זָנָה
zânâh · H2181 · Hebrew · 60 occurrences
Meanings
-
to commit fornication, to play the harlot
Action by which humans engage in sexual activity that is considered immoral; often used as a metaphor for unfaithfulness to God
ExamplesGenesis 38:24 Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and behold, she is also pregnant by prostitution.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned!”
Leviticus 21:9 ‘Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
-
Action by which humans request other humans to engage in non-sanctioned worship, described in terms of fornication (to be solicited (for fornication))
ExamplesEzekiel 16:34 “So it is the opposite for you from those women in your obscene practices, in that you are not approached for prostitution, and in the fact that you pay a prostitute’s fee, and no fee is paid to you; so you are the opposite.”
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
56 occurrences in 18 groups
- Not stated: they 13
- Not stated: you (one person) 11
- Not stated (infinitive) 6
- Not stated: he, she or it 5
- אַתָּהyou 4
- Not stated (participle) 3
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
6 occurrences in 6 groups
- יָשַׁבto dwell, to live, to sit 2
- בֵּןson 1
- יְהוּדָהJudah 1
- תַּזְנוּתpromiscuity 1
- הָher 1
- הֶםthem 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
33 occurrences in 26 groups
- אַחַרafter, behind+ אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 6
- אַחַרafter, behind+ הֶםthem 3
- Other words · 24 groups that occur once or twice (26) 26
With adverbsAdverbs
7 occurrences in 3 groups
- לֹאnot 3
- עַתָּהnow 2
- שָׁםthere 2
Named alongside itApposition
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- לֵבheart, mind 1
- עַיִןeye, sight 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- כָּרַתto cut off, to make (a covenant) 1
- צָמַתto destroy, to cut off 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
7 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 6
- כlike/as 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- זֶרַעoffspring, seed 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 1 word
- πορνεύω porneúō · G4203 · to engage in illicit sex, to commit fornication, sexual immorality
- Greek verb πορνεύω (porneuō) serves as the standard Septuagint translation equivalent for Hebrew זָנָה (zanah), both denoting sexual immorality (literal harlotry/fornication) and, by extension, covenantal unfaithfulness/idolatry in prophetic contexts.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Unfaithful002001002027
- זָנָה denotes committing sexual infidelity or prostitution, both literally (Genesis 38:24, Tamar accused of having "prostituted herself") and figuratively for covenant unfaithfulness to God, as in the warning against Israel prostituting itself with the gods of the land at Exodus 34:15-16 and the priestly prohibition against cultic prostitution at Leviticus 17:7 and 19:29.
- Prostitutes001001003011
- The verb also names the literal act and profession of prostitution, the class of activity Tamar is accused of.
Word family 5 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Also from the root זָנָה
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2181. zanah זָנָה verb commit fornication, be a harlot (Arabic commit fornication,…
זָנָה verb commit fornication, be a harlot (Arabic commit fornication, Aramaic , זנא; compare Ethiopic effusio seminis virilis, seman effusum, Di1055; on this and (compare by Ges and others) see PrätBAS i. 32, Anm.) —
Qal Perfect ׳ז Deu 31:16, זָָֽנְתָה Genesis 38:34 Gen 38:3t., etc.; Imperfect יִזְנֶ֯ה (Kt) Eze 23:43; תִּזְנֶה Lev 19:29 Lev 19:4t.; וַתִּ֫זֶן Jer 3:8; Eze 23:5; תִּזְנִי Hos 3:3; וַתִּזְנִי Jer 3:6 (but read probably ׃וַתִּזֶן וַתִּזְנִי is not Aramaic form of 3 feminine singular, see Köi. 540 Kau§ 47 g b) Eze 16:15 Eze 16:4t.; וַתִּזְנִים Eze 16:28; יִזְנוּ (Qr) Eze 23:43; וַיִּזְנוּ Jdg 8:27 Jdg 8:4t.; תִּזְנֶינָה Hos 4:13-14, וַתִּזְנֶינָה Eze 23:3; Infinitive absolute זָנֹה Hos 1:2; construct לִזְנוֺת Lev 20:5 Lev 20:3t.; לִזְנֹת Lev 20:6; suffix בִּזְנוֺתֵךְ Eze 23:30; Participle זוֺנֶה Psa 73:27; Eze 6:9; זֹנֶה Hos 4:15; plural זֹנִים Lev 17:7 Lev 17:3t.; זוֺנָה Deu 23:19 Deu 23:25t.; זֹנָה Lev 21:7 Lev 21:2t.; זוֺנוֺת Pro 29:3; זֹנוֺת Hos 4:14 Hos 4:4t. —
1 be or act as a harlot, absolute Gen 38:24 (J), Deu 22:21 (D), Lev 21:9 (H), Hos 4:13-14, Amo 7:17; זונה + (ה)אשׁה Jos 2:1; Jos 6:22 (J), Lev 21:7 (H), Jdg 11:1; Jdg 16:1; Pro 6:26; Jer 3:3; Eze 16:30; Eze 23:44; זוֺנָה Gen 34:31; Gen 38:15; Jos 6:17, Jos 6:25 (all J), Deu 23:19; Lev 21:14 (H), Pro 7:10; Pro 23:27; Isa 23:15-16, Joel 4:3; Mic 1:7 (twice in verse); Eze 16:31; זֹנוֺת נָשִׁים 1Ki 3:16; ז(ו)נות 1Ki 22:38; Pro 29:3; Hos 3:3; Hos 4:14; Eze 16:33; זונה בית Jer 5:7; commit fornication, man's act ׳ז אל Num 25:1 (J); of woman's act Jdg 19:2; of land given to harlotry Lev 19:29.
2 figurative of improper intercourse with foreign nations (religious reference sometimes involved) ׳ז את Isa 23:17; אחרי Eze 23:30; אל Eze 16:26, Eze 16:28 (twice in verse); ׳ז תַזְנוּתיה Eze 23:43; Nah 3:4; תַחְתָּ֑י אָהֳלָה וַתִּזֶן and Ohola committed fornication (whilst) under me Eze 23:5 (compare Num 5:19).
3 of intercourse with other deities, considered as harlotry, sometimes involving actual prostitution, ׳ז אחרי Exo 34:15-16, Deu 31:16 (all J), Lev 17:7; Lev 20:5 (twice in verse) (all H), Jdg 2:17; Jdg 8:27, Jdg 8:33; 1Ch 5:25; Eze 6:9; Eze 20:30; after אֹבֹת, etc. Lev 20:6 (H), one's own heart & eyes Num 15:39 (H); especially of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem under figure of lewd woman Eze 16:15 (absolute) Eze 16:16 (במית על), Eze 16:17 (׳ז בְ), Eze 23:3 (twice in verse); Eze 23:19 (absolute), Jer 3:1 (with accusative); Jer 3:6; Jer 3:8 (absolute); absolute elsewhere Hos 2:7; Hos 4:15; Isa 57:3; Psa 106:39; as leaving ׳י, followed by מֵעַל Hos 9:1; מאחרי Hos 1:2 (twice in verse); מתחת Hos 4:12; followed by מן alone Psa 73:27; ז(ו)נה Jer 2:20; Eze 16:35, Eze 16:41; זונה בית Jer 5:7; הַזּוֺנֶה לִבָּם their whorish heart Eze 6:9.
4 זונה of moral defection Isa 1:21.
Pu`al Perfect3masculine singular זוּנָּה לֹא אַהֲרַיִךְ fornication was not done (in going) after thee Eze 16:34 (but strike out Co).
Hiph`il Perfect2masculine singular הִזְנֵיתָ Hos 5:3; Hos 5:3plural חִזְנוּ Hos 4:10, Hos 4:18; Exo 34:16; Imperfect וַיֶּ֫זֶן2Ch 21:11; וַתַּזְנֶה2Ch 21:13; Infinitive absolute הַזְנֵה Hos 4:18; construct הַזְנוֺת2Ch 21:13; suffix לְהַזְנוֺתָהּ Lev 19:29.
1 cause to commit fornication:
a. sexual Lev 19:29 (H).
b. religious Exo 34:16 (J), 2Ch 21:11, 2Ch 21:13 (twice in verse).
2 commit fornication:
a. sexual Hos 4:10.
b. religious Hos 4:18 (twice in verse); Hos 5:3.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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