The noun זקן sometimes means old people and sometimes means leaders of the people and their sages. And there is a rule in this: Any place where the noun זקן is not in construct state and is without a pronoun and is without the definite article ה, it is usually understood as old in years (unless it is in a place where there is proof that it refers to wisdom, as with the repeating of the language מפני שיבה תקום והדרת פני זקן – “You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man”, as we explained)⁵⁸⁵. But any place where it comes with a pronoun or is in construct state or is with the definite article ה, it is intended to mean esteemed and superlative in wisdom, except when it speaks of the elders of idol worshippers or of evil Israelites, since then they are the elders only according to the people.

footnotes: ⁵⁸⁵ Leviticus 19:32.