2210. zaqaph
Lexical Summary
zaqaph: To lift up, to raise, to set up

Original Word: זָקַף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: zaqaph
Pronunciation: zah-KAHF
Phonetic Spelling: (zaw-kaf')
KJV: raise (up)
NASB: raises
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to life, i.e. (figuratively) comfort

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
raise up

A primitive root; to life, i.e. (figuratively) comfort -- raise (up).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to raise up
NASB Translation
raises (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[זָקַף] verb (late) raise up (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic זְקַף, ; Assyrian za‡âpu, AsrbHunting Inscr. IR 7, ix. A, 3; NöZMG 1886, 725 suggests Arabic carry off (†am.), originally lift up) — only

Qal Participle active and only figurative of ׳יs dealing with prostrate men: — וְזוֺקֵף לְכָלהַֿכְּפוּפִים Psalm 145:14 ("" סוֺמֵךְ); זֹקֵף כְּפוּפִים Psalm 146:8 ׳י raiseth up prostrate ones.

[זְקַף] verb raise, lift up (ᵑ7 Syriac; compare Biblical Hebrew (late; rare)); —

Pe`al Passive participle וּזְקִיף יִתְמְחֵא עֲל֑וֺהִי Ezra 6:11 and, lifted up, he be fastened upon it (sc, the timber erected; red. probably to impalement, see Ryle Berthol).

Topical Lexicon
Usage in Scripture

The verb זָקַף appears twice in the Hebrew Bible, both in the Psalter, and each time in the Hifil stem with Yahweh as subject. In Psalm 145:14 the psalmist declares, “The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down”. Psalm 146:8 adds, “The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD lifts those who are weighed down; the LORD loves the righteous”. In both contexts the verb paints a vivid picture of God stooping to raise those who can no longer stand under their own strength, turning humiliation into dignity and oppression into freedom.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Compassion. The immediate link between God’s lifting and His covenant name underscores His personal involvement with the lowly (compare Exodus 3:7-8; Isaiah 57:15).
2. Reversal Motif. זקף participates in the wider biblical pattern where God “raises the poor from the dust” (1 Samuel 2:8) and “brings down rulers from their thrones but exalts the humble” (Luke 1:52).
3. Dependence and Grace. Those who are “bowed down” contribute nothing to their own deliverance; the verb emphasizes God’s initiative, echoing Ephesians 2:4-6 where believers are “raised up with Christ.”
4. Eschatological Hope. Psalm 146 looks beyond present suffering to a future in which God’s justice prevails, anticipating the Messianic kingdom where every burden is lifted (Revelation 21:4).

Historical Setting

Psalms 145 and 146 arise from the post-exilic worship life of Israel, when the community had tasted exile, return, and ongoing foreign dominance. The vocabulary of lifting would have resonated with people still “bowed down” by economic hardship and political vulnerability. By praising God as the One who raises, the psalmists reaffirm the nation’s identity and hope, anchoring it in God’s proven faithfulness rather than shifting geopolitical realities.

Connection to the Ministry of Jesus Christ

The Gospel writers repeatedly portray Jesus embodying the action expressed by זָקַף. He literally straightened a woman bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-13), lifted the lame (Mark 2:1-12), and spiritually raised sinners from shame (Luke 7:36-50). Peter proclaims that God “raised Him up” (Acts 2:24), the ultimate validation that the One who lifts the bowed down has conquered even death. Thus the Old Testament verb finds its fullest fulfillment in the resurrection and ongoing ministry of Christ.

Pastoral and Ministry Application

• Comfort for the Afflicted. Believers weighed down by guilt, grief, or injustice can look to the Lord who still “lifts” His people.
• Model for Service. Churches are called to imitate God’s pattern by restoring those who fall (Galatians 6:1-2), defending the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17), and granting dignity to every image-bearer.
• Worship Fuel. Praying or singing Psalms 145 and 146 trains the heart to trust God’s character when circumstances bend us low.
• Evangelistic Bridge. Presenting the gospel as God’s offer to raise the spiritually bowed connects with human experience of brokenness.

Related Concepts and Texts for Study

Psalm 113:7-8; Isaiah 40:29-31; Micah 7:8; Matthew 11:28-30; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6.

Summary

זקף is a small verb with expansive significance: it portrays the Lord as the One who reaches into the dust to set people upright. From the Psalms through the ministry of Jesus to the hope of final redemption, Scripture consistently displays God’s heart to lift what is bowed, assuring worshipers in every era that no weight is too heavy for His gracious hand.

Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝זוֹקֵ֗ף וזוקף זֹקֵ֣ף זקף vezoKef wə·zō·w·qêp̄ wəzōwqêp̄ zō·qêp̄ zoKef zōqêp̄
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Psalm 145:14
HEB: לְכָל־ הַנֹּפְלִ֑ים וְ֝זוֹקֵ֗ף לְכָל־ הַכְּפוּפִֽים׃
NAS: who fall And raises up all
KJV: all that fall, and raiseth up all [those that be] bowed down.
INT: all fall and raises all are bowed

Psalm 146:8
HEB: עִוְרִ֗ים יְ֭הוָה זֹקֵ֣ף כְּפוּפִ֑ים יְ֝הוָ֗ה
NAS: The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
KJV: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down:
INT: the blind the LORD raises are bowed the LORD

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2210
2 Occurrences


wə·zō·w·qêp̄ — 1 Occ.
zō·qêp̄ — 1 Occ.

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