זרע

Aramaic

Verb

זְרַע • (zəraʿ)

1. to sow, to seed, to plant

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Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ז־ר־ע (z-r-ʿ)

Compare Aramaic זְרַע (zəraʿ, “to sow”), זַרְעָא (zarʿā, “seed”), Arabic زَرَعَ (zaraʕa, “to sow”), زَرْع (zarʕ, “seed”).

Verb

זָרַע • (zará‛) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

1. to seed, to sow
   • Tanach, Psalms 126:5:

     (please add the primary text of this quotation)

     JPS

     
     

     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.

Noun

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

1. seed
2. (Biblical Hebrew) seedtime
   • Tanach, Genesis 8:22:

     (please add the primary text of this quotation)

     JPS

     
     

     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
   • 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, descendents, scions
   • Tanach, Genesis 22:17:

     (please add the primary text of this quotation)

     NIV

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

     
     

     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
• נוֹזֵל זֶרַע
• זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה

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