H2181 — זָנָה (zânâh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H2181
Original: זָנָה
Transliteration: zânâh
Pronunciation: zaw-naw
Part of Speech: Verb
Occurrences: 107 tokens in 81 unique verses across 19 books
First Occurrence: Gen 34:31
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A verb meaning to commit whoredom, play the harlot, go a-whoring, or commit fornication. In figurative prophetic usage it becomes one of the central OT verbs for idolatrous covenant infidelity.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

The renderings are highly varied because the word spans literal prostitution, cultic whoredom, and prophetic metaphor. The most frequent renderings are:

Translation	Verses	%
an harlot	5	6.2%
and went a whoring	3	3.7%
hath played the harlot	3	3.7%
of an harlot	3	3.7%
whorish	3	3.7%
play the harlot / played the harlot	3+	—
whoredom / commit whoredom	4+	—

The lexical center is stable even when the English phrasing varies: illicit sexual unfaithfulness, extended figuratively to spiritual adultery.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hosea	11	5.6
Nahum	1	2.1
Ezekiel	19	1.5
Joel	1	1.4
Judges	6	1.0
Leviticus	7	0.8
Jeremiah	6	0.4
Isaiah	5	0.4

Ezekiel and Hosea dominate the figurative-prophetic usage. Judges, Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers show how the verb becomes attached to covenantal/idolatrous departure.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Literal prostitution or harlot-status¶

Gen 34:31 — "deal with our sister as with an harlot?"
Jos 2:1 — Rahab is called a harlot.
Deu 23:19 — prostitution appears in legal context.

2. Covenant people going after other gods¶

Exo 34:15-16 — Israel is warned not to go a-whoring after the gods of the land.
Num 25:1 — Israel begins to commit whoredom with Moab.
Jdg 2:17 — Israel quickly goes a-whoring after other gods.

3. Prophetic metaphor for spiritual adultery¶

Jer 3:6-9 — backsliding Israel commits adultery and plays the harlot.
Ezk 16:15-17, 26, 28 — Jerusalem's idolatries are narrated as whoredom.
Ezk 23:3, 5, 19, 30 — the two sisters' apostasy is cast in extended harlot imagery.

4. Hosea's covenant-lawsuit vocabulary¶

Hos 4:12-15 — whoredom is linked to spirit, idolatry, and Israel's corruption.
Hos 5:3 — Ephraim's whoredom defiles Israel.
Hos 9:1 — Israel has gone a-whoring from its God.

5. Broader metaphor of seductive corruption¶

Nah 3:4 — Nineveh's corrupting power is cast as whoredoms.
Mic 1:7 — whoredom language is tied to idol hire and cultic corruption.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Parser sampling shows Qal as the dominant stem by a wide margin, covering participles, perfects, infinitives, imperfects, and wayyiqtol forms. A smaller Hiphil layer appears where the sense is causative, such as causing someone to commit whoredom.

Representative parser-confirmed forms: - Qal participle: Gen 34:31; Jos 2:1 - Qal perfect: Exo 34:15; Deu 31:16 - Qal infinitive construct: Num 25:1; Deu 22:21 - Hiphil perfect / infinitive: Exo 34:16; Lev 19:29

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה	H3068	13x	whoredom is against YHWH
יִשְׂרָאֵל	H3478	13x	national covenant infidelity
אִשָּׁה	H802	16x	literal and figurative woman/harlot frame
אַחַר	H310	17x	going after others/gods
אֱלֹהִים	H430	11x	the false-worship contrast

H4878 מְשׁוּבָה (mᵉshûwbâh) — backsliding; often paired conceptually with zanah.
H898 בָּגַד (bagad) — treachery; marital/covenantal betrayal language.
G4203 πορνεύω (porneuō) — main Greek verbal counterpart.
G4202 πορνεία (porneia) — noun for fornication/sexual immorality.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
קְדֵשָׁה	H6948	harlot	cult-prostitute term, narrower than zanah
אִשָּׁה	H802	harlot (in phrase contexts)	ordinary word for woman/wife, not a whoredom verb
מָעַל	H4603	commit	general trespass/treachery, not specifically harlot imagery

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	Note
ἐκπορνεύω	G1608	36	strong figurative/literal unchastity bridge
πόρνη	G4204	23	harlot/idolatress noun
πορνεύω	G4203	15	direct verbal counterpart
πορνεία	G4202	12	noun for the act/state of whoredom

This is a very strong and stable lexical bridge. The existing trace file already captures the zanah -> porne family relationship.