זָרָה
𐤆𐤓𐤄
zârâh
H2219 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To winnow or scatter, especially to toss grain or chaff in the air to separate, by extension to disperse, scatter, or spread objects or persons. The term primarily refers to an agricultural process of separating grain from chaff or impurities using wind. In broader contexts, it conveys the act of dispersing, scattering, or casting away (material objects, groups of people, or metaphorically, fortunes or circumstances).
Semantic Range
to winnow (grain), to scatter (chaff, people, objects), to toss about, to spread, to disperse, to cast away, to strew, to diffuse
Root / Etymology
From the root זרה, which fundamentally means 'to scatter' or 'to winnow.' The verb possesses a characteristic imagery of agricultural winnowing, expanded metaphorically to the dispersal or scattering of people or things. Not to be confused with the root זוּר (zur), which refers to being a stranger or foreign, although some metaphorical convergence may occur in extended uses.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, זָרָה is used predominantly in agricultural contexts, such as winnowing grain (Ruth 3:2; Isaiah 41:16), but also appears in figurative or metaphoric settings signifying the scattering of people (e.g., Israelite exile or dispersion; Jeremiah 31:10). The term occurs primarily in texts from the monarchic and exilic periods but persists in post-exilic literature in similar figurative functions. When used for people, the act of 'scattering' can imply divine judgment or the effects of calamity, but the underlying image is physical dispersal, not inherently theological. English translations sometimes restrict the meaning to 'winnow' or 'scatter,' but the word's range comprises both deliberate agricultural processes and metaphorical separation or removal. It should not be confused with verbs for exile or forced migration (e.g., גלה, galah), although the imagery may sometimes overlap, especially in poetic passages. There is no consistent distinction in biblical usage between casting away inanimate objects and scattering people, as both derive from the same root action of physically tossing or dispersing.
Translation Consistency
'Scatter' is the most natural, broadly applicable English verb that covers the primary agricultural sense (winnowing = scattering grain/chaff) and the frequent figurative senses (disperse, spread, cast away). It is already the dominant choice in existing renderings and will provide consistent, easy-to-understand renderings across all forms of H2219.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root (compare זוּר); to toss about; by implication, to diffuse, winnow; cast away, compass, disperse, fan, scatter (away), spread, strew, winnow.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זרה (z-r-h) — to scatter, to winnow, to disperse
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2239 | זֶרֶת | in the hand-span |
| H4214 | מִזְרֶה | with a winnowing shovel |
| H4215 | מְזָרֶה | and from scatterers |
Word Forms
25 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2219-15 |
וְ/זֵרִיתִ֥י | vezeriti | HC/Vpq1cs |
and I will scatter | and I scattered abroad | and I scattered abroad | 5 |
H2219-17 |
וְ/זֵרִתִ֥י/ם | vezeritim | HC/Vpq1cs/Sp3mp |
and I will scatter them | and I scattered them | and I will scatter them | 4 |
H2219-05 |
מְזָרֵ֤ה | mezareh | HVprmsc |
winnows | winnowing-scatterer of | winnowing-scatterer of | 3 |
H2219-02 |
אֱזָרֶ֣ה | ezareh | HVpi1cs |
I will scatter | I will scatter thoroughly | I will scatter thoroughly | 3 |
H2219-24 |
זֵר֣וּ | zeru | HVpp3cp |
have scattered | they have scattered widely | they have scattered widely | 2 |
H2219-25 |
זֹרֶ֥ה | zoreh | HVqrmsa |
winnowing | the one who winnows | the one who scatters | 2 |
H2219-08 |
תִּזְרֵ/ם֙ | tizerem | HVqi2ms/Sp3mp |
you will throw them away | you will scatter them | you will scatter them | 2 |
H2219-19 |
יְזָ֣רוּ | yezaru | HVpi3mp |
spread | they will scatter widely | will scatter widely | 1 |
H2219-14 |
וְ/זֵרָ֖/ם | vezeram | HC/Vpp3ms/Sp3mp |
and-will-scatter-them | and he scattered them | and he will scatter them | 1 |
H2219-23 |
זֵרִיתָֽ/נוּ | zeritanu | HVpp2ms/Sp1cp |
you have scattered us | you thoroughly scattered us | you thoroughly scattered us | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
39 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2219-13 |
Exodus 32:20 | וַ/יִּ֨זֶר֙ | vayizer | HC/Vqw3ms |
and scattered | and he scattered | and he scattered |
H2219-02 |
Leviticus 26:33 | אֱזָרֶ֣ה | ezareh | HVpi1cs |
I-will-scatter | I will scatter thoroughly | I will scatter thoroughly |
H2219-21 |
Numbers 17:2 | זְרֵה | zereh | HVqv2ms |
scatter | Scatter! | Scatter |
H2219-14 |
1 Kings 14:15 | וְ/זֵרָ֖/ם | vezeram | HC/Vpp3ms/Sp3mp |
and-will-scatter-them | and he scattered them | and he will scatter them |
H2219-08 |
Isaiah 30:22 | תִּזְרֵ/ם֙ | tizerem | HVqi2ms/Sp3mp |
you will throw them away | you will scatter them | you will scatter them |
H2219-25 |
Isaiah 30:24 | זֹרֶ֥ה | zoreh | HVqrmsa |
winnowing | the one who winnows | the one who winnows |
H2219-08 |
Isaiah 41:16 | תִּזְרֵ/ם֙ | tizerem | HVqi2ms/Sp3mp |
you will winnow them | you will scatter them | you will scatter them |
H2219-04 |
Jeremiah 4:11 | לִ/זְר֖וֹת | lizerot | HR/Vqc |
for-winnowing | to winnow | to winnow |
H2219-11 |
Jeremiah 15:7 | וָ/אֶזְרֵ֥/ם | vaezerem | HC/Vqw1cs/Sp3mp |
and I winnowed them | and I scattered them | and I winnowed them |
H2219-05 |
Jeremiah 31:10 | מְזָרֵ֤ה | mezareh | HVprmsc |
who-scattered | winnowing-scatterer of | winnowing-scatterer of |