water, i.e. Wave -- proud.

see HEBREW zuwd

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from zud
Definition
insolent, raging
NASB Translation
raging (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[זֵידוֺן] adjective insolent, raging, only plural and figurative הַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֺנִים Psalm 124:5.

Topical Lexicon
Root Idea and Imagery

זֵידוֹן portrays the haughty, swelling surge of water that threatens to engulf the helpless. The word links the emotion of arrogance to the physical picture of a raging flood, marrying inner sin with an outer, catastrophic force. Hebrew poetry frequently pairs moral realities with nature; here, pride is given the visage of a violent torrent.

Canonical Occurrence

Psalm 124:5 is the lone biblical usage: “then the raging waters would have swept us away” (Berean Standard Bible). The psalm, a Song of Ascents attributed to David, celebrates Israel’s deliverance from overwhelming peril. זֵידוֹן supplies the climactic metaphor: human opposition is like a proud deluge that would have drowned the covenant people had not the LORD intervened.

Context within Psalm 124

1. Verses 1–3 recall the danger: “If the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us….”
2. Verses 4–5 unfold the water imagery, moving from “flood” to “torrent” to the “raging waters” of זֵידוֹן.
3. Verses 6–8 shift to praise, emphasizing escape and dependence on “the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

The psalmist chooses a term that conveys both external threat and the inner disposition of the attackers—pride—underlining that arrogant hostility ultimately manifests in destructive power.

Intertextual Connections

• Pride as a destructive flood: Isaiah 28:2 likens Assyria to “a tempest of destruction, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour.”
• Divine mastery over proud waters: Job 38:11 records God’s decree to the sea, “Here you may come, but no farther.”
• Moral teaching on pride: Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.”

Together these passages frame זֵידוֹן within the broader scriptural conviction that human arrogance, however formidable, remains subject to God’s sovereign restraint.

Historical Significance

In Israel’s hymnody, pilgrim worshipers sang Psalm 124 while ascending to Jerusalem. The term זֵידוֹן would evoke memories of historical deliverances—from the Red Sea to post-exilic survival—reinforcing national identity as a people rescued from both literal waters and metaphorical floods of oppression.

Theological Significance

1. Doctrine of Providence: The proud surge is real, yet God’s people stand secure because the LORD “has not given us as prey to their teeth” (Psalm 124:6).
2. Sin of Pride: By personifying arrogance as destructive waters, the text exposes pride as more than an inward vice; it is an active force that endangers others.
3. Salvation Motif: Rescue from זֵידוֹן anticipates the ultimate deliverance accomplished in Jesus Christ, who stills both literal storms (Mark 4:39) and the spiritual flood of sin (Colossians 2:13-15).

Implications for Ministry

• Pastoral comfort: Believers facing overwhelming circumstances can pray Psalm 124, confident that no proud torrent exceeds the Lord’s capacity to save.
• Call to humility: The same word that condemns the aggressor warns the covenant community against nurturing hidden arrogance.
• Corporate worship: Singing Psalm 124 reminds congregations that their preservation is wholly gracious, prompting thanksgiving and fostering unity.

Practical Application

1. Examine the heart for hidden זֵידוֹן—attitudes that swell against God’s rule.
2. In crisis, articulate dependence on the LORD who “keeps our feet from slipping” (Psalm 66:9).
3. Teach children the link between pride and harm, illustrating with the vivid picture of raging waters.

Related Topics

Pride; Deliverance; Divine Sovereignty; Songs of Ascents; Flood Imagery in Scripture.

Forms and Transliterations
הַזֵּֽידוֹנִֽים׃ הזידונים׃ haz·zê·ḏō·w·nîm hazzêḏōwnîm hazZeidoNim
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Psalm 124:5
HEB: נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ הַ֝מַּ֗יִם הַזֵּֽידוֹנִֽים׃
NAS: Then the raging waters
KJV: Then the proud waters had gone over
INT: our soul waters the raging

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2121
1 Occurrence


haz·zê·ḏō·w·nîm — 1 Occ.

2120
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