Zara זָרַע

Zara (Hebrew זָרַע, Strong's H2232) is a Hebrew verb meaning “to sow”. It occurs 56 times in 54 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Topics

• Sowing and reaping

Verses

Every verse with Zara, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 1:11
  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so.
• Genesis 1:12
  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
• Genesis 1:29
  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.
• Genesis 26:12
  Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
• Genesis 47:23
  Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.Then Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land.

Exodus

• Exodus 23:10
  And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce,
• Exodus 23:16
  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

Leviticus

• Leviticus 11:37
  And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean;
• Leviticus 12:2
  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.“Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.
• Leviticus 19:19
  Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
• Leviticus 25:3
  Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops.
• Leviticus 25:4
  But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard.
• Leviticus 25:11
  A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines.
• Leviticus 25:20
  And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’
• Leviticus 25:22
  And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.While you are sowing in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest, until the ninth year’s harvest comes in.
• Leviticus 26:16
  I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.

Numbers

• Numbers 5:28
  And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be unaffected and able to conceive children.

Deuteronomy

• Deuteronomy 11:10
  For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden.
• Deuteronomy 21:4
  And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its neck there by the stream.
• Deuteronomy 22:9
  Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; if you do, the entire harvest will be defiled—both the crop you plant and the fruit of your vineyard.
• Deuteronomy 29:23
  And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.

Judges

• Judges 6:3
  And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,
• Judges 9:45
  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.And all that day Abimelech fought against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.

2 Kings

• 2 Kings 19:29
  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Job

• Job 4:8
  Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
• Job 31:8
  Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

Psalms

• Psalm 97:11
  Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
• Psalm 107:37
  And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest.
• Psalm 126:5
  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.

Proverbs

• Proverbs 11:18
  The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
• Proverbs 22:8
  He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

Ecclesiastes

• Ecclesiastes 11:4
  He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
• Ecclesiastes 11:6
  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.

Isaiah

• Isaiah 17:10
  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—
• Isaiah 28:24
  Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?
• Isaiah 30:23
  Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.Then He will send rain for the seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food that comes from your land will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures.
• Isaiah 32:20
  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
• Isaiah 37:30
  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
• Isaiah 40:24
  Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.
• Isaiah 55:10
  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 2:2
  Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
• Jeremiah 4:3
  For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.
• Jeremiah 12:13
  They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord.They have sown wheat but harvested thorns. They have exhausted themselves to no avail. Bear the shame of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”
• Jeremiah 31:27
  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and of beast.
• Jeremiah 35:7
  Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.Nor are you ever to build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Instead, you must live in tents all your lives, so that you may live a long time in the land where you wander.’
• Jeremiah 50:16
  Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at harvest time. In the face of the oppressor’s sword, each will turn to his own people, each will flee to his own land.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 36:9
  For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:For behold, I am on your side; I will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.

Hosea

• Hosea 2:23
  And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.And I will sow her as My own in the land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’ I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’ and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”
• Hosea 8:7
  For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
• Hosea 10:12
  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.

Micah

• Micah 6:15
  Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.

Nahum

• Nahum 1:14
  And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.The LORD has issued a command concerning you, O Nineveh: “There will be no descendants to carry on your name. I will cut off the carved image and cast idol from the house of your gods; I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible.”

Haggai

• Haggai 1:6
  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”

Zechariah

• Zechariah 10:9
  And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in distant lands; they and their children will live and return.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).