זָנוּן
𐤆𐤍𐤅𐤍
zânûwn
H2183 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The act or condition of fornication or unchastity, especially persistent sexual promiscuity or harlotry; extended, it can denote a pattern of sexual transgression outside the bounds of accepted relationships, and, by metaphor, habitual unfaithfulness—especially in reference to religious infidelity such as the turning of Israelite communities to veneration of other deities or cultic practices.
Semantic Range
fornication, habitual sexual immorality, persistent harlotry, habitual adultery, metaphorical religious unfaithfulness, condition of apostasy
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root זנה (z-n-h), meaning 'to commit fornication, to be unfaithful (especially sexually or cultically)'. זָנוּן (zânûn) is formed as an intensive or repetitive adjective from this verbal root, suggesting ongoing or habitual practice of fornication or harlotry.
Historical & Contextual Notes
זָנוּן is a relatively rare term, functioning primarily as an adjective to describe something characterized by persistent harlotry or sexual immorality, as in Hosea 4:18. While standard English translations may use 'adulterous' or 'whorish,' these do not fully capture the persistent, habitual sense conveyed. The metaphorical extension of sexual unfaithfulness to religious apostasy (especially the abandonment of exclusive loyalty to YHWH by Israelites in favor of other deities) is a prominent feature in prophetic literature. Later translation traditions, particularly in Christian contexts, rendered such terms as 'adultery' or 'whoredom,' but the cultural context was specifically linked to practices seen as violations of Israelite covenantal and cultic faithfulness. This term is distinguished from related words such as זֹנָה (zonah, 'prostitute') in that it describes the condition or attribute rather than the person.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from זָנָה; adultery; figuratively, idolatry; whoredom.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זנה (z-n-h) — fornication, sexual infidelity, covenantal unfaithfulness
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2181 | זָנָה | with the prostitute |
| H2184 | זְנוּת | in their sexual infidelity |
| H2185 | זֹנוֹת | the prostituting women |
| H8457 | תַּזְנוּת | in their prostitution |
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2183-07 |
זְנוּנִים֙ | zenunim | HNcmpa |
of harlotries | acts of harlotry | 5 |
H2183-05 |
זְנוּנֵ֞י | zenuney | HNcmpc |
of the harlotries | habitual fornications of | 2 |
H2183-02 |
לִ/זְנוּנִ֑ים | lizenunim | HR/Ncmpa |
by harlotry | to habitual fornications | 1 |
H2183-06 |
זְנוּנֶ֨י/הָ֙ | zenuneyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
her harlotries | her fornications | 1 |
H2183-04 |
זְנוּנַ֔יִ/ךְ | zenunayikhe | HNcmpc/Sp2fs |
of your harlotries | your habitual fornications | 1 |
H2183-03 |
מִ/זְּנוּנֵ֖י | mizenuney | HR/Ncmpc |
than the prostitutions of | habitual fornications of | 1 |
H2183-01 |
בִּ/זְנוּנֶ֔י/הָ | bizenuneyha | HR/Ncmpc/Sp3fs |
through her harlotries | her habitual fornications | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
12 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2183-02 |
Genesis 38:24 | לִ/זְנוּנִ֑ים | lizenunim | HR/Ncmpa |
by harlotry | to habitual fornications |
H2183-05 |
2 Kings 9:22 | זְנוּנֵ֞י | zenuney | HNcmpc |
whoredoms | habitual fornications of |
H2183-03 |
Ezekiel 23:11 | מִ/זְּנוּנֵ֖י | mizenuney | HR/Ncmpc |
than the prostitutions of | habitual fornications of |
H2183-04 |
Ezekiel 23:29 | זְנוּנַ֔יִ/ךְ | zenunayikhe | HNcmpc/Sp2fs |
of your harlotries | your habitual fornications |
H2183-07 |
Hosea 1:2 | זְנוּנִים֙ | zenunim | HNcmpa |
of harlotries | acts of harlotry |
H2183-07 |
Hosea 1:2 | זְנוּנִ֔ים | zenunim-2 | HNcmpa |
of harlotries | acts of harlotry |
H2183-06 |
Hosea 2:4 | זְנוּנֶ֨י/הָ֙ | zenuneyha | HNcmpc/Sp3fs |
her harlotries | her fornications |
H2183-07 |
Hosea 2:6 | זְנוּנִ֖ים | zenunim | HNcmpa |
adulteries | acts of harlotry |
H2183-07 |
Hosea 4:12 | זְנוּנִים֙ | zenunim | HNcmpa |
of harlotries | acts of harlotry |
H2183-07 |
Hosea 5:4 | זְנוּנִים֙ | zenunim | HNcmpa |
of whoredoms | acts of harlotry |