זֶה (zeh)
zeh
this
H:DemPQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1,000 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:DemP
Word Overview
The Hebrew word zeh is a fundamental demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" or "this one." It serves as the primary way for biblical writers to point directly at a person, object, or idea in their immediate context. Occurring over a thousand times in Scripture, it appears frequently in narrative texts like Genesis and Samuel, anchoring the reader in the present moment of the story.
Its usage is highly flexible. It can stand alone as "this one," or follow a noun to specify it, such as "this man" or "this place." The sources note that it often functions as a predicate, identifying what something is. In poetry and certain grammatical constructions, it takes on a relative sense, meaning "which" or "who," linking descriptions closely to the subject.
A distinctive feature of zeh is its enclitic use, where it attaches to other words to add emphasis or immediacy. This usage imparts a directness that is difficult to replicate in English, bringing the statement sharply into focus for the listener. Translators often render this force with words like "now" or "behold," as seen when specific signs or events are highlighted in Exodus and Jeremiah.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word zeh points directly at what is right in front of us. It anchors the reader in the present moment, reminding us that God’s actions are not abstract ideas but real events happening in time and space. When Scripture uses this word, it invites us to pay attention to the specific details of our lives.
In Genesis 5:29, Noah’s father names him saying, “This one will comfort us.” The word zeh highlights a person who brings hope through hard work. Similarly, in Genesis 17:21, God specifies that His covenant will be established with Isaac “at this set time.” These moments show that God’s promises are tied to real people and specific times.
When you read these passages, notice how the text draws your eye to the immediate reality. This word helps us see that our daily experiences, our struggles, and our joys are seen by God. It encourages us to trust that He is present in the here and now, not just in distant or vague spiritual concepts.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1,000 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <the>/ this669×
- this238×
- from/ this40×
- and/ this38×
- this [one]17×
- [is] this15×
- in/ this [place]14×
- from/ here14×
- this one11×
- and/ from/ this9×
- and/ this [one]5×
- which3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/זֶּֽה\׃124×
- הַ/זֶּ֔ה122×
- הַ/זֶּ֑ה120×
- הַ/זֶּ֖ה90×
- הַ/זֶּה֙77×
- זֶ֣ה42×
- זֶ֖ה38×
- הַ/זֶּ֗ה32×
- זֶ֥ה26×
- זֶ֤ה23×
- הַ/זֶּֽה\׃\ \ס21×
- זֶ֛ה20×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 5:29
He named him Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, caused by the ground which Yahweh has cursed.”
The word zeh identifies Noah as the specific person who will bring comfort, linking his name to a tangible hope for his generation.
-
Genesis 17:21
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”
Here zeh specifies the exact time and covenant line, emphasizing God’s precise commitment to Isaac rather than Ishmael.
-
Genesis 19:14
Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city!” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.
The command to leave “this place” uses zeh to highlight the immediate danger of Sodom, urging urgent action from Lot’s family.
-
Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’
Abraham uses zeh to describe his current location, revealing his fear that God was absent in that specific foreign land.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew word zeh mean?
How is zeh different from other Hebrew words for "this"?
Why does zeh appear so often in Genesis?
Every Occurrence (1,000 verses across 33 books)
Genesis 77 verses
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in God’s likeness.
Genesis 5:29He named him Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, caused by the ground…
Genesis 6:15This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its…
Genesis 7:1Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in…
Genesis 7:11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the…
Genesis 7:13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with…
Genesis 11:6Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now…
Genesis 15:4Behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body…
Genesis 16:8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face…
Genesis 17:21But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”
Genesis 17:23Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money: every male among…
Genesis 17:26In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.
Genesis 18:13Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’
Genesis 18:25May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be…
Genesis 19:13for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown so great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent…
Genesis 19:14Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this…
Genesis 19:21He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of…
Genesis 20:10Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you have done this thing?”
Genesis 20:11Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’
Genesis 20:13When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is your kindness which you shall show to me.…
Genesis 21:26Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear of it until today.”
Genesis 22:16and said, “‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son,…
Genesis 24:9The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
Genesis 24:58They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”
Genesis 25:22The children struggled together within her. She said, “If it is like this, why do I live?” She went to inquire of…
Genesis 25:30Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with some of that red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
Genesis 25:32Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?”
Genesis 26:11Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
Genesis 26:33He called it “Shibah”. Therefore the name of the city is “Beersheba” to this day.
Genesis 27:20Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because Yahweh your God gave me…
Genesis 27:21Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
Genesis 27:24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”
Genesis 27:36He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now…
Genesis 28:16Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”
Genesis 28:17He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of…
Genesis 28:20Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to…
Genesis 29:33She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me…
Genesis 30:31Laban said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I…
Genesis 31:1Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this…
Genesis 31:38“These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven’t…
Genesis 31:41These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for…
Genesis 31:48Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed
Genesis 31:51Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
Genesis 31:52May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will…
Genesis 33:8Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 33:15Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the…
Genesis 34:14and said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
Genesis 35:17When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”
Genesis 37:6He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
Genesis 37:10He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you…
Genesis 37:17The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and…
Genesis 37:22Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he…
Genesis 38:21Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There…
Genesis 38:22He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute…
Genesis 38:23Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”
Genesis 38:28When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came…
Genesis 39:9No one is greater in this house than I am, and he has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife.…
Genesis 39:11About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside.
Genesis 40:12Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
Genesis 40:14But remember me when it is well with you. Please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me…
Genesis 40:18Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.
Genesis 41:38Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Genesis 42:15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes…
Genesis 43:10for if we hadn’t delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now.”
Genesis 43:29He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of…
Genesis 44:5Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”
Genesis 44:7They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a…
Genesis 44:15Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed do…
Genesis 44:29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’
Genesis 45:6For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing…
Genesis 47:26Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of…
Genesis 48:9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” He said, “Please bring them to me, and I…
Genesis 48:15He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my…
Genesis 48:18Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
Genesis 50:11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous…
Genesis 50:20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today.
Genesis 50:25Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones…