זְנוּנִים
za.nun
fornication
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Zĕnûnîm (H2183): Fornication in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew term *zĕnûnîm* (זְנוּנִים) refers to fornication—illicit sexual relations outside of marriage. As a noun appearing twelve times in the biblical text, it functions as a discrete concept with sufficient importance to warrant its own lexical entry rather than being absorbed into related terms. The word's presence across multiple biblical contexts suggests that scribes and editors recognized it as a distinct category worthy of specific terminology. The relatively modest frequency of twelve occurrences indicates that while fornication was recognized as a significant concern in ancient Hebrew society, it was not the most frequently discussed ethical topic in the biblical corpus. This moderate usage pattern suggests the word served a practical purpose in religious and legal discourse without dominating Hebrew moral vocabulary. Its existence as a standalone lemma demonstrates that ancient Hebrew speakers distinguished fornication conceptually from related matters, treating it as a specific category of sexual transgression rather than a peripheral concern. Understanding *zĕnûnîm* requires recognizing it simply as the Hebrew linguistic tool available for naming this particular class of behavior. The word's definition—fornication—directly reflects the meaning ancient Hebrew speakers assigned to it, making it a straightforward window into how biblical communities categorized and discussed sexual ethics.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
12 total occurrences across the text
“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lusting than she, and in her prostitution which was more depraved than the prostitution of her sister.
Ezekiel 23:29They will deal with you in hatred, and will take away all your labor, and will leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your prostitution.
Hosea 1:2When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”
Hosea 1:2When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”
Hosea 2:2Contend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her prostitution from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
Hosea 2:4Indeed, on her children I will have no mercy; for they are children of unfaithfulness;
Hosea 4:12My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.
Hosea 5:4Their deeds won’t allow them to turn to their God; for the spirit of prostitution is within them, and they don’t know Yahweh.
Nahum 3:4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
Nahum 3:4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
Genesis 38:24About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
2 Kings 9:22When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace, so long as the prostitution of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft abound?”