Lexical Summary
zimmah: Wickedness, lewdness, plan, scheme
Original Word:זִמָּה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:zimmah
Pronunciation:zim-mah
Phonetic Spelling:(zim-maw')
KJV: heinous crime, lewd(-ly, -ness), mischief, purpose, thought, wicked (device, mind, -ness)
NASB:lewdness, lewd, immorality, wickedness, acts of lewdness, crime, devising
Word Origin:[fromH2161 (זָמַם - purposed)]
1. a plan, especially a bad one
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
heinous crime, lewdly mischief, wicked device
Or zammah {zam-maw'}; fromzamam; a plan, especially a bad one -- heinous crime, lewd(-ly, -ness), mischief, purpose, thought, wicked (device, mind, -ness).
see HEBREWzamam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zamamDefinitiona plan, device, wickedness
NASB Translationacts of lewdness (1), crime (1), devising (1), evil intent (1), immorality (2), lewd (3), lewdly (1), lewdness (13), lustful crime (1), plans (1), wicked scheme (1), wicked schemes (1), wickedness (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. — absolute
Leviticus 18:17 17t.; construct
Proverbs 24:9 2t.; suffix
Ezekiel 16:58 + 3t.;
Ezekiel 23:48,49; plural
Isaiah 32:7, suffix
Job 17:11; —
plan, purposeJob 17:3; elsewhere always
:
evil deviceIsaiah 32:7 (with , followed by );Proverbs 24:9; comparePsalm 26:10 ("" ),Psalm 119:150.
wickedness in actHosea 6:9 (where murder in context),Proverbs 10:23;Proverbs 21:27 compare Now. Especially
: incestLeviticus 18:17;Leviticus 20:14 (twice in verse), licentiousnessLeviticus 19:29 (all H),Judges 20:6 ("" ), adulteryJob 31:11; frequently (mostly Ezekiel) metaphor of idolatry of people under figure of harlotry and adulteryJeremiah 13:27 (),Ezekiel 16:27 (),Ezekiel 16:43;Ezekiel 16:58 (both "" ),Ezekiel 22:9 (with ),Ezekiel 22:11 (, "" ),Ezekiel 23:21,27 ("" ),Ezekiel 23:29 ( ),Ezekiel 23:35 ("" ),Ezekiel 23:44 (, Co ),Ezekiel 23:48;Ezekiel 23:48;Ezekiel 23:49 ("" ),Ezekiel 24:13. [InEzekiel 16:27,43;Ezekiel 24:13 strike out Co, chiefly on internal grounds.]
Topical Lexicon
Word Overviewזִמָּה (zimmah) depicts calculated evil—whether expressed through sexual perversion, violent outrage, or pre-meditated schemes. While its root can describe any deliberate plan, every Old Testament context assigns a morally negative sense. The term therefore confronts Israel (and every reader) with the reality of sin in its most intentional form: wickedness birthed in the heart, pursued with purpose, and destructive both personally and corporately.
Legal Prohibitions in the Torah
1. Sexual Depravity
In the holiness code zimmah marks the most flagrant violations of God’s design for family and covenant:
•Leviticus 18:17—intercourse with a woman and her daughter: “It is depravity.”
•Leviticus 19:29—prostituting one’s daughter threatens to saturate the land “with depravity.”
•Leviticus 20:14—marrying a woman and her mother is “depraved”; all parties are burned to eradicate the evil.
These statutes underscore that zimmah is not merely private immorality; it contaminates the whole community, demanding decisive judgment so that “Israel may be holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 20:26).
2. Premeditation as Aggravation
Unlike sins of rash impulse, zimmah brings heavier penalty because it is conceived, planned, and defended. God’s law therefore exposes the heart-level plotting beneath outward behavior (cp.Deuteronomy 19:19 for the cognate verb zamam).
National Scandals and Judicial Context
Judges 20:6 records the Levite’s indictment of Gibeah: “They committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.” The civil war that followed illustrates how unchecked zimmah can fracture a nation. Similarly, in2 Samuel 13:12 Tamar pleads with Amnon before her rape: “No, my brother! Do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not commit this outrage.” Her cry shows that zimmah was recognized as covenantal treachery, threatening Israel’s distinctiveness among the nations.
Prophetic Denunciations
Jeremiah repeatedly exposes leaders who “plan iniquity” (Jeremiah 11:15; 13:27). Ezekiel applies zimmah to Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness, portraying the city as a brazen prostitute whose calculated harlotries surpass those of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:27, 16:43, 16:59). Because the people’s sins are deliberate, divine retribution is likewise purposeful—measured, just, and aimed at eventual restoration.
Reflections in Wisdom Literature
Job 31:11 calls adultery “a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.”Proverbs 24:9 (using the related term mezimmah) warns, “The schemes of folly are sin,” reinforcing that sinful planning itself—not only the act—incurs guilt.Proverbs 21:27 intensifies worship ethics: “How much more when he brings it with evil intent!” Even sacrifices displease God if laced with zimmah.
Theological Import
1. Sin as Intentional Rebellion
Zimmah reveals sin’s depth: humans devise ways to subvert God’s order. Such plotting echoesGenesis 6:5, preparing the theological ground forRomans 3:9–18, where Paul unites Jew and Gentile under the indictment of deliberate evil.
2. Holiness of God
The Lord responds to zimmah with proportional sanctity. Fire (Leviticus 20:14), exile (Ezekiel 16), and civil war (Judges 20) all show that a holy God cannot coexist with calculated wickedness among His covenant people.
3. Necessity of Atonement
Because zimmah springs from the heart, mere external reform cannot remove it. Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to the once-for-all offering of Jesus Christ, “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” (Titus 2:14).
Ministry Implications
• Shepherding: Leaders must confront hidden plots—whether sexual or otherwise—before they rip apart families and congregations (Hebrews 12:15).
• Discipline: Church discipline mirrors Levitical measures, aiming not only to protect the body but also to reclaim sinners from deliberate paths of destruction (1 Corinthians 5:5).
• Prevention: Teaching God’s design for sexuality and integrity inoculates the next generation against culture’s normalization of zimmah.
• Gospel Hope: Even those once absorbed in “all kinds of wicked schemes” (Romans 1:30) can be “washed, sanctified, and justified” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Proclaiming this hope is essential in an age where depravity is often celebrated.
Summary
Zimmah exposes the willful dimension of human wickedness, ranging from sexual abominations to carefully crafted plots. Scripture records its corrosive effects on individuals, families, and nations, yet simultaneously magnifies God’s unwavering holiness and redeeming grace. Recognizing, resisting, and repenting of zimmah remain vital for the church’s witness and for every believer’s pursuit of holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Forms and Transliterations
בְזִמָּ֑ה בְזִמָּ֥ה בזמה הַזִּמָּ֔ה הַזִּמָּֽה׃ הזמה הזמה׃ וְזִמָּתֵ֖ךְ וזמתך זִמַּ֣ת זִמַּתְכֶ֙נָה֙ זִמָּ֑ה זִמָּ֖ה זִמָּ֣ה זִמָּ֥ה זִמָּֽה׃ זִמָּתֵ֖ךְ זִמָּתֵ֥ךְ זִמָּתֵךְ֙ זִמֹּתַ֣י זִמּ֣וֹת זמה זמה׃ זמות זמת זמתי זמתך זמתכנה כְּזִמַּתְכֶֽנָה׃ כזמתכנה׃ ḇə·zim·māh ḇəzimmāh haz·zim·māh hazzimMah hazzimmāh kə·zim·maṯ·ḵe·nāh kezimmatChenah kəzimmaṯḵenāh vezimMah vezimmaTech wə·zim·mā·ṯêḵ wəzimmāṯêḵ zim·mā·ṯêḵ zim·māh zim·maṯ zim·maṯ·ḵe·nāh zim·mō·ṯay zim·mō·wṯ zimMah zimmāh zimMat zimmaṯ zimmatChenah zimmaTech zimmāṯêḵ zimmaṯḵenāh zimMot zimmoTai zimmōṯay zimmōwṯ
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