1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Zadok (Greek: Ζαδώκ, Zadōk; Hebrew: צָדוֹק, Ṣādôq)
• Meaning: “Righteous” or “just,” from the Hebrew root ṣādaq (to be just, righteous)
2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Fifty-third generation from Adam; forty-third generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Azor – part of the post-exilic Davidic descent
• Son: Achim – continued the legal Messianic line through Joseph
• Lineage Role: Successor in the Davidic line during the intertestamental period, recorded in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ
3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• No individual actions or narrative recorded in Scripture; known only from Matthew 1:14
• Likely lived during the late Hellenistic era, possibly during the Hasmonean period (2nd–1st century BC), marked by rising political and religious tensions in Judea
• Belonged to a generation between prophetic silence and Messianic expectation
4. Theological and Christological Significance
• As a bearer of the name “righteous,” Zadok typologically echoes messianic qualities fulfilled in Christ, the ultimate Righteous One
• Demonstrates God’s quiet preservation of the Davidic promise through unknown but divinely chosen individuals
• Continues the legal line to Christ through Joseph, maintaining covenantal integrity in a politically unstable period
5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• Though distinct from the priest Zadok from David’s time (2 Samuel 8:17), the name evokes continuity with righteousness and priestly heritage
• Represents the countless unnamed faithful whose lives contributed silently to the arrival of Jesus
• Affirms the redemptive pattern: God works across all generations, not only through prominent figures
• Appears exclusively in Matthew’s genealogy
6. Summary Insight
• Zadok’s inclusion in the line of Christ highlights the theological truth that God’s righteousness is preserved and fulfilled not just in kings and prophets, but in quiet lineage-bearers who carried the promise forward.
7. Biblical References
• Matthew 1:14