לִ/זְנ֖וֹת
𐤋/𐤆𐤍𐤅𐤕
lizenot
to play the whore
a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton); to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah); (cause to) commit fornication, [idiom] continually, [idiom] great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go a-whoring, whorish.
Deuteronomy 22:21 · Word #18
Lexicon H2181
| Lemma | זָנָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤆𐤍𐤄 |
| Transliteration | zânâh |
| Strong's | H2181 |
| In-context | to play the whore |
Morphology HR/Vqc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | c — Infinitive Construct — The verbal noun ("to ...") |
SIBI-P1 H2181-15
to commit harlotry
| Root | זנה (z-n-h) |
| Core Meanings | fornication, harlotry, sexual unfaithfulness, covenantal infidelity, idolatry |
| Semantic Range | to act as a prostitute, to engage in sexual immorality, to be sexually unfaithful, to practice harlotry; figuratively, to commit idolatry or covenantal betrayal against YHWH. |
| Conceptual Significance | זנה is a key covenantal metaphor in the Hebrew Bible, portraying Israel’s idolatry as marital infidelity against YHWH. The term evokes both social shame associated with prostitution and the relational betrayal of a spouse, intensifying the theological gravity of idolatry and spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| Morphological Notes | Qal infinitive construct of זנה with prefixed preposition ל (“to”). No gender, number, or person marking; expresses verbal action in its basic active stem. |
| Rendering Rationale | The form לִזְנוֹת is a Qal infinitive construct with prefixed ל (“to”), expressing the simple verbal action of the root זנה. "To commit harlotry" preserves the concrete imagery of sexual unfaithfulness inherent in the root while allowing for its frequent figurative extension to covenantal unfaithfulness (idolatry). |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root זנה (fornication, harlotry, sexual unfaithfulness, covenantal infidelity, idolatry)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H2181-01 |
bazonah | with the harlot-woman |
H8457-01 |
betazenutam | in their harlotry |
H8457-02 |
betazenutayikhe | in your whorings |
Word Usage (93 occurrences of H2181)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 34:31 | הַ/כְ/זוֹנָ֕ה | hakhezonah | like a prostitute |
| Genesis 38:15 | לְ/זוֹנָ֑ה | lezonah | to be a prostitute |
| Genesis 38:24 | זָֽנְתָה֙ | zanetah | has played the harlot |