Zadok

Zadok is a Hebrew given name and, in biblical usage, the name of a priest in ancient Israel. The name derives from the Hebrew word tzedeq, meaning "righteous" or "justice."

In the Hebrew Bible, Zadok the priest is a Levitical priest from the line of Aaron who serves during the reigns of David and Solomon. He and Abiathar the priest initially assist David in governing and religious matters. When Solomon succeeds David, Zadok is favored and Abiathar is removed from the priesthood, establishing Zadok’s line as the royal priesthood for the Temple. The phrase "the sons of Zadok" later denotes a priestly faction faithful to the house of David; in Ezekiel’s vision they are described as having exclusive duties in the future temple.

The Zadokite priesthood refers to the lineage of high priests descended from Zadok and is associated in biblical and post-biblical tradition with fidelity to proper temple worship and authority in the First Temple period.

Zadok the name has also appeared in modern culture. The most famous related use is the coronation anthem Zadok the Priest by George Frideric Handel, which accompanies British coronations and is named after the biblical Zadok. Today, Zadok remains a given name in Jewish and some Christian communities and appears in various literary and cultural contexts.