זֶרַע
zeraʻ · H2233 · Hebrew · 229 occurrences
Meanings
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seed, grain
A flowering plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant, in some cases also used as food
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;
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sowing
Literally: seed; hence: action by which humans scatter seeds or plant young plants in a field so that they may grow into a new crop
ExamplesIsaiah 17:11 On the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in, And in the morning you bring your seed to blossom; But the harvest will flee On a day of illness and incurable pain.
Zechariah 8:12 ‘For there will be the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.
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sowing time, time for sowing
The time of the year when sowing takes place
ExamplesGenesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.”
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semen, sperm
A thick whitish fluid containing spermatozoa, that is ejaculated from the male genital tract
ExamplesLeviticus 15:16 ‘Now if a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:17 ‘As for any garment or any leather on which there is a seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:18 ‘If a man sleeps with a woman so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
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offspring, child, children
A person’s child or children, or the young of an animal
ExamplesGenesis 3:15 And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.”
Genesis 4:25 Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another child in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.”
Genesis 7:3 also of the birds of the sky, seven pairs, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
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stock, race, family, lineage
Group of people that consider themselves descendants of one single ancestor
Examples1 Kings 11:14 Then the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom.
2 Kings 11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and eliminated all the royal children.
2 Kings 25:25 But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
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those that are...
State of being associated with a certain attribute, attitude, or behavior, referred to as offspring of that attribute, attitude, or behavior
ExamplesProverbs 11:21 Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be rescued.
Isaiah 1:4 Oh, sinful nation, People weighed down with guilt, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.
Isaiah 57:3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute!
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
182 occurrences in 41 groups
- ךָyour 59
- הוּhis 38
- הֶםtheir 13
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 7
- כֶםyour 7
- מְלוּכָהkingship 4
- Other words · 29 groups that occur once or twice (36) 36
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
7 occurrences in 6 groups
- זָרַעto sow 2
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- אַחֵרother 1
- יָצָאto go out 1
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 1
- רַבmany, great 1
Named alongside itApposition
7 occurrences in 7 groups
- בֵּןson 1
- גּוֹיnation, people 1
- זֵרוּעַseed 1
- אָחbrother 1
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 1
- מְלֵאָהfull produce 1
What it doesIt is the subject
37 occurrences in 22 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 9
- יָרַשׁto possess, to drive out, to inherit 5
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (23) 23
What is done to itIt is the object
51 occurrences in 25 groups
- זָרַעto sow 8
- רָבָהto increase 7
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 5
- שׂוּםto put, to set, to place 4
- חָיָהto be alive, to become alive, to live 3
- קוּםto arise 3
- Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רָאָהto see 1
What it is said to bePredicate
10 occurrences in 8 groups
- מַיִםwater 2
- וֹhim 2
- בְּרָכָהblessing, praise, gift 1
- אַיִןthere is no, not 1
- מְגוּרָהbarn 1
- מַצֶּבֶתstump 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
10 occurrences in 6 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 4
- הֵםthey, them 3
- מׇרְדְּכַיMordecai 1
- צֶאֱצָאoffspring, descendants 1
- אַתָּהyou 1
- הוּhis 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
84 occurrences in 8 groups
- לto/for 47
- מִןfrom 38
- בin/on/with 14
- עַלon, upon, over, against 10
- בֵּיןbetween, among 6
- אֵלto, toward 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
21 occurrences in 12 groups
- שְׁכָבָהemission of semen, layer 7
- פֶּהmouth 4
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
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 2 words
- σπέρμα spérma · G4690 · seed, posterity, descendants
- Greek σπέρμα directly translates Hebrew זֶרַע across its core semantic range: literal botanical seed, male seed, and figurative offspring or descendants.
- σπόρος spóros · G4703 · seed
- Greek σπόρος specifically denotes the physical seed or act of sowing, while Hebrew זֶרַע has broader semantic range including 'offspring/descendants' and abstract 'seed-time' uses; the cross-linguistic equivalence holds for the concrete agricultural sowing/seed sense they share.
Semantic domains 7 entries
- Plants001002007001
- זֶרַע denotes seed, the reproductive material of vegetation, as plants yield seed after their kind at creation.
- Plant002002001014
- The word also names the act or product of sowing, tied to agricultural planting and its season.
- Time002002002010
- It further marks a fixed season, seedtime, the recurring agricultural period tied to sowing.
- People001001003
- In its most frequent extended sense the word denotes human offspring or descendants, a person's own seed.
- Relatives001001003012
- This sense of offspring ties directly to lineage and family relationship across generations.
- Groups001001003004
- The word can also denote a whole people or nation descended from a common ancestor, a collective seed.
- Engage002003003011
- In its idiomatic use for sexual relations, the word marks the act by which offspring is engendered.
Word family 10 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2233. zera זֶ֫רַע noun masculineDeu 28:38 sowing, seed, offspring (Late Hebrew id.,…
זֶ֫רַע noun masculineDeu 28:38 sowing, seed, offspring (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic זְרַע, ; Phoenician זרע; Zinjirli id.; Arabic seed-produce, seed; Ethiopic Assyrian zêru, cultivated land, BelserBAS ii. 130, compare Arabic ) — absolute ׳ז Gen 47:23 =; זָ֑רַע Gen 1:29 +; construct זֶרַע Isa 5:10 +; זְרַעֿ Num 11:7; suffix זַרְעִי 1Sa 20:42; 1Sa 24:22; זַרְעֲךָ Deu 11:10 +; זַרְעֶ֑ךָ Ecc 11:6 +; etc.; plural suffix זַרְעֵיכֶם 1Sa 8:15; — 1 literal:
a. a sowing ׳לְז הַשָּׂדֶה Gen 47:24 (J; + אָכְלְכֶם; otherwise Lev 27:16 b, see below 2c); ז מְקוֺם ׳לֹא Num 20:5 no place for sowing (J E; + וְרִמּוֺן וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה); compare ז ׳שְׂדֵה Eze 17:5 a field suitable for sowing; hence
b. sowing as regularly recurring at its season Gen 8:22 (J; || קָצִיר, + וָלַיְלָה וְיוֺם וָחֹרֶף וְקַיִץ וָחֹם קֹר), Lev 26:5 (H; || בָּצִיר דַּיִשׁ,; — compare Amo 9:13 below 2a).
2 seed:
a. literally, sown, to raise crops for food, usually corn (wheat, barely, etc.) Gen 47:19, Gen 47:23 (J; compare Gen 47:14f.), Num 24:7 (JE); ׳ז לַֹזּרֵעַ נָתַן Isa 55:10 (|| לֶחֶם), Deu 28:38 (׳ז רַב), Lev 26:16 (H; with זָרַע), Lev 27:16 a, ׳ז שְׂעֹרִים חֹמֶר Lev 27:16b (both P), compare Isa 5:10.
b. figurative, of idolatry of Judah Isa 17:11 (|| קציר); of fortunes of Zion הַזּ ׳מֶשֶׁךְ Psa 126:6 the dropping of seed, i.e. the proper quantity for sowing (opposed to אֲלֻמֹּת); Jer 35:7 (with זָרַע, || תִטָּ֔עוּ לֹא כֶּרֶם), compare Jer 35:9 (|| שׂדה כרם,); ז ׳מְטַר Isa 30:23 (with זָרַע, || הָאֲדָמָה תְּבוּאַתּ לֶחֶם); also Deu 11:10 (with זָרַע), Ecc 11:6 (c. id.); ׳ז זֵרוּעַ Lev 11:37, compare Lev 11:38 (both P); as yielding the crop זַרְעֶ֑ךָ תְּבוּאַת Deu 14:22 the product of thy seed, compare d. below; הַזּ בְּמשֵׁךְ עֲנָבִים וְדֹרֵךְ בַּקּוֺצֵר תוֺרֵשׁ ׳וְנִגַּשׁ Amo 9:13, in figure of rapid and plentiful growth in the coming time; ׳ז הָאָרֶץ producing a vine Eze 17:5, of growth and prosperity of Israel; ׳הַזּ Mal 2:3, read perhaps הַזְּרֹעַ (compare VB).
c. seed as product; the manna is compare with ׳ז גַּד, coriander seed Num 11:7 (JE), Exo 16:31 (P); seed of herbs and trees Gen 1:11 (twice in verse); Gen 1:12 (twice in verse); Gen 1:29 (twice in verse) (all P). Especially
d. seed as corn-product, corn-crop, so (although not quite clearly) Deu 22:9 (with זָרַע; || הַכָּ֑רֶם תְּבוּאַת); plural 1Sa 8:15 (perhaps better arable lands, compare above As zêru; || כרמים), ׳ז הָאָרֶץ Lev 27:30 (|| מְּרִיעֵֿץ; otherwise Gen 47:24, compare above 1a); ׳ז שִׁחֹר Isa 23:3 (|| יְאוֺר קְצִיר); הַזּ ׳הַעוֺד בַּמְּגוּרָה Hag 2:19 (|| הַזַּיִת עֵץ רִמּוֺן, תְּאֵנָה, גֶּפֶן,); יֶאֱסֹף וְגָרְנְךָ זַרְעֶ֑ךָ יָשִׁו֯ב Job 39:12 (of harvest); so perhaps ז סָאתַיִם ׳כְּבֵית 1Ki 18:32.
e. הַגֶּפֶן הַשָּׁלוֺם זֶרַע Zec 8:12, read perhaps ׳הַזּ שׁלוֺם the crop is security (= secure), so ᵑ6 Or and others; > Ew Hi and others who translate ׳ז ׳הַשּׁ the growth of peace, making הַגֶּמֶּן appositive — Verbs used with ׳ז in these senses are: — usually זַרַע Gen 1:11; Lev 26:16; Jer 35:7 +; הִפְרִיחַ Isa 17:11; בְּ נָתַן = plant, sow Eze 17:5; נָתַן yield Isa 55:10; מָשַׁךְ Amo 9:13.
3 seed = semen virile, זָ֑רַע וְנִזְרְעָה Num 5:28, and she shall be made pregnant with seed; usually ׳שִׁכְּבַתזֿ, flow of semen Lev 22:4 (H), Lev 15:16, Lev 15:32 (P; all with תֵּצֵא), Lev 15:17 (P; with הָיָה); as accusative modi שׁ ׳אתאִֿשָּׁה ׳ז שׁכב Lev 19:20 (H), Lev 15:18; Num 5:13 (both P); so also לְזרע שְׁכָבְתּוֺ נתן Lev 18:20 (לְ Genitives); compare ׳ז וז ׳אָדָם בְּהֵמָה Jer 31:27 (as 2nd accusative after זָרַע q. v. 3b).
4 seed = off spring:
a. rarely of animals, collective Gen 3:15; Gen 7:3 (both J). Usu.
b. of mankind, coll. = descendants, posterity; seed of the woman Gen 3:15 (J); seed of the patriarchs (especially Abraham) Gen 12:17; Gen 13:15-16, (twice in verse); Gen 16:10; Gen 22:17 (twice in verse); Gen 22:18; Gen 24:7; Gen 26:3-4, (3 t. in verse); Gen 26:24; Gen 28:13-14, (twice in verse); Gen 32:13 (all J), Gen 15:13, Gen 15:18; Exo 32:13 (twice in verse); Exo 33:1 (all J E), Gen 21:12; Jos 24:3 (both E; in both promised seed of Abraham restricted to line of Isaac), Deu 11:9; Deu 34:4; Neh 9:8; = a son as involving posterity Gen 15:3, Gen 15:5 (JE) compare below; phrase אַחֲרֵיהֶם זַרְעָם Deu 1:8, compare Deu 4:37; Deu 10:15, so P, Gen 17:7 (twice in verse); Gen 17:8-9, Gen 17:10, Gen 17:19; Gen 35:12; Gen 48:4; אִתָּךְ זִרְעֲךָ Gen 28:4 (P; compare Num 18:19); see also below
c. seed (= posterity) of other individuals Gen 21:13 (E; of Ishmael) Gen 24:60; Gen 48:19 (both J), Num 14:24 (JE), Lev 21:21; Lev 22:3-4, (all H), Num 17:5 (P), 1Sa 20:42 (twice in verse); 1Sa 24:22; 2Sa 4:8; 1Ki 2:33 (twice in verse); 1Ki 11:39; 2Ki 5:27; Jer 29:32; Eze 43:19; Job 5:25 (|| צֶאֱצָאֶיךָ), Job 21:8 (|| id.); especially of seed of David as anointed to reign Psalm 18:51 = 2Sa 22:51 (|| לִמְשִׁיחוֺ), as sitting on throne Jer 33:21, compare Jer 33:22; Jer 33:26, Psa 89:5; Psa 89:30; Psa 89:37; of Jehoiachin Jer 22:28, Jer 22:30, Jehoiakim Jer 36:31 (compare Jer 36:30); of child (son) as involving posterity Gen 38:8-9, (twice in verse) (of Er's seed by Onam); Gen 48:11 (all J), compare Gen 19:32, Gen 19:31 (J), 2Sa 7:12; Rth 4:12; Lev 21:15 (H); phrase אַחֲרֵיהֶם זַרְעָם of seed of Noah and his sons Gen 9:9; of Aaron Exo 28:43; of Phinehas Num 25:13 (all P); of David 1Ch 17:11; לְדֹרֹתָם לְזַרְעוֺ Exo 30:21 (P), compare Lev 21:17 (H; both of Aaron), see also b above ׳ז, of seed of righteous, especially Psalms: — Psa 25:13; Psa 37:25-26, Psalm 69:37; Psalm 102:29 (|| בָּנִים), Psa 112:2 (|| ישׁרים דּוֺר), compare Psa 22:31 (on text see Che); of wicked Psa 21:11; Psa 37:28.
d. specifically of a particular child (son) ׳ז אַחֵר Gen 4:25 (J); ׳ז אֲנָשִׁים 1Sa 1:11; of children Lev 18:21; Lev 20:2; Leviticus 20:34; Lev 22:13 (all H), 1Sa 2:20 (compare בָּנוֺת בָּנִים,1Sa 2:21); children and grandchildren Gen 46:6-7, (P).
e. family Gen 17:12 (P; compare Assyrian zêr bit abišu AsrbAnnals iii. 10); note especially of royal family ׳ז הַמֶּלֶךְ 1Ki 11:14; ׳ז הַמַּמְלָכָה 2Ki 11:1 2Ch 22:10; ׳ז הַמְּלוּכָה 2Ki 25:25 = Jer 41:1; Eze 17:13; Dan 1:3; = pedigree וְזַרְעָם אבותם בית Ezr 2:59 = Neh 7:61; = one's nation, as of same blood Est 10:3 (|| עַם). — Some verbs used with ׳ז in these senses are: — נָתַן, God subject Gen 15:3; Rth 4:12 (followed by מִן of woman); שִׂים 1Sa 2:20; with man as subject נתן Gen 38:9; הֵקִים Gen 38:8; ז ׳חִיָּה, keep alive, or give life to, of animals Gen 7:3; of woman Gen 19:32, Gen 19:34 (followed by מִן of man).
f. especially as name for people of Israel, seed of Abraham Isa 41:8; 2Ch 20:7 (|| יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּךָ), Jer 33:26; Psa 105:6 (|| יעקִב בְּנֵי); of Israel or Jacob 2Ki 17:20; Neh 9:2 (|| ישׂראל בני Neh 9:1), Isa 43:5; Isa 45:19, Isa 45:25; Jer 31:36-37, Jer 33:26; Psa 22:24 (twice in verse); 1Ch 16:13 (|| יעקב בני); so ׳ז ישׂראל בֵּית Jer 23:8; Eze 44:22 (ᵐ5 ᵑ6 Manuscripts Co strike out בית); יעקב ׳ז בית Eze 20:5; in Esther. ׳ז הַיְהוּדִים Est 6:13; so of Edom (seed of Esau) Jer 49:10, compare מָדַי מִוֶּרע Dan 9:1.
g. seed of Israel (or Jacob, or the people), is used also, by (later) prophets, of future Generations, in addressing the people: — Deu 28:46, Deu 28:59; Deu 30:6, Deu 30:19; Deu 31:21, compare Num 18:19 (P; אִתָּ֑ךְ לְזַרְעֲךָ, || וְלִבְנוֺתֶיךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ), Jer 30:10 = Jer 46:27 (Jacob and Israel here = people), Psa 106:27; || ׅ צֶאֱצָא(יך Isa 44:3 (Jacob and Jeshurun), Isa 48:19, compare Isa 61:9; also Jer 7:15; Isa 54:3; Isa 66:22 (|| שִׁמְכֶם); זַרְעֲךָ זֶרַע וּמִמִּי זַרְעֲךָ מִמִּי Isa 59:21; of Jews (יהודים) Est 9:27-28, Est 9:31.
5 seed as marked by moral quality = persons (or community) of such a quality; transition to this through such cases as those of ׳ז י ׳בְּרוּכֵי Isa 65:23 (|| צֶאֱצָאִים), compare Isa 61:9; Isa 65:9; ׳ז הַקֹּדֶשׁ Ezr 9:2 (of Israel), compare Isa 53:10; note, in good sense ׳ז צַדִּיקִים Pro 11:21 (opposed to רַע); ׳ז אֱמֶת Jer 2:21 (|| שׂוֺרֵק); ׳ז אלהים Mal 2:15; — ׳ז קֹדֶשׁ Isa 6:13 is a gloss; — in bad sense ׳ז מְרֵעִים Isa 1:4 community of evil-doers (|| מַשְׁחִיתִים בָּנִים עָוֺן, כֶּבֶד עַם גּוֺיחֹֿטֵא,), Isa 14:20; ׳ז מְנָאֵף Isa 57:3 (|| עֹנֲנָה בני); שָֿׁ֑קֶר׳ז Isa 57:4 (|| יִלְדֵיפֶֿשַׁע).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 7 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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