The Hebrew zamam (H2162) means to plan, devise, or purpose β it is used of both wicked scheming and God's sovereign determination. In Zechariah 8:14-15, God uses zamam for both: 'Just as I had determined (zamam) to bring disaster upon you... so now I have determined (zamam) to do good again to Jerusalem.' The word captures intentional, premeditated action β what one has firmly decided to do.
The theological contrast in Zechariah 8 is remarkable: the same verb (zamam) describes God's prior purpose to judge and His present purpose to bless. This emphasizes that both judgment and restoration are equally deliberate acts of God β neither accidental, neither arbitrary. In Proverbs 30:32, zamam warns against prideful planning. The psalm of reversal (Psalm 37:12) shows the wicked plotting (zamam) against the righteous β but God laughs, for He sees their doom. Divine zamam overrules human zamam every time.