Lexical Summary zedon: Arrogance, pride, insolence Original Word: זֵידוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance proud From zuwd; boiling of water, i.e. Wave -- proud. see HEBREW zuwd NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom 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….” 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.” 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). 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. Practical Application 1. Examine the heart for hidden זֵידוֹן—attitudes that swell against God’s rule. Related Topics Pride; Deliverance; Divine Sovereignty; Songs of Ascents; Flood Imagery in Scripture. Forms and Transliterations הַזֵּֽידוֹנִֽים׃ הזידונים׃ haz·zê·ḏō·w·nîm hazzêḏōwnîm hazZeidoNimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 |
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