the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Loose Conduct
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Noun.
Zimmâh (זַמָּה, 2154), “loose conduct; lewdness.” The 28 occurrences of this noun are all in legal and poetical books of the Bible, except for a single occurrence in Judges. This noun signifies “loose or infamous conduct” and is used most often with regard to illicit sexual conduct: “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, … or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness” (Lev. 18:17—the first occurrence). Rejection of God’s law or spiritual adultery may be represented by zimmâh (Ps. 119:150; cf. Ezek. 16:12-28). A plan or scheme identified by the word is, therefore, a “harlotrous” plan (Ps. 26:10).
Mezimmâh (מְזִמָּה, Strong's #4209), “purpose; evil device; evil thoughts; discretion.” This noun occurs 19 times. The word means “purpose” in Job 42:2: “I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of time can be thwarted” (RSV). Mezimmâh refers to “evil device” in Jer. 11:15: “What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many.…” In Job 21:27 the word is used to mean “evil thoughts,” and in Prov. 1:4 the word is used for “discretion.”
B. Verb.
Zâmam (זָמַם, Strong's #2161), “to ponder, to cogitate.” The noun mezimmah is derived from this verb that occurs 13 times. In Zech. 8:14-15 the word appears to carry the sense of “to ponder”: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath … and I repented not: So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.”
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Loose Conduct'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/l/loose-conduct.html. 1940.
