- Zadok
- A descendant of Aaron, he was a priest at David's court; he supported Solomon's succession, so his descendants had rights to the chief-priestly duties in the temple. See Chapter 8, Chapter 12.
- Zealot
- Someone zealous for the Torah; and in particular a member of a Jewish group, founded perhaps by Judas the Galilean in 6 C.E., made up of dedicated political activists that militarily opposed Greek then Roman rule in Palestine.
- Zechariah
- A prophet and priest who returned to Jerusalem after Babylonian exile and encouraged the Jews to rebuild the temple; the book of Zechariah contains post-exilic visions and divine oracles. See Chapter 13.
- Zedekiah
- (597-587) The last king of Judah. See Chapter 9, Chapter 11.
- Zephaniah
- One of the Twelve Prophets; a seventh century Judean prophet who proclaimed the coming Day of Yahweh. See Chapter 13.
- Zerubbabel
- A member of the royal Davidic line, an heir to the throne of Judah, who led a return from Babylonian captivity in the sixth century B.C.E.; he was appointed governor of Judea by Cyrus, king of Persia. See Chapter 13, Chapter 18.
- Ziggurat
- (from Akkadian ziqquratu, "pinnacle, mountain top") Of Sumerian origin, a Mesopotamian pyramidal staged-temple tower of which the tower of Babel was one. Chapter 1.
- Zion
- (also called Mount Zion) The hill on which the city of Jerusalem first stood; David's royal palace and the temple of Yahweh were both located on Mount Zion; later Zion was used to refer to the entire city of Jerusalem; already in biblical times it began to symbolize the national homeland (see, for example, Psalm 137:1-6); in this latter sense it served as a focus for Jewish national-religious hopes of renewal over the centuries. See Chapter 10.
- Zion theology
- The ideology in Israel that affirmed the divine promises to the house of David and the invulnerability of the city of Jerusalem. See Chapter 13.
- Zipporah
- Wife of Moses, mother of Gershom, dauther of Jethro/Reuel.