The Hebrew noun zēḵer (זֵכֶר) means remembrance, memorial, name, or record. It is derived from the root zakar (H2142 — to remember) and appears about 25 times. It can refer to a lasting memorial, a person's name preserved in memory, or the act of remembrance. Sometimes it is rendered 'name' when referring to God's memorial name — His identity as it is to be remembered through generations.
Biblical memory is not merely cognitive recall but covenant action. God's 'remembering' always initiates redemptive activity (Genesis 8:1; Exodus 2:24). The noun zēḵer appears in the crucial Exodus 3:15 declaration: 'This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation' — with zēḵer meaning memorial name. The Psalms are filled with summons to remember God's acts: 'Proclaim that his name is exalted' (Isaiah 12:4). The Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19) — 'Do this in remembrance of me' — draws on this rich tradition of sacred zēḵer.