זרע

Aramaic

Verb

זְרַע • (zəraʿ)

1. to sow, to seed, to plant

Hebrew

Root
ז־ר־ע (z-r-ʿ)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *zarʕ- (“seed”). Cognate with Akkadian 𒆰 (zērum, “seed”), Arabic زَرَعَ (zaraʕa, “to sow”), زَرْع (zarʕ, “seed”), and Aramaic זְרַע (zəraʿ, “to sow”), זַרְעָא (zarʿā, “seed”).

Pronunciation 1

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zaˈraʕ/
• (Samaritan Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zɒ.rɒ/, [ˈzɒː.rɒˑ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zɔːˈraʕ/, [zɔˑˈʀaː.aʕ]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zɔˈraʕ/, [zɔːˈræːʕ]
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zɔˈʁ̞a/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zaˈʁ̞a/

Verb

זָרַע • (zará') (pa'al construction)

1. to seed, to sow
   • Tanach, Psalms 126:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ׃

     hazor'ím b'dim'á b'riná yiktsóru.
     hazzōrəʿīm bəḏimʿā bərinnā yiqṣṓrū.

     They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

2. to spread, to disseminate

Conjugation

Conjugation of זָרַע (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לזרוע / לִזְרֹעַ action noun: זְרִיעָה passive participle: זָרוּעַ
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	זָרַעְתִּי		זָרַעְנוּ
	second	זָרַעְתָּ	זָרַעְתְּ	זְרַעְתֶּם1	זְרַעְתֶּן1
	third	זָרַע	זָרְעָה	זָרְעוּ
present		זוֹרֵעַ	זוֹרַעַת	זוֹרְעִים	זוֹרְעוֹת
future	first	אֶזְרַע		נִזְרַע
	second	תִּזְרַע	תִּזְרְעִי	תִּזְרְעוּ	תִּזְרַעְנָה2
	third	יִזְרַע	תִּזְרַע	יִזְרְעוּ	תִּזְרַעְנָה2
imperative		זְרַע	זִרְעִי	זִרְעוּ	זְרַעְנָה2
notes		Pronounced זָרַעְתֶּם and זָרַעְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Pronunciation 2

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /zarʕ/
• (Samaritan Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ze.ra/, [ˈzeː.ræˑ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ.raʕ/, [ˈzɛː.ʀaʕ]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈza.raʕ/, [ˈzæː.ræʕ]
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ.ʁ̞a/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈze.ʁ̞a/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

זֶרַע • (zéra') m (plural indefinite זְרָעִים) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. seed
2. (Biblical Hebrew) seedtime
   • Tanach, Genesis 8:22, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     עֹד כָּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיֹום וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ׃

     While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

3. semen

   Synonym: נוֹזֵל זֶרַע

   • Mishneh Torah, Laws of Other Sources of Defilement 5:17

     שכבת זַרְעוֹ של עכו״ם טהור

   • Tanach, Leviticus 15:16:

     וְאִישׁ כִּי תֵצֵא מִמֶּנּוּ שִׁכְבַת זָרַע וְרָחַץ בַּמַּיִם אֶת כָּל בְּשָׂרוֹ וְטָמֵא עַד הָעָרֶב׃

     v'-ish ki tetse' mimenu shikhvat zara v'rakhats bamayim et kol b'saro v'tame' ad ha'arev.

     When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

4. offspring, descendants, scions
   • Tanach, Genesis 22:17, with translation of the New International Version:

     כִּי בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכַחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם וְיִרַשׁ זַרְעֲךָ אֵת שַׁעַר אֹיְבָיו׃

     I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

   • Tanach, Ezra 9:2:

     כִּי־נָשְׂאוּ מִבְּנֹתֵיהֶם לָהֶם וְלִבְנֵיהֶם וְהִתְעָרְבוּ זֶרַע הַקֹּדֶשׁ

     ki-nashu mibenotihem lahem ve'libenihem v'hitarebu zera hakodesh.

     For they have taken their daughters for themselves and for their sons and they have mingled the holy race.

Declension

Declension of זֶרַע

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	זֶרַע	first	זַרְעִי		זַרְעֵנוּ
	definite	הַזֶּרַע	second	זַרְעֲךָ	זַרְעֵךְ	זַרְעֲכֶם	זַרְעֲכֶן
	construct	זֶרַע־	third	זַרְעוֹ	זַרְעָהּ	זַרְעָם	זַרְעָן
plural	indefinite	זְרָעִים	first	זרעיי / זְרָעַי		זְרָעֵינוּ
	definite	הַזְּרָעִים	second	זְרָעֶיךָ	זרעייך / זְרָעַיִךְ	זַרְעֵיכֶם	זַרְעֵיכֶן
	construct	זַרְעֵי־	third	זְרָעָיו	זְרָעֶיהָ	זַרְעֵיהֶם	זַרְעֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• תָּא זֶרַע
• זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה
• צינור הזרע / צִנּוֹר הַזֶּרַע (tsinór hazéra)
• שלפוחית זרע (shalpukhít zéra')

References

• H2232 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• H2233 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Anagrams

• עזר