זֹנוֹת
𐤆𐤍𐤅𐤕
zônôwth
H2185 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
Plural feminine participle: those engaging in illicit sexual activity, typically referring to women who offer sexual services outside the bounds of accepted social or marital relationships (prostitutes, harlots). In certain contexts, also serves as a metaphor for spiritual or cultic unfaithfulness, or as a derogatory generalization for women engaging in forbidden sexual behavior. Alternative, rare proposals suggesting 'military equipments' are not lexically or contextually supported.
Semantic Range
women engaging in prostitution (prostitutes, harlots), women characterized by sexual infidelity, metaphor for collective unfaithfulness or apostasy; derogatory reference to women perceived as immoral
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root זנה (z-n-h), whose root meaning is 'to commit illicit sexual intercourse, be unfaithful.' זנות is the feminine plural participle form, denoting 'those engaging in prostitution' (harlots/prostitutes). Previous suggestions of a connection to a root זוּן (z-w-n) meaning 'to arm, equip' are based on the Aramaic/Phoenician cognate but are not supported in biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
זֹנוֹת appears primarily in narrative and legal passages describing women who engaged in prostitution, whether cultic (associated with temples) or secular (social/economic). In prophetic and wisdom literature, the plural often has metaphorical import, referring to apostasy or general unfaithfulness, especially when Israel is described as acting 'like harlots' in relation to their deity. The form is unambiguously tied to sexual misconduct; the rare proposal that the term refers to 'military equipment' stems from mistaken cross-linguistic readings and has been rejected in modern scholarship. Later translations sometimes introduce the term 'harlot' or, anachronistically, 'prostitute,' but neither English term fully captures the range of nuance, especially the metaphorical dimension in the prophetic texts. The term is always pejorative, signaling significant social and religious transgression in the biblical world. Not to be confused with the word זָנְיוֹת (zanayot), which may describe whoredom in the abstract, nor with זָנָה as a verb, though all are related.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
regarded by some as if from זוּן or an unused root, and applied to military equipments; but evidently the feminine plural active participle of זָנָה; harlots; armour.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זנה (z-n-h) — to engage in illicit sexual relations, to act unfaithfully, to prostitute
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2181 | זָנָה | with the prostitute |
| H2183 | זָנוּן | her habitual fornications |
| H2184 | זְנוּת | in their sexual infidelity |
| H8457 | תַּזְנוּת | in their prostitution |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2185-02 |
זֹנ֖וֹת | zonot | HVqrfpa |
prostitutes | prostituting women | 1 |
H2185-01 |
וְ/הַ/זֹּנ֖וֹת | vehazonot | HC/Td/Vqrfpa |
and-the-prostitutes | the prostituting women | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2185-02 |
1 Kings 3:16 | זֹנ֖וֹת | zonot | HVqrfpa |
prostitutes | prostituting women |
H2185-01 |
1 Kings 22:38 | וְ/הַ/זֹּנ֖וֹת | vehazonot | HC/Td/Vqrfpa |
and-the-prostitutes | the prostituting women |