### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **zâraʻ**, represented by `{{H2232}}`, is a primitive root that means **to sow**. It appears 56 times across 54 unique verses. Figuratively, its meaning expands to include disseminating, planting, and causing to fructify, as well as to bear or conceive seed, and to yield a harvest.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its most direct sense, `{{H2232}}` is central to agriculture in the biblical narrative. It describes the literal act of planting, such as when Isaac **sowed** in the land and received a hundredfold blessing from the Lord [[Genesis 26:12]]. The term is also used in legal contexts, such as the command not to **sow** a field with mingled seed [[Leviticus 19:19]]. The word also extends to human biology, where it signifies conception, as in the law concerning a woman who has "conceived **seed**" [[Leviticus 12:2]]. Figuratively, the term is used to describe God's work of restoration, where He promises to **sow** the house of Israel and Judah with new life [[Jeremiah 31:27]] and to **sow** a people for Himself in the earth [[Hosea 2:23]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words build on the agricultural and figurative concepts of sowing:
* `{{H2233}}` **zeraʻ** (seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity): This noun is the direct object and result of the verb `{{H2232}}`. It appears in the first chapter of Genesis, where God creates plants "yielding **seed**" [[Genesis 1:11]].
* `{{H2790}}` **chârash** (to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough): This word describes the act of plowing, which prepares the ground for sowing. The two actions are linked figuratively in the warning that those who **plow** iniquity and **sow** wickedness will reap the same [[Job 4:8]].
* `{{H7114}}` **qâtsar** (to dock off, i.e. curtail; especially to harvest (grass or grain); reap): This word for reaping represents the direct consequence of sowing. It is frequently paired with `{{H2232}}` to illustrate a fundamental principle, as in the promise that those who **sow** in tears shall **reap** in joy [[Psalms 126:5]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H2232}}` is captured in the principle of sowing and reaping, which applies to both moral and spiritual realities.
* **Moral Accountability:** Scripture repeatedly uses this agricultural metaphor to teach that actions have consequences. One who "soweth **iniquity**" will reap vanity [[Proverbs 22:8]], and those who have "sown **the wind**" will reap the whirlwind [[Hosea 8:7]]. Conversely, one is exhorted to "**sow** to yourselves in righteousness" to reap in mercy [[Hosea 10:12]].
* **Divine Action and Blessing:** The outcome of sowing is ultimately dependent on God. In times of disobedience, the people **sow** much but bring in little [[Haggai 1:6]]. In contrast, God’s blessing is described as Him giving "the rain of thy **seed**" [[Isaiah 30:23]] and that He is the one who gives "seed **to the sower**" [[Isaiah 55:10]].
* **Spiritual Fructification:** The act of sowing is used to describe spiritual realities. For the faithful, "Light is **sown** for the righteous" [[Psalms 97:11]]. God's redemptive work includes promises to **sow** His people among the nations, where they will remember Him and live [[Zechariah 10:9]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2232}}` is a concept that extends far beyond the farmer's field. It establishes a foundational principle of cause and effect that governs the natural world, human morality, and divine justice. The act of sowing, whether it be with grain, actions, or even people, carries an inherent promise of a future harvest. It powerfully illustrates how a person's choices and obedience to God directly determine their ultimate outcome.