זוּן
𐤆𐤅𐤍
zûwn
H2110 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To provide sustenance or nourishment, particularly as an act of provisioning or supplying food; in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, 'זוּן' denotes the act of feeding, supporting, or maintaining in terms of material provision.
Semantic Range
to feed, to provision, to sustain, to supply with food or necessities, to support materially, to nourish
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain. Possibly related to the Hebrew root זו"ן, which in post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic relates to the idea of feeding, supplying, or sustaining with food. The formation is clearly Aramaic in origin; the root does not appear as an active verb in Biblical Hebrew, though it is attested in related Semitic languages.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb זוּן occurs in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, most notably in Daniel 4:12 (Aramaic section), where it refers to feeding or providing sustenance for animals ('all flesh was fed from it'). The concept of nourishment here is both literal (supplying food) and, by extension, figurative (providing necessary support for life). In later Jewish literature, especially Rabbinic Aramaic and post-biblical Hebrew, זו"ן becomes a common verb for 'to sustain' or 'to provide for.' This sense develops further into the notion of divine providence ('the One who sustains all creatures'). English translations often use 'to feed' or 'to nourish,' but these can miss the broader sense of ongoing support or provision inherent in this word in some contexts. There are no significant terminological differences by period because the word primarily appears in later biblical Aramaic and in contexts where the core meaning is consistent. Unlike related biblical Hebrew terms such as רָעָה (ra'ah, 'to tend, shepherd, feed'), זוּן emphasizes provision rather than the act of guiding or protecting as a shepherd does.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to זוּן; {perhaps properly, to be plump, i.e. (transitively) to nourish}; feed.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זון (z-w-n) — to supply, provide, nourish, feed
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2109 | זוּן | sustained ones |
| H2126 | זִינָא | Nourished-one |
| H2177 | זַן | kind |
| H4202 | מָזוֹן | the sustenance |
| H4203 | מָזוֹן | and food-provision |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2110-01 |
יִתְּזִ֥ין | yitezin | AVui3ms |
it-feeds | he will sustain himself | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2110-01 |
Daniel 4:9 | יִתְּזִ֥ין | yitezin | AVui3ms |
it-feeds | he will sustain himself |