Lexical Summary
zenuth: Prostitution, harlotry, fornication, unfaithfulness
Original Word:זְנוּת
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:znuwth
Pronunciation:zeh-NOOTH
Phonetic Spelling:(zen-ooth')
KJV: whoredom
NASB:harlotry, prostitution, unfaithfulness
Word Origin:[fromH2181 (זָנָה - played the harlot)]
1. adultery, i.e. (figuratively) infidelity, idolatry
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
whoredom
Fromzanah; adultery, i.e. (figuratively) infidelity, idolatry -- whoredom.
see HEBREWzanah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zanahDefinitionfornication
NASB Translationharlotry (6), prostitution (1), unfaithfulness (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; —
Hosea 4:11;
Hosea 6:10; suffix
Jeremiah 13:27;
Ezekiel 23:27;
Jeremiah 3:9;
Ezekiel 43:7,9;
Jeremiah 3:2;
Numbers 14:38.
Hosea 4:11.
Ezekiel 23:27.
Numbers 14:33 (J)Jeremiah 3:2,9;Jeremiah 13:27;Ezekiel 43:7,9;Hosea 6:10 (where WeX1. Proph. suggests ); compare
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scopeזְנוּת stands for prostitution or whoredom, but in Scripture it regularly widens to signify covenant-breaking and spiritual infidelity. Whether applied to literal sexual sin or to idolatry, the term always marks a breach of exclusive devotion owed to the LORD.
Occurrences in the Old Testament
The noun appears nine times:Numbers 14:33,Jeremiah 3:2,Jeremiah 3:9,Jeremiah 13:27,Ezekiel 23:27,Ezekiel 43:7,Ezekiel 43:9,Hosea 4:11,Hosea 6:10. In the Pentateuch it describes Israel’s unbelief at Kadesh-barnea; in the Prophets it exposes the nation’s ongoing apostasy; in Hosea it becomes a keynote of the prophet’s message.
Literal and Metaphorical Dimensions
1. Literal immorality—Hosea 4:11 links “prostitution, wine, and new wine” as forces that “take away understanding,” showing the erosion of moral discernment in Israelite society.
2. Metaphorical idolatry—Jeremiah 3:2 pictures Judah sitting by the roads “like a nomad in the desert,” defiling the land with her prostitution. The sexual metaphor intensifies the horror of worshiping foreign gods.
Generational Consequences of Spiritual Infidelity
Numbers 14:33 warns, “Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and bear the penalty for your whoredom.” Faithlessness forfeits inheritance and burdens the next generation. The verse frames זְנוּת as a communal sin with long-range fallout, not merely a private failing.
Prophetic Exposure of National Apostasy
Jeremiah 13:27 cries, “Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution … I have seen your detestable acts.”Ezekiel 23:27 forecasts that the LORD Himself will “put an end to your lewdness and prostitution.” The prophets refuse to separate public policy, temple ritual, and personal morality; all sit under one covenant, so violation in any sphere is labeled זְנוּת.
Relationship to Idolatry and Cultic Prostitution
Because Canaanite religion employed ritual sex to secure fertility, Israel’s lapse into Baal and Asherah worship often involved literal harlotry.Ezekiel 43:7 links “prostitution” with “funeral offerings for their kings at their high places,” tying sexual perversion to political-religious syncretism. The impurity threatened the very sanctity of the future temple.
Impact on Covenant Land and Sanctuary
Jeremiah 3:9 states that Israel “defiled the land” by her prostitution.Ezekiel 43:7–9 repeats the concern for holy space. Land and sanctuary are not neutral geography; they manifest God’s dwelling among His people. זְנוּת pollutes what is intended to be holy, necessitating exile and temple cleansing.
Eschatological Hope and Restoration
While judgment dominates these passages, hope glimmers.Ezekiel 43:9 promises, “Now let them put away their prostitution … and I will dwell among them forever.” The remedy is repentance that leads to renewed presence. The New Covenant ultimately answers the problem, as Christ “loved the church and gave Himself up for her … to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish” (Ephesians 5:25–27).
Ministry Implications for the Church Today
• Uphold exclusive allegiance to God; syncretism remains modern זְנוּת.
• Confront sexual immorality as a gospel issue, not merely a social one.
• Teach corporate responsibility: individual compromise affects the whole body.
• Proclaim grace that both cleanses past unfaithfulness and empowers present holiness.
Key Themes for Personal Reflection
1. Covenant fidelity versus cultural accommodation.
2. The spiritual cost of compromised worship.
3. Generational influence of today’s obedience or rebellion.
4. God’s jealousy that issues both judgment and restorative mercy.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ בִּזְנוּתָ֔ם בזנותיך בזנותם זְנ֛וּת זְנ֣וּת זְנוּתֵ֔ךְ זְנוּתֵ֖ךְ זְנוּתֵיכֶ֑ם זְנוּתָ֔הּ זְנוּתָ֛ם זנות זנותה זנותיכם זנותך זנותם biz·nū·ṯa·yiḵ biz·nū·ṯām biznuTam biznūṯām biznuTayich biznūṯayiḵ zə·nū·ṯāh zə·nū·ṯām zə·nū·ṯê·ḵem zə·nū·ṯêḵ zə·nūṯ zeNut zənūṯ zenuTah zənūṯāh zenuTam zənūṯām zenuTech zenuteiChem zənūṯêḵ zənūṯêḵem
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