English · KJV
H2184

זְנוּת

zᵉnûwth /zen-ooth'/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom זָנָה
Meaningadultery, i.e. (figuratively) infidelity, idolatry
KJV usagewhoredom.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of zᵉnûwth — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word zᵉnûwth, represented by H2184, primarily denotes whoredom. Its base definition extends from adultery to the figurative meanings of infidelity and idolatry. It appears a total of 9 times across 9 unique verses in the Bible, consistently used to describe a profound spiritual unfaithfulness.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical prophecy, H2184 is overwhelmingly used to characterize Israel's apostasy. The nation's worship of idols is equated with adultery, an act that pollutes the land and violates its sacred covenant with God Jeremiah 3:2. This spiritual "whoredom" is considered a defilement of God's holy name, a barrier that must be put away before He will dwell in their midst (Ezekiel 43:7, Ezekiel 43:9). The consequences are severe, with the prophets warning that the children of the unfaithful generation would "bear" their parents' whoredoms in the wilderness Numbers 14:33.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand on the concept of spiritual and moral corruption associated with H2184:

  • H2154 zimmâh (lewdness, wicked device): This term signifies a heinous crime or a wicked plan. It appears alongside whoredom to describe the depth of Jerusalem's depravity Jeremiah 13:27.
  • H2610 chânêph (to soil, defile, pollute): This root word describes moral and spiritual contamination. Israel is said to have polluted the land through its whoredoms and wickedness Jeremiah 3:2.
  • H5003 nâʼaph (to commit adultery): As the direct act of adultery, this word is used in parallel with H2184 to describe how Israel defiled the land and committed adultery with idols of stone and wood Jeremiah 3:9.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H2184 is centered on the covenant relationship between God and His people, portraying sin as an act of betrayal.

  • Spiritual Adultery: The term powerfully frames idolatry not as a simple mistake, but as a violation of a sacred, exclusive relationship. By turning to idols, Israel is described as committing adultery "with stones and with stocks" Jeremiah 3:9.
  • Source of Defilement: This spiritual whoredom is a contaminating force. It defiles the house of Israel Hosea 6:10, pollutes the land Jeremiah 3:2, and prevents God from dwelling with His people Ezekiel 43:9.
  • Corruption of the Heart: The prophets teach that this behavior has a deep internal effect. Hosea states that whoredom, along with wine, "take away the heart," indicating a loss of wisdom and devotion to God Hosea 4:11.

Summary

In summary, H2184 serves as a potent and recurring metaphor for infidelity against God. It moves beyond the physical act of adultery to define the essence of idolatry as a grievous betrayal of the divine covenant. This "whoredom" is depicted as a corrupting influence that defiles people, pollutes the land, and severs the intimate bond between God and His chosen nation.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 9 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • זְנוּתָ
  • זְנוּתֵי
  • זְנוּת

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H2154 זִמָּה or זַמָּה; from זָמַם; a plan, especially a bad one; heinous crime, lewd(-ly, -ness), mischief, purpose, thought, wicked H2610 חָנֵף a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense; corrupt, defile, [idiom] greatly, pollute, profane. H5003 נָאַף a primitive root; to commit adultery; figuratively, to apostatize; adulterer(-ess), commit(-ing) adultery, woman that br

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 9 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (3 verses each); never once in the other 35.

1
Numbers
3
Jeremiah
3
Ezekiel
2
Hosea

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.