← H5771 H5773 →

עוֹנָה

𐤏𐤅𐤍𐤄

ʻôwnâh

H5772 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ענה to answer, respond, assign, allot, respond to a demand

Definition

Sexual intercourse within the context of marriage, specifically the conjugal rights or responsibilities of a spouse, most commonly referring to a husband’s regular obligation to sexual union with his wife. The term primarily denotes the due portion or scheduled occurrence of cohabitation, as prescribed within marital relations in legal or ethical contexts.

Semantic Range

assignment, allotted portion (of time or duty), period of regular cohabitation, marital sexual duty, conjugal rights

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ענה (ʿ-n-h), whose core meaning relates to 'turning', 'responding', or 'assigning'. In the form עוֹנָה, it likely has the sense of an 'assigned portion' or 'time', in this case the regular interval or assignment of marital intimacy. The specific usage as 'sexual duty' seems to have evolved from the root idea of 'apportioning' or 'assigning'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עוֹנָה appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 21:10), where it refers to the conjugal rights or marital sexual duty owed by a husband to his wife. In later Rabbinic literature, the term further develops to refer to the legally prescribed frequency of marital intercourse, reflecting social and economic status. This specific technical use sets it apart from other terms for sexual activity (such as שָׁכַב, 'to lie [with]'). The Septuagint and later translations sometimes render the term generically, but its original nuance was more technical and precise. The term does not appear to have referred to romantic or emotional aspects of marriage, but rather to the concrete legal/physical responsibility. Later usage (post-biblical) sometimes conflated the term with the broader concept of marital rights in general. The translation as 'duty of marriage' in older sources reflects these later developments and may not capture the precise technical nuance of the biblical period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root apparently meaning to dwell together; sexual (cohabitation); duty of marriage.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

ענה (ʿ-n-h) — answer, respond, assign, allot

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1042 בֵּית עֲנוֹת answering of
H1195 בַּעֲנָא Son of Affliction
H1196 בַּעֲנָה In Affliction
H2057 וַנְיָה Yah Answers
H3283 יָעֵן ostriches

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5772-01 וְ/עֹנָתָ֖/הּ veonatah HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs and her marital rights and her allotted conjugal-duty 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5772-01 Exodus 21:10 וְ/עֹנָתָ֖/הּ veonatah HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs and her marital rights and her allotted conjugal-duty
← H5771 Hebrew Lexicon H5773 →