זָקֵן H2205
Old, aged; an elder or community leader; used both as an adjective for age and a title for civic authority.
Few Hebrew words straddle the line between physical description and social role as neatly as zaqen. As a simple adjective, it describes someone old -- Abraham and Sarah are 'old, advanced in years' (Gen 18:11). But in the plural construct ('elders of Israel,' 'elders of the city'), it becomes a technical leadership term for the council of senior men who governed tribal, civic, and national affairs. The 'elders of Israel' appear from Egypt (Exod 3:16) through the monarchy and into the exile. Arabic 'shaykh' follows exactly the same semantic path: an old man becomes a tribal chief. German distinguishes nicely between 'alt' (old) and 'Älteste' (elders), while English 'elder' preserves the same productive ambiguity as the Hebrew.
3. sense 3 — Old women (feminine plural), used in Zechariah 8:4's vision of restored Jerusalem where 'old men and old women shall again sit in the streets.' This single feminine occurrence (zqenot) rounds out the eschatological image of peaceful longevity -- a city so blessed that the elderly can sit safely in its public spaces. English 'old women,' Spanish 'ancianas,' and German 'Ältester' (feminine context) render this hapax use. 1×
AR["وَعَجَائِزُ"]·ben["এবং-বৃদ্ধা"]·DE["und-Aeltester"]·EN["and-old-women"]·FR["et-ancien"]·heb["ו-זקנות"]·HI["और-बूढ़ियाँ"]·ID["dan-orang-tua-perempuan"]·IT["e-anziano"]·jav["lan-tiyang-sepuh-èstri"]·KO["그리고-노파들이"]·PT["e-velhas"]·RU["и-старицы"]·ES["y-ancianas"]·SW["na-wanawake-wazee"]·TR["ve-yaşlı-kadınlar"]·urd["اور-بوڑھی-عورتیں"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. elder, community leader — Elder, community or civic leader. The substantivized plural or construct form denoting a recognized authority figure -- a member of a ruling council, tribal leader, or civic official. This is the most frequent sense (139 occurrences), appearing in formulaic phrases like 'elders of Israel' (Exod 3:16), 'elders of the city' (Deut 21:3), and 'elders of Judah' (2 Sam 19:12). These elders served judicial, military, and diplomatic functions. Spanish 'ancianos,' French 'anciens,' and German 'Älteste' all reflect the institutionalized sense of age-as-authority. 139×
AR["شُيُوخَ","شُيُوخُ","شُيُوخِ"]·ben["প্রাচীনগণ-","প্রাচীনদের","প্রাচীনরা","প্রাচীনেরা","বৃদ্ধেরা"]·DE["Aelteste-von","die-Ältesten","elders-von","Ältesten"]·EN["elders-of"]·FR["anciens-de"]·heb["זקן","זקני"]·HI["पुरनिए","पुरनिये","पुरनियों","प्राचीन","प्राचीनों","बुज़ुरगõ","बुजुर्ग"]·ID["para-tua-tua","tua-tua"]·IT["anziani-di"]·jav["para-pinisepuh","para-pinituwa","para-sepuh","para-sesepuh","pinisepuh-pinisepuh","pinituwa"]·KO["장로들","장로들-의","장로들-이","장로들을","장로들의","장로들이"]·PT["anciãos-de","os-anciãos-de"]·RU["старейшин","старейшинам","старейшинами","старейшины"]·ES["ancianos-de","ancianos-de-","los-ancianos-de"]·SW["kila","wazee","wazee-wa"]·TR["ihtiyarları","ihtiyarları-","ihtiyarlarına","ihtiyarlarını","ihtiyarlarının","ileri-gelenleri","ileri-gelenlerine","ileri-gelenlerinin","yaşlıları"]·urd["بزرگ","بزرگ-ہیں","بزرگوں"]
Gen 50:7, Gen 50:7, Exod 3:16, Exod 4:29, Exod 12:21, Exod 17:6, Exod 18:12, Exod 24:14, Lev 4:15, Num 11:16, Num 11:25, Num 16:25 (+38 more)
2. old, aged person — Old, aged -- a physical description of advanced years without institutional connotation. Used adjectivally ('an old man,' 'an old prophet') or substantively ('the old and the young'). Genesis 18:11 describes Abraham and Sarah as 'old, advanced in days,' and Genesis 19:4 speaks of 'old and young' among the men of Sodom. Spanish 'viejo,' French 'vieux,' and German 'alt' render the purely descriptive sense. The Arabic cognate 'shaykh' in its non-titular sense captures the same physical meaning. 39×
AR["الشَّيْخُ","الشَّيْخِ","شَيخٌ","شَيخٍ","شَيْخًا","شَيْخٌ","شَيْخٍ","مَلِكٍ"]·ben["বৃদ্ধ"]·DE["Aeltester","Alten","alt","alt-Mann","dem-alten","der-alt","einen-alten"]·EN["elder","old","old-man","the-old"]·FR["ancien","le-ancien","le-vieux","vieux","vieux-homme"]·heb["ה-זקן","זקן"]·HI["बुढ़ा","बुध","बूढ़ा","बूढ़े","बूढ़े-ने","बोओध","वृद्ध"]·ID["orang-tua","tua","tua-itu","yang-tua"]·IT["anziano","il-vecchio","vecchio","vecchio-uomo"]·jav["ingkang-sepuh","sepuh","sepèh","sepùh","tiyang-sepuh"]·KO["그-늘은이가","그-늘은이에게","그-늙은","노인","늘어서","늘었고","늘은","늘은이","늘은이가","늘은자","늙은"]·PT["idoso","o-idoso","o-velho","velho"]·RU["старец","старик","старому","старца","старый","старым"]·ES["anciano","el-anciano","viejo"]·SW["mzee","na-mtoto","na-wakainama","zaken"]·TR["-yaşlı","yasli","yaşlı","yaşlıya"]·urd["ال-بوڑھا","بوڑھا","بوڑھے","بوڑھے-وہ"]
Gen 18:11, Gen 19:4, Gen 25:8, Gen 35:29, Gen 43:27, Gen 44:20, Lev 19:32, Deut 28:50, Josh 6:21, Judg 19:16, Judg 19:17, Judg 19:20 (+27 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
זָקֵן adj. old, abs. ז׳ Gn 19:4 + 30 times (on distinct. from vb. v. supr.); cstr. זְקַן Gn 24:2; pl. זְקֵנִים Gn 18:11 + 44 times; זְקֵנוֹת Zc 8:4; cstr. זִקְנֵי Gn 50:7 + 85 times; sf. זְקֵנַי La 1:19, זְקֵנֶיךָ Dt 21:2; 32:7, זְקֵנָיו Jos 8:33 + 3 times, זְקֵנֶיהָ Ju 8:14, זְקֵנֵינוּ Ex 10:9 Jos 9:11, זִקְנֵיכֶם Dt 5:20 + 2 times;— 1. old, of human beings, as adj. pred. Gn 18:11 (J), Jb 32:4…