זהב

A Central Semitic innovation. Cognate with Arabic ذَهَب (ḏahab) and Classical Syriac ܕܗܒܐ (dahḇā).

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zaˈhav/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zɔˈhɔv/

• Audio:

  (file)

זָהָב • (zaháv) m (singular construct זְהַב־) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. gold (metal)

   Synonyms: פַּז, סְגוֹר, כֶּתֶם, חָרוּץ, בֶּצֶר, אוֹפִיר

   • Tanach, Genesis 24:22, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּלּוּ הַגְּמַלִּים לִשְׁתּוֹת וַיִּקַּח הָאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב בֶּקַע מִשְׁקָלוֹ וּשְׁנֵי צְמִידִים עַל־יָדֶיהָ עֲשָׂרָה זָהָב מִשְׁקָלָם׃

     Va-yhí ka'ashér killú hag-gmallím lishtót va-yiqqáḥ ha-ish nézem zahav béqaʿ mishqaló u-shnei ts'midím ʿal yadéha ʿasara zahav mishqalám.

     And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold.

2. (uncountable) gold (a deep yellow colour, resembling the metal gold)
   • 1967, Naomi Shemer, “ירושלים של זהב [Jerusalem of Gold]”, in שירי נעמי שמר [Songs of Naomi Shemer], performed by Shuly Nathan, Jerusalem, →OCLC:

     יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב וְשֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת וְשֶׁל אוֹר; הֲלֹא לְכָל שִׁירַיִךְ אֲנִי כִּנּוֹר

     Yerushaláyim shel zaháv v-shel n'ḥóshet v-shel or; haló l-khol shiráyikh ani kinnor.

     Jerusalem of gold and of bronze and of light; am I not for all of your songs a violin?

3. gold (anything or anyone very valuable)
   • Tanach, Psalms 19:11, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הַנֶּחֱמָדִים מִזָּהָב וּמִפַּז רָב וּמְתוּקִים מִדְּבַשׁ וְנֹפֶת צוּפִים׃

     Ha-neḥemadím miz-zaháv u-mi-paz rav; u-m'tuqím mi-dvash v-nófet tsufím.

     More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

• לֵב זָהָב (lév zaháv)
• מדליית זהב / מֵדַלְיַת זָהָב (medályat zaháv)
• מַצְנֵחַ זָהָב (matsnéakh zaháv)

• זָהוּב

• H2091 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• "זהב" in the Noun Declension Tables of the Academy of Hebrew Language