זָנָה zânâh — to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment)
Translated in the KJV as commit fornication, × continually, × great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, go a-whoring, whorish.
a primitive root [highly fed and therefore wanton]; to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah).
zânâh in each stem
Qal (Pa'al)
Participle (active) 37Wayyiqtol 17Perfect (qatal) 9Imperfect (yiqtol) 8Infinitive construct 6Sequential perfect (weqatal) 2Infinitive absolute 1
And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Hiph'il
Perfect (qatal) 4Infinitive construct 2Wayyiqtol 2Infinitive absolute 1
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
Pu'al
Perfect (qatal) 1
And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
What the stems mean
A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›