2200. zeiq
Lexical Summary
zeiq: Spark, flame

Original Word: זְעִק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: z`iq
Pronunciation: zayk
Phonetic Spelling: (zek'-eek)
KJV: cry
NASB: cried
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H2199 (זָעַק - cried)]

1. to make an outcry

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cry

(Aramaic) corresponding to za'aq; to make an outcry -- cry.

see HEBREW za'aq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to zaaq
Definition
to cry, call
NASB Translation
cried (1).

Topical Lexicon
Root and Semantic Range

זְעִק conveys an impassioned, almost guttural cry that springs from deep distress. While its verbal root זָעַק (“to cry out for help”) is common, this noun form appears only once in Scripture, sharpening its focus on a single, unforgettable moment of anguish.

Canonical Occurrence

Daniel 6:20 records the sole use: “When he came near the den, he called out to Daniel in a voice of anguish”. The word paints Darius’s raw emotion as he fears that Daniel has been devoured.

Narrative Context

Daniel has been sealed in the lions’ den because of an unalterable Persian edict (Daniel 6:15–18). The king, coerced by his own nobles, spends a sleepless night fasting and fretting. At dawn he rushes to the den; זְעִק captures the instant his composure shatters. This is the voice of a ruler whose authority has been eclipsed by a law he regrets, a man caught between political failure and spiritual hope.

Theological Significance

1. Human helplessness meets divine sovereignty.
2. Darius’s cry presupposes that Daniel’s God is “the living God” who can intervene within history (Daniel 6:20, 26).
3. The word embodies the biblical motif that genuine cries of the heart often precede the revelation of God’s power (compare Psalm 34:17; Jonah 2:2).

Intertextual Connections

Though זְעִק itself is rare, its root family brackets decisive moments of deliverance: Israel’s slavery (Exodus 3:7), Gideon’s appeals (Judges 6:7), and the Psalms’ laments (Psalm 107:19). Daniel 6 crowns that pattern—God silences lions as easily as He parted the Sea or stilled storms.

Historical Insights

In Persian culture, kings were viewed as near-infallible. The verb “cried out” applied to Darius emphasizes the humbling of imperial hubris before the God of Israel. Moreover, the absence of Babylonian intermediaries (magicians, enchanters) highlights a growing recognition of Yahweh within the Medo-Persian court.

Christological Echoes

An anguished ruler hurrying at daybreak to a place presumed to hold death, only to discover miraculous deliverance, anticipates the women at the empty tomb (Mark 16:1–6). Daniel’s emergence “unharmed” (Daniel 6:23) foreshadows resurrection victory and reinforces the biblical confidence that God closes the mouths of every adversary, even death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Ministry and Pastoral Applications

• Authentic prayer is often birthed in crisis; God welcomes distressed cries (Psalm 50:15).
• Leaders, like Darius, must ultimately defer to the higher throne of God; humility invites divine intervention.
• Faithful believers may suffer unjust decrees, yet steadfast devotion positions them for vindication (Daniel 6:10, 23).
• The church can assure persecuted saints that “the living God” still answers the anguished cry and commands every lion.

Summary

זְעִק distills the essence of urgent, heartbroken appeal. Its solitary appearance magnifies its resonance: a heathen king’s desperate cry becomes the backdrop for one of Scripture’s clearest demonstrations that God hears, saves, and reigns.

Forms and Transliterations
זְעִ֑ק זעק zə‘iq zə·‘iq zeIk
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 6:20
HEB: בְּקָ֥ל עֲצִ֖יב זְעִ֑ק עָנֵ֨ה מַלְכָּ֜א
NAS: to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled
KJV: to the den, he cried with a lamentable
INT: voice A troubled cried spoke the king

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2200
1 Occurrence


zə·‘iq — 1 Occ.

2199
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