Hebrew Word Study – Righteous Man – Zakkai  זכי Zayin Kap Yod

Proverbs 11:28: He that trust in his riches shall fall, but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”  

This verse makes a curious contrast.  It tells us that those who trust in riches will fall while the righteous will flourish. The natural conclusion is that if you trust in your riches you are not righteous. The word riches is asher which means to be rich materially. The word trust is batach which is to adhere to, something or someone that you seek your security or safety. 

Hence if you seek your security and safety in your material wealth you will fall. The word fall is nafal which is to fall wounded, or fall in battle, to be under the control or in bondage to another.  However, those who are righteous, zadek will flourish.   The word flourish is parah which means to fly away.  The word translated as branch is aleh which is the word for ascending upward.  In other words, those who trust in riches will fall to the ground under the control of someone or something, but those who seek to do the right thing, live a life that is right before God, will ascend upward in freedom. 

You would think that Solomon would have said that those who trust in God rather than riches will ascend upward.  Curious that he would say “the righteous will ascend upward.”  Yet, Solomon knew all about riches.  He was the richest man alive.  He could understand better than anyone that if you looked to your riches for your security or safety you will most likely not walk a righteous walk, you will crash and burn.   

The picture of falling in battle as contrasted to ascending is a picture of being placed under bondage by someone or something as opposed to ascending or being free and removed from any bondage.  

I have often read or heard some rather prosperous people comment that they reflect on their carefree days in college when they could put all that they own in the backseat of their Mustang and just take off to anyplace they wish. 

In Luke 19:1-10 Jesus gives us a good illustration of Proverbs 11:28.   There was a tax collector. We do not know his real name only the name that Jesus gave him.  No Jew would dare call this man by the name Jesus gave him.  The problem wasn’t so much that they saw this tax collector as a crook.  You see, to the Jew of that day, taxes and tithing were one and the same.  Being forced to pay taxes to the Roman government was like paying tithe to a pagan god and this, one of their own people, was forcing them into something considered very Godless and breaking God’s law.  But this was his job, it was a family business. He negotiated contracts with the Roman government and sometimes even persuaded the Roman government to reduce the tax that was originally demanded.  This man was rich materially.  However, this man revealed to Jesus that he did not trust in his riches for security or safety.  You see, to live as a tax collector in that day was to place one under constant threats by the zealots who wanted to kill anyone connected with the Roman government. Zealots were noted for carrying large knives under their coats, walking into a crowd, putting their knife into an enemy, often a tax collector, and then sneaking away.  This man may have climbed a tree to get a better look at Jesus, but I am certain he was also not too fond of mingling in a crowd. In fact, he was likely risky his very life to enter a crowd lest someone would recognize him and alert a zealot who was hanging around. I do plan on talking about zealots in the near future on our All-Access site: https://www.hebrewwordstudy.com.  It is a very interesting historical study.

Because this tax collector forced people to do something they felt was against their sacred law, which is to pay a tithe to the government he was excommunicated from the fellowship and was not allowed to study Torah with the other Jews.  Yet, we know he did devote his life to the study of Torah even though he was not allowed to study Torah with other Jews in the synagogue.  He demonstrated this knowledge of Torah when he declared that he would repay fourfold if he had mistakenly taken more than he should have from someone. This fourfold was a little blurb in the law that only one who studied the law would recognize.   Jesus knew his heart and marveled at his knowledge of Torah.  

It was for this reason he called him – Zacheus, which in Aramaic is Zakkai which is the Aramaic word for  righteous man.  Jesus then turned to the people and said: “Salvation has come…”   The reference was not to salvation as we understand salvation from sins and receiving eternal life.  The word in Aramaic really means restoration to the fellowship. What Jesus was doing was ordering the Jews to reinstate this tax collector into their fellowship, temple worship, and their discussions on Torah in the synagogue. 

Not only that Jesus set the example and said that he was going to have dinner with Zacheus that night.  That always sounded a little presumptuous to me, that He would not only invite Himself to Zaccheus’s house, for dinner but would announce it to everyone within hearing distance. Jesus was respected as a master teacher and in ancient times, even today it is an honor for a holy man to visit one’s home, let alone eat with them. Eating dinner together was also a symbol of reconciliation.  He was declaring that as a rabbi, a holy man, He reconciling Himself with this man, and others were bound to follow His lead.  Not only that the implication was that He, the master teacher would discuss Torah with Zacheus, bestowing the greatest honor of all upon him.  

Zacheus and Solomon were both wealthy men who gave us some good advice and set a good example. They knew that wealth, prosperity, riches, money or whatever you wish to call it, provided no security or safety. In truth, such prosperity only created bondage if that is what you depend upon. Ask any mega winner from the lottery. They are suddenly flooded by people expecting them to share their new wealth as well as being suddenly flood with new enemies from people who are jealous of their wealth and some have even had their lives threatened.  Many that we would call prosperous really are not.  Wealth or poverty cannot provide true freedom.  Only a righteous life in God that is a life in doing the right thing, which includes the study of God’s Word, will allow you to soar away from all those problems in this life. 

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