זָרַע
zâraʻ · H2232 · Hebrew · 56 occurrences
Meanings
-
to sow, to scatter, to plant
Action by which humans scatter seeds or plant young plants in a field so that they may grow into a new crop; associated with the concept of investing in order to get a return; also associated with reproduction and perpetuation
ExamplesGenesis 26:12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And the LORD blessed him,
Genesis 47:23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land.
Exodus 23:10 “Now you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield,
-
to yield seed, to bear seed
Causative process by which plants and fruits produce seed for reproduction
ExamplesGenesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.
Genesis 1:12 The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
-
to become pregnant, to impregnate, to make pregnant
To become pregnant or to make pregnant, a process by which a woman conceives, or an action by which a man causes a woman to conceive, figuratively described as a field that is sown
ExamplesLeviticus 12:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.
Numbers 5:28 ‘But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be immune and conceive children.
How it’s used In 9 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
53 occurrences in 14 groups
- Not stated: you (more than one) 11
- Not stated: you (one person) 11
- Not stated (participle) 9
- Not stated: he, she or it 6
- Not stated: I 4
- Not stated: they 4
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (8) 8
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
25 occurrences in 13 groups
- זֶרַעoffspring, seed 8
- שָׂדֶהfield, countryside 4
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
15 occurrences in 15 groups
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (17) 17
With adverbsAdverbs
14 occurrences in 5 groups
- לֹאnot 11
- בַּלnot 1
- אַלnot, do not 1
- עוֹדstill, again, yet 1
- רָבָהto increase 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- עָמָלtoil, trouble 1
What it doesIt is the subject
3 occurrences in 1 groups
- קָצַרto be short 3
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- כָּרַתto cut off, to make (a covenant) 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
2 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 3
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.
Near synonyms 1 word
- שָׁתַל shâthal · H8362 · to plant, to transplant
- Both are Hebrew agricultural verbs with overlapping but distinct senses—זָרַע (zâraʻ, H2232) focused on sowing or scattering seed, שָׁתַל (shâthal, H8362) on planting or transplanting seedlings—representing two different methods of cultivation that can substitute for one another contextually.
In the other Testament 1 word
- σπείρω speírō · G4687 · to sow
- זָרַע (zâraʻ, H2232) and σπείρω (speírō, G4687) share the core semantic field of sowing/scattering seed, with both used literally for agricultural sowing and figuratively for generative/productive activity; the Hebrew term encompasses a broader range including 'bear/conceive' (biological reproduction) while the Greek focuses more narrowly on the scattering/sowing action itself, but both overlap substantially in their literal agricultural and figurative dissemination senses.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- Plant002002001014
- זָרַע denotes sowing, as God commands the earth to bring forth vegetation and plants yielding seed.
- Exist002002002005
- The verb's causative sense of bringing forth extends to the coming into being of life through reproduction.
- Pregnant002001001045
- The word also denotes conceiving offspring, the human counterpart to a plant bearing seed.
Word family 10 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2232. zara I. זָרַע verb sow, scatter seed (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian zirû TPPrism vi.…
I. זָרַע verb sow, scatter seed (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian zirû TPPrism vi. 15; Arabic ; Aramaic , זְרַע; Ethiopic but in Sabean דֿרא DHMZMG 1883, 15 and in proper name, Id. in MV10, pp. 242, 983) —
Qal Perfect3masculine singular זָרַע Jdg 6:3; Jdg 6:1singular וְזָרַעְתִּ֫י Jer 31:27; suffix וּזְרַעְתִּיהָ consec Hosea 2:25; Hos 2:3plural זָָֽרְעוּ Jer 12:13; Jer 12:2masculine plural זְרַעַתֶּם Hag 1:6; וּזְרַעְתֶּם consecutive Gen 47:23 Gen 47:2t.; Imperfect יִזְרָ֑ע Ecc 11:4; וַיִּזְרַע Gen 26:12; suffix וַיִּזְרָעֶהָ Jdg 9:45; Jdg 9:1singular אֶזְדְעָה Judg 31:8; suffix וְאֶזְרָעֵם Zec 10:9, etc.; Imperative masculine singular זְרַע Ecc 11:6; masculine plural זִרְעוּ Hos 10:12 Hos 10:2t.; Infinitive לִזְרֹעַ Isa 28:24; Participle active זֹרֵעַ Isa 55:10 Isa 55:3t.; זזֹרֵעַ Pro 22:8; Jer 50:16, etc.; Passive participle זָרֻעַ Psa 97:11 (but on text see below); feminine זְרוּעָה Jer 2:2; —
1 literally sow:
a. absolute sow (seed), do one's sowing Jdg 6:3; Gen 26:12 (J), Isa 28:24 (after ploughing חרשׁ); כרמים ונטעו וקצרו זִרְעוּ Isa 37:30 = 2Ki 19:29; || קצר also Mic 6:15; Lev 25:11 (H), Ecc 11:4; || אסף Lev 25:20 (H); opposed to אכל Job 31:8; עלכֿלמֿים זֹרְעֵי Isa 32:20 (on construct compare Ges§ 130, 1); with הַשׁמינִת אתהֿשּׁנה Lev 25:22; followed by הַרְבֵּה Hag 1:6 (opposed to מְעָ֑ט הָבֵא).
b. with accusative of land אדמה Exo 23:10 (J E; || אסף), Gen 47:23 (J); field (שׂדה) Lev 25:3 (|| אסף), compare Lev 25:4; Psa 107:37; as passive participle זְרוּעָה לֹא אֶרֶץ Jer 2:2 (|| מִדְבָּר).
c. with accusative of seed ׳ז אֶתזַֿרְעֲךָ Deu 11:10, compare Deu 22:9; Jer 35:7; Lev 26:16 (H) Ecc 11:6; followed by חִטִּים Jer 12:13 (|| קצר); compare also בַּשָּׂדֶה תזרע אשׁר מַעֲשֶׂיךָ בִּכּוּרֵי Exo 23:16 (JE).
d. followed by 2 accusative כִּלְאַ֑יִם כַּרְמְךָ תזרע לֹא Deu 22:9; compare כִּלְאַיִם תִזְרַע לֹא שָׂדְךָ Lev 19:19 (H); אתהֿאדמה אשׁרתֿזדע זַרְעֲךָ Isa 30:23; also of destroyed city מֶ֑לַח וַיִּזְרָעֶהָ Jdg 9:45.
e. participle active as substantive זוֺרֵעַ Jer 50:16 (|| קָציר בְּעֵת מַגָּל תֹּפֵשׂ); לַֹזּרֵעַ Isa 55:10 (|| לָאֹכֵל).
2 of shrub and tree producing, yielding seed, with accusative of congnate meaning with verb Gen 1:29 (twice in verse) (P), compare Hiph`il 3. figurative:
a. of Yahweh's sowing (planting) Israel in the land בָארץ לי וזרעתיה Hosea 2:25 (We וזרעתיהו, object being Jezreel); on the other hand בָּעַמִּים וְאֶזְרָעֵם Zec 10:9.
b. with 2 accusative, of Yahweh's fructifying Israel and Judah בהמה ואתבֿ ישׂראל אתבֿית ׳וזרעתי וזרע אדם זֶרַע יהודה Jer 31:27.
c. of moral action, לִצְדָקָה לָכֶם זִרְעוּ Hos 10:12 (|| קצר); צדקה׳ז Pro 11:18; אֶלקֹֿצִים אַלתִּֿזְרְעוּ Jer 4:3 sow not in among thorns (said of a few righteous deeds amid much wickedness); especially of evil-doing יִקְצֹ֑רוּ וְסוּפָתָה יזרעו רוּחַ Hos 8:7; עָמָל זֹרְעֵי Job 4:8 (|| קצר); יקצוראָֿוֶן עַוְלָה זוֺרֵעַ Pro 22:8.
d. of Israel's practising idolatry תִּזְרָעֶ֑נּוּ זָר זְמֹרַת Isa 17:10 (2 accusative)
e. יִקְצֹ֑רוּ בְּרִנָּה בדמעה הזרעים Psa 126:5 metaphor of distress followed by joy.
f. לַצַּדִּיק זָרֻעַ אוֺר Psa 97:11 read probably זָרַח, Vrss Ol Hu Bae Che and others
Niph`al be sown, fructified, Perfect3feminine singular וְנִזְרְעָה consecutive Num 5:28; Num 5:2masculine plural וְנִזְרַעְתֶּם consecutive Eze 36:9; Imperfect3masculine singular יִזָּרַע Nah 1:14; יִזָּרֵ֑עַ Deu 21:4; Lev 11:37; Lev 11:3feminine singular תִּזָּרַע Deu 29:22; —
1 be sown:
a. subject תִזּ ׳לֹא תַּצְמִחַ ולא אֶרֶץ, Deu 29:22, compare (of אֵיתָן נַחַל) יִזּ ולא ׳בּוֺ יֵעָבֵּד לא Deu 21:4; in address to וְנִזְרַעְתֶּם וְנֶעֱבַּדְתֶּם ישׂראל, הָרֵי Eze 36:9.
b. subject יִזָּרֵעַ אשׁר זֵרוּעַ זֶרַע זֶרַע, Lev 11:37 (P); figurative יִזּ ׳לֹא עוֺד מִשִּׁמְךָ Nah 1:14 no more of thy name be sown, in judgment against Nineveh.
2 be fructified, made pregnant זָרַ֑ע וְנִזְרְעָה Num 5:28 (P; of woman).
Pu`al Perfect3plural זֹרָ֑עוּ Isa 40:24 of princes and judges under figure of trees (|| גִּזְעָם בָּאָרֶץ שֹׁרֵשׁ נִטָּ֑עוּ,).
Hiph`il Imperfect3feminine singular תַּזְרִיעַ Lev 12:2; Participle מַזְרִיעַ Gen 1:11-12, —
1 produce seed, of herb, with accusative of congnate meaning with verb Gen 1:11-12, apparently denominative from זֶרַע; compare Qal 2. 2. of a woman, = bear a child זָכָר וְיָיָָֽלְדָה תַּזְרִיעַ Lev 12:2.
זְרַע noun [masculine] seed (compare Biblical Hebrew I. זרע); — construct ׳ז אֲנָשָׁא Dan 2:43 seed (offspring) of men.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 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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