Zaqen: OLD and Grey

OLD/ELDERS- zaqen, verb (Strong’s 2204); zaqen, adjective (Strong’s 2205); zoqen, zaqun, ziqnah, nouns meaning old age, (Strong’s 2007, 2008, 2009).

Root: זָקֵן

Sounds like: zah’qehn

I turned 50 this year. I’m in the 2nd half of a potential century of life. I guess that makes me “old” but, as they say, with age comes wisdom… and discounts! So that’s something to look forward to, I suppose.

The Biblical Proverbs had a lot of encouraging words designed to elevate the elderly:

Proverbs 23:22

Listen to your father, who fathered you, and do not despise your mother when she is old [zaq’nah זָקְנָ֥ה].

Proverbs 17:6

Grandchildren are the crown of the old [z’qenim זְ֭קֵנִים], and the glory of sons is their fathers.

Proverbs 20:29

The glory of youth is their strength, and the honour of elders [z’qenim זְקֵנִ֣ים] is their gray hair.

A crown of grandchildren, the “honour” of grey hair, and the commandment that tells my children to not despise me hardly seems like a glowing recommendation for aging. Arguably, it is better than being lonely, bald, and despised. But that is the state many people feel they are in, as they get older. It seems like a lonely existence, especially those of us who have no significant other to rely on as we navigate this think called Old Age. And there’s a terrible feeling of being useless and solely reliant on other’s help to live decently. There’s nothing worse, in my mind, than sitting helpless in a nursing home with no purpose, or plan, or reason to live. It, quite honestly, scares me.

Old Abraham & Sarah

YHWH never intended for the elderly to have no purpose. In fact, He actually chose an elderly couple to purposely bring forth the family that would start the ancestral line of YHWH’s Anointed Saviour for the people. He chose two people, well past their child-bearing  years, to bring forth a child that would usher in a chain of events leading to redemption. In a rather confusing text, YHWH appeared to Abraham, but when Abraham looked up there were three “men” (who would later be identified as spiritual beings) in front of him. They came to Abraham and Sarah with an announcement:

Genesis 18:9-15

Then they said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

And he said, “There, in the tent.”

He said, “I will certainly return to you at this time next year; and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.”

And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old [z’qenim זְקֵנִ֔ים], advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become warn out, am I to have pleasure, my lord being old [zaqen זָקֵֽן]?”

But YHWH said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old [zaqan’ti זָקַֽנְתִּי]?’ Is anything too difficult for YHWH? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah denied it, however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid.

And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

God could do miracles, and age was no obstacle. The elderly Abraham and Sarah would have a son named Isaac and the chosen line of God’s people began its long road to redemption. 

Although his life had some ups and downs, Abraham’s send-off in the Biblical text gives us a sense that Abraham died well and fulfilled:

Genesis 25:7-8

These are all the years of Abraham’s life that he lived, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died well grey-haired, old [zaqen זָקֵ֣ן] and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.

I am Old

We come across quite a few moments where people announce their advanced years. Usually these announcements indicated that things were about to change. Isaac said to Esau, “I am old” (Genesis 27:2) before telling Esau he was ready to give him his inheritance blessing (which Jacob stole, shortly afterwards). Joshua said to the people, “I am old” (Joshua 23:2) not long before his death. Naomi said to her daughter-in-laws, “I am too old” (Ruth 1:12) and encouraged them to leave her and return to their Moabite families. Samuel said to the people of Israel, “I am old and grey” (1 Samuel 12:2) before anointing the king that the people wanted.

Getting old had its challenges in the Ancient Near East. There was no old age pension or social assistance for those of advanced years. Who would look after you in your final years of life? Hopefully you had some children to depend on, but what happened to the seniors that had no family support? The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 71, called out to YHWH to protect him in his old and grey age:

Psalm 71:9-12, 17-21

Do not cast me away at the time of my old age [ziq’nah זִקְנָ֑ה]; do not abandon me when my strength fails. For my enemies have spoken against me; and those who watch for my life have consulted together, saying, “God has abandoned him; pursue and seize him, for there is no one to save him.” God, do not be far from me; my God, hurry to my aid!..

…God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old [ziq’nah זִקְנָ֨ה] and grey, God, do not abandon me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, your power to all who are to come. For Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; God, who is like You? You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again, and will bring me up again from the depths of the earth. May You increase my greatness and turn to comfort me.

David, on the other hand, was not worried about getting old. His faith in YHWH’s consistent love and guidance sustained him in his declining years:

Psalm 37:23-28

[David:] The steps of a man are established by YHWH, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, because YHWH is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old [zaqan’ti זָ֫קַ֥נְתִּי], yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing. Turn from evil and do good, so that you will dwell forever. For YHWH loves justice and does not abandon His godly ones; they are protected forever.

Bad Elders

Age generally came with wisdom and respect, but it wasn’t a guarantee. Respect and wisdom were to be earned and not everyone of advanced age would get there:

Ecclesiastes 4:13

A poor yet wise youth is better than an old [zaqen זָקֵן֙] and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.

When the community of Israelites turned away from YHWH, it was the elders and prophets who bore the blame:

Isaiah 9:13-17

Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, nor do they seek YHWH of armies. So YHWH cuts off head and tail from Israel, both palm branch and bulrush in a single day. The head is the elder [zaqen זָקֵ֥ן] and esteemed, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail. For those who guide this people are leading them astray; and those who are guided by them are confused. Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, nor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows; for every one of them is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, and His hand is still stretched out.

Israelite society had fallen under the influence of their pagan neighbours. The elders and the priests did nothing to stop their fall from grace. The prophet Isaiah noted that not caring for the elderly meant that they were mimicking the bad social behaviour of their enemies.

Bad communities do not care for the elderly, and Israel, by their own choosing, was identifying themselves as careless, bad, community members. YHWH would react to Israel like He reacted to any society that chose idols over YHWH’s Living Presence:

Isaiah 3:1-5, 13-15

For behold, the Lord YHWH of armies is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support, the entire supply of bread and the entire supply of water; the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder [w-zaqen וְזָקֵֽן], the captain of fifty and the esteemed person, the counselor and the expert artisan, and the skillful enchanter. And I will make mere boys their leaders, and mischievous children will rule over them, and the people will be oppressed, each one by another, and each one by his neighbour; the youth will assault the elder [ba-zaqen בַּזָּקֵ֔ן], and the contemptible person will assault the one honoured…

…YHWH arises to contend, and stands to judge the people. YHWH enters into judgment with the elders [ziq’ney זִקְנֵ֥י] and leaders of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the goods stolen from the poor are in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and oppressing the face of the poor?” declares the Lord YHWH of armies.

During Isaiah’s lifetime it was the Assyrians who were to be feared. They would come to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and annihilate the Jewish communities, but Assyria would never take over Jerusalem. The city, with YHWH’s mercy, was spared. But Isaiah also spoke of the future Babylonian (Chaldean) dominance. They would be punished for their treatment of the elderly.

Isaiah 47:5-9a

“Sit silently, and go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms. I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage and handed them over to you. You did not show mercy to them, on the aged [zaqen זָקֵ֕ן] you made your yoke very heavy. Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’ These things you did not consider nor remember the outcome of them. Now, then, hear this, you luxuriant one, who lives securely, who says in her heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, nor know the loss of children.’ But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood.

In this passage the main sin of the Babylonians was their mercilessness and the heavy yoke they placed on the elderly. By the time the Babylonians attacked and destroyed Jerusalem, they lived up to their reputations as being particularly harsh to the seniors of the community:

Lamentations 5:12-15

Leaders were hung by their hands; elders [z’qenim זְקֵנִ֖ים] were not respected. Young men worked at the grinding mill, and youths staggered under loads of wood. Elders [z’qenim זְקֵנִים֙] are absent from the gate, young men from their music. The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has been turned into mourning.

The Elderly in God’s Kingdom

YHWH had a very different attitude towards the elderly. In His Kingdom the natural effects of the elderly (like pain and impending death) would have no place: 

Isaiah 65:19-20

[YHWH:] “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives only a few days, or an old person [w-zaqen וְזָקֵ֔ן] who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of a hundred, and the one who does not reach the age of a hundred will be thought accursed.

The prophet Jeremiah also envisioned YHWH’s beautiful Kingdom where the young and the old would dance together, on equal footing, without restraint, and life would be filled with joy and comfort and goodness:  

Jeremiah 31:11-14

For YHWH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of YHWH— over the grain, the new wine, the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd.

And their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again. Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old [u-z’qenim וּזְקֵנִ֖ים] together; for I will turn their mourning into joy and comfort them, and give them joy for their sorrow. I will refresh the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares YHWH.

The Cosmic Elders

The Israelite people gave great regard to the elders of their community. They were respected for their age and wisdom. YHWH also had his own heavenly council of elders. We read about them in Psalm 82:

Psalm 82:1-4

[Asaph:] God takes His position in His Assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods (spiritual beings). How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah.

Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

YHWH had two communities to address… His heavenly assembly of Spiritual beings and His humans on earth. Both communities had their problems. There were rebellious heavenly beings just as there was rebellious human. Isaiah laid out how YHWH would deal with them both:

Isaiah 24:21-23

So it will happen on that day, that YHWH will punish the rebellious angels of heaven on high, and the kings of the earth on earth. They will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon, and will be confined in prison; and after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame, for YHWH of armies will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders [z’qenaw זְקֵנָ֖יו].

This Spiritual “win” by YHWH was reflected in the final cosmic battle between YHWH’s good followers and the Adversary’s evil followers. The book of John’s divine Revelation highlighted a group of YHWH’s elders in the final chapters of the story of humanity:

Revelation 4:1-4, 10-11

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and someone was sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders [Greek: presbyterous] sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads…

…the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

The Assemblly of Seventy Elders

In the Hebrew Bible there was an emphasis on the elders of a community. They were the primary leaders and law-sustainers. We know that Moses had a team of seventy elders that he used to get things accomplished. While still in Egypt, YHWH told Moses summoned the elders before he faced off against Pharaoh:

Exodus 3:16-20

[YHWH to Moses:] Go and gather the elders [et ziq’ney אֶת־ זִקְנֵ֣י] of Israel together and say to them, ‘YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. So I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders [w-ziq’ney וְזִקְנֵ֨י] of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to YHWH our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. So I will reach out with My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.”

During the terrible plagues of Egypt, Moses continued to rely on the elders of the Israelites. When the final plague hit (death to the firstborn), Moses called on the elders and gave them instructions for the first ever “Passover” celebration (celebrating that the destroying angel “passed over” their homes).

Exodus 12:21-22

Then Moses called for all the elders [ziq’ney זִקְנֵ֥י] of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.”

Once they escaped Egypt and became free people, Moses gathered seventy elders to help lead the people:

Numbers 11:24-25

He [Moses] also gathered seventy men of the elders [mi-ziq’ney מִזִּקְנֵ֣י] of the people, and positioned them around the tent. Then YHWH came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed (the Spirit) upon seventy of the elders [ha-z’qenim הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים]. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

YHWH placed His Spirit on the seventy. It was an act of acceptance, but Moses remained as the chief of the seventy. He was the seventy-first in the group and he alone would approach YHWH close-up:

Exodus 24:1-2

Then He said to Moses, “Come up to YHWH, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel [mi-ziq’ney Israel מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל], and you shall worship at a distance. Moses alone, however, shall approach YHWH, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”

These seventy elders (plus one chief priest) became a staple group in Israelite society. When the community rejected YHWH they would be the first to fall. Ezekiel described his vision about the seventy elders during the days of the Babylonian invasion:

Ezekiel 8:10-12

So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of crawling things and animals and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. And standing in front of them were seventy elders [mi-ziq’ney מִזִּקְנֵ֣י] of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand; and the fragrance of the cloud of incense was rising. Then He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders [ziq’ney זִקְנֵ֤י] of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his carved images? For they say, ‘YHWH does not see us; YHWH has abandoned the land.’”

The seventy elders of Israel had turned their backs on YHWH.

Ezekiel 14:1-6

Then some elders [mi-ziq’ney מִזִּקְנֵ֖י] of Israel came to me and sat down before me. And the word of YHWH came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be consulted by them at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord YHWH says: “Anyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet, I YHWH will let Myself answer him in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, in order to take hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who have turned away from Me due to all their idols.”’

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord YHWH says: “Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.”

Israel was in trouble. Their defiance against YHWH led to their Babylonian captivity. But repentance would garner forgiveness and YHWH would not let them fall forever.

Eventually, after seventy years in captivity (Jeremiah 25:12), the Hebrew people were able to return back to Israel and the Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt. 

A few centuries later, during the days of Yeshua’s time on earth, the seventy elders of Israel were called the Sanhedrin (made up of seventy men plus the high priest). It was this group that conspired to send Yeshua to the Roman execution rack.

But what made them so angry with Yeshua?

He was a threat to their existence. He followed the Torah laws, but not when the law stood in opposition to human compassion and mercy. He healed people on the Sabbath day and He claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah. But there was, perhaps, another reason that really annoyed the members of the Sanhedrin. In Luke 10, Yeshua sent out 70 (although some early manuscripts say 72) of His followers to evangelise amongst the neighbouring nations:

Luke 10:1-6

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.”

The number seventy certainly stands out for a few reasons. First and foremost, Genesis 10 listed seventy ancient nations and many scholars see Yeshua’s actions of sending out the seventy disciples to symbolically address the seventy ancient nations listed in Genesis 10. 

It could also be that Yeshua was claiming His own seventy elders (like Moses’ seventy elders or the seventy elders of Jerusalem in Ezekel’s day). When Yeshua sent out seventy of his followers to evangelise, the members of the Sanhedrin would have taken notice. It would have put them on high alert. Were these Yeshua followers trying to be like a “new Sanhedrin”? If so, they had to be shut down! And how do you shut down a group of seventy? Take away their leader.

Mark 15:1-5

Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders [Greek: presbyteron], scribes, and the entire Council immediately held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate. P

Pilate questioned Him: “So You are the King of the Jews?”

And He answered him, “It is as you say.”

And the chief priests started accusing Him of many things. But Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You offer nothing in answer? See how many charges they are bringing against You!”

But Jesus said nothing further in answer, so Pilate was amazed.

The Jewish elders turned Yeshua over to Rome and Rome did what it did best… It eliminated rebels.

The Elderly on the Day of YHWH

But Yeshua’s death wasn’t the end. He defeated death, and opened up the gates of heaven so that all who wanted to join YHWH in His garden Kingdom could enter freely. Yeshua paid the entrance fee back into Eden for every human on the planet throughout time.

This was the Day of YHWH that Joel had prophesied about:

Joel 2:15-17a, 28-32b

Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders [z’qenim זְקֵנִ֔ים], gather the children and the nursing infants. Have the groom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber. Let the priests, YHWH’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare Your people, YHWH, and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, with the nations jeering at them.”

…“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old [zi’q’nekem זִקְנֵיכֶם֙] will have dreams, your young will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of YHWH comes. And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of YHWH will be saved.”

The prophet Zechariah also envisioned the day of great freedom and salvation when YHWH would dwell amongst His people in Jerusalem:

Zechariah 8:3-8

YHWH says this: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of YHWH of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ YHWH of armies says this: ‘Old men and old women [z’qenim u-z’qenot זְקֵנִ֣ים וּזְקֵנ֔וֹת] will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of age. And the public squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares.’

YHWH of armies says this: ‘If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares YHWH of armies. YHWH of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’

If the Elderly Dies, Will He Live Again?

When life is closer to the grave than the cradle we naturally start to think more about our own death. Job, who suffered terribly in life, saw that when a tree was cut down, it sprouted again. Could this be the same for a human?

Job 14:7-14a

“For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail. Though its roots grow old [ya-z’qin יַזְקִ֣ין] in the ground, and its stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water it will flourish and produce sprigs like a plant. But a man dies and lies prostrate. A person passes away, and where is he? As water evaporates from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dried up, so a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens no longer exist, he will not awake nor be woken from his sleep. Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, that You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, that You would set a limit for me and remember me! If a man dies, will he live again?”

Yeshua, YHWH’s Anointed Saviour, did not lay down and die. He conquered the curse of death in order for us to sprout anew and live eternally with YHWH, our Creator. In our old age, we have nothing to fear. Death cannot chain us to the grave because Yeshua broke the confines of the tomb.

Isaiah 46:1-4

“Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, a load for the weary animal. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. Listen to Me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been carried by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age [ziq’nah זִקְנָה֙] I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will carry you! I have done it, and I will bear you; and I will carry you and I will save you.”

We have been redeemed; we have been saved. Nothing can tear us away from the eternal love of YHWH.

Some of us are closer to the end of our life than others. Our reunion with YHWH and Yeshua is not far off. But no matter our age, we should never give up on life. We are here for a purpose. We are to reflect YHWH’s image of love, mercy, and compassion to every soul on this aching planet. That’s how to live well; that’s how to make a difference.

Every aspect of creation outlined in the Genesis story, and every age, young and old, should praise YHWH the Creator for his merciful, compassionate, overwhelming love. Whether you’re actually old or just an old soul, let’s share that with the world:

Psalm 148:7-13

Praise YHWH from the earth, sea monsters, and all the ocean depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars; animals and all cattle; crawling things and winged fowl; kings of the earth and all peoples; rulers and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens; elders [z’qenim זְ֝קֵנִ֗ים] and children. They are to praise the name of YHWH, for His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.

Next week: Ladder/to Raise Up