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זָנָה

𐤆𐤍𐤄

zânâh

H2181 verb

SILEX Entry

Root זנה to act as a prostitute, to engage in illicit sexual relations, to be unfaithful

Definition

To engage in illicit sexual relations, particularly prostitution; by extension, to be sexually unfaithful (especially married women). In extended and metaphorical usage, describes the act of being unfaithful to a covenant relationship, especially between Israelites and their deity, through the pursuit of other deities or practices.

Semantic Range

to commit prostitution, to engage in illicit sexual activity, to be unfaithful (especially a married woman), to commit fornication, to act faithlessly toward a covenant (especially with respect to Israelite religious apostasy), to act as a harlot, to be idolatrous (metaphorically), to lead others into faithless or idolatrous practice

Root / Etymology

From the root זנה (z-n-h), associated with 'to be loose sexually, to commit fornication or prostitution.' The concrete meaning pertains to sexual licentiousness, especially harlotry or prostitution. The verb is employed for both literal and metaphorical unfaithfulness, but its origin lies in describing sexual misconduct, particularly involving women.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the earliest biblical texts, זָנָה describes the act of sexual unfaithfulness, particularly prostitution or extramarital sexual activity, with strong social and legal connotations for female Israelites. Its use is often in legal or ritual contexts, demarcating sexual boundaries and societal norms. By the monarchic period, the term had acquired significant metaphorical force in prophetic literature, where Israelite religious apostasy—especially the worship of other gods or engagement in cultic rites foreign to YHWH—was depicted as 'whoring' or 'playing the prostitute' against the covenant. This metaphor emphasizes covenant fidelity, not merely sexual ethics. The association with marital unfaithfulness predates later English terms like 'adultery' and is broader, often encompassing prostitution and fornication. Later translations sometimes used 'harlot' or 'whore,' but these reflect the socio-legal conception of the term in its ancient Near Eastern context rather than later moralistic connotations. The wider semantic field includes related, but distinct, terms for illicit sexual behavior (e.g., נאף 'na’af' for formal adultery, גלָה 'galah' for nakedness).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

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.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

זנה (z-n-h) — prostitution, illicit sexual activity, sexual unfaithfulness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2183 זָנוּן her habitual fornications
H2184 זְנוּת in their sexual infidelity
H2185 זֹנוֹת the prostituting women
H8457 תַּזְנוּת in their prostitution

Word Forms

43 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2181-39 זֹנָ֤ה zonah HNcfsa prostitute prostitute 19
H2181-24 וַ/תִּזְנִי vatizeni HC/Vqw2fs and-you-played-the-harlot and you prostituted yourself 6
H2181-15 לִ/זְנ֛וֹת lizenot HR/Vqc by playing the harlot to act as a prostitute 5
H2181-27 וַ/יִּזְנ֧וּ vayizenu HC/Vqw3mp and they have whored and they prostituted themselves 5
H2181-05 הַ/זּוֹנָ֜ה hazonah HTd/Vqrfsa the prostitute the prostituting woman 4
H2181-34 זָֽנְתָה֙ zanetah HVqp3fs has played the harlot she committed prostitution 3
H2181-17 תִזְנֶ֣ה tizeneh HVqi3fs fall to prostitution she will act as a prostitute 3
H2181-41 זֹנִ֖ים zonim HVqrmpa play the harlot those acting as prostitutes 3
H2181-21 וַ/תִּ֥זֶן vatizen HC/Vqw3fs and she played the harlot and she prostituted herself 2
H2181-38 זָנ֗וּ zanu HVqp3cp they committed whoredoms they engaged in prostitution 2

Occurrences in Scripture

93 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2181-03 Genesis 34:31 הַ/כְ/זוֹנָ֕ה hakhezonah HTi/R/Vqrfsa like a prostitute prostituting woman
H2181-14 Genesis 38:15 לְ/זוֹנָ֑ה lezonah HR/Vqrfsa to be a prostitute to a prostituting woman
H2181-34 Genesis 38:24 זָֽנְתָה֙ zanetah HVqp3fs has played the harlot she committed prostitution
H2181-31 Exodus 34:15 וְ/זָנ֣וּ vezanu HC/Vqp3cp and they whore and they prostituted themselves
H2181-31 Exodus 34:16 וְ/זָנ֣וּ vezanu HC/Vqp3cp and they prostitute and they prostituted themselves
H2181-28 Exodus 34:16 וְ/הִזְנוּ֙ vehizenu HC/Vhp3cp and cause to prostitute and they caused to prostitute
H2181-41 Leviticus 17:7 זֹנִ֖ים zonim HVqrmpa play the harlot those acting as prostitutes
H2181-13 Leviticus 19:29 לְ/הַזְנוֹתָ֑/הּ lehazenotah HR/Vhc/Sp3fs by making her a prostitute to cause her to prostitute herself
H2181-17 Leviticus 19:29 תִזְנֶ֣ה tizeneh HVqi3fs fall to prostitution she will act as a prostitute
H2181-07 Leviticus 20:5 הַ/זֹּנִ֣ים hazonim HTd/Vqrmpa the-whoring-ones the prostituting ones
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