What is ZAKAR?

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; ACT LIKE A MAN; Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

I (Brendan) have been involved in men’s ministry for 7+ years now and in the back of my mind I have always wondered if I could come up with a better name than, well, … “men’s ministry.” In the fall of 2025 I was listening to a sermon when the pastor started explaining the Hebrew word “zakar.” I was like, zakar! That sounds cool! Rimes with “Dakar” the famous desert off-road rally race—that’s pretty manly!

The pastor went on to explain that “Zakar” is the Hebrew word for “remember.” Now this remember is not simply, I forgot about something and then remembered it. How many of us men ask our wives daily, “honey do you remember where … (my keys, water bottle, jacket, sunglasses, etc.) are?”

I have 3 boys old enough communicate about their lost things, so my poor wife is asked this question at least 25 times every, single, day! And a few weeks ago, I believe for the first time in my 15 years of marriage, when my wife asked me if I knew where something of hers was, I was able to say, oh yeah, your sunglasses on the Kallax! Not only did I remember Ikea’s ridiculous name for our shelf, but I remembered where something of my wive’s was! It was a watershed moment that I’ll never forget!

But this is not what the ‘zakar’ remember is. Zakar means to “remember with action.” To call something to mind and respond to it with faithfulness. Zakar is an action of loyalty, it affects how you live!

In the Old Testament of the Bible, zakar is most often used of God. When God remembered Noah the floodwaters receded. God heard the groaning of Israel as slaves in Egypt and remembered his covenant. Now it wasn’t as if God walked off the scene and had forgotten about his covenant people for 400 years; but when God remembered, it meant that he was about to act! And act He did as He brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders. So as men, created in the image of God, we are called to remember that we are created by God as a man, according to His design for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10).

Back to that sermon, when I first heard zakar. I was like, that’s a pretty sweet name for mens ministry. We men do need to remember who God created us to be and step into that, no question there! But it is a bit of a stretch for a name and it takes too long to explain… so I left it.

But then a few weeks later I ‘remembered’ zakar again and I decided to look it up. That is when I found out that the same root in the Hebrew (yet still spelled or pronounced zakar) also means male! You’ve got to be kidding! I already liked “remember with action,” but also male! I dug some more. In the Old Testament, zakar isn’t just a sex category but carries a role: a role as “the outward representative.” The male (zakar) is responsible for their family (this means protecting, providing, and procreating), as well as civic and religious duties.

After linking these two meanings of zakar together and running it by a few guys, I knew I wanted to start something new and zakarmen.ca was born: You were created by God as a man, according to His design. His desire is to shape you into a godly man who lives for Christ in wholehearted surrender and sacrificial love.

How would you describe a godly man?

What is one thing you need to act on that you have been putting off or neglecting? Do it!