Leviticus 18:20:5Lev.18.20.W5TAB

לְזָ֑רַע

lehzaara

for seed

Transliteration
leh-ZAA-ra
Extended
leh-ZAA-ra
IPA
/lə.ˈzaː.raʕ/

Meaning by language

English
for seed

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
לְ + זָ֑ + רַע
leh + zaa + ra
lehzaara

Alphabet Analysis

Lamedl as in law
Shevavocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable
Zayinz as in zero
Qametslong 'ah'
Reshr guttural, like the French r
Patachshort 'ah' as in father
Ayindeep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal

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Vowels (Niqqud)

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    leh-ZAA-ra

  2. clause

    veh-el-EH-shet ah-meet-KHAA loh-tih-TEN sheh-KHAV-teh-KHAA leh-ZAA-ra

  3. sentence

    veh-el-EH-shet ah-meet-KHAA loh-tih-TEN sheh-KHAV-teh-KHAA leh-ZAA-ra leh-tah-meh-AA-vah

Exegesis

The sequential prepositional phrases lezera {לְזָ֑רַע | lə-zā-raʿ} ‘for seed’ and letameah bah {לְטָמְאָה־בָֽהּ | lə-ṭā-me-ʾāh bāh} ‘for impurity in her’ express purpose followed by result. This syntactic pattern of intent and consequence underscores the ongoing nature of the prohibition and the centrality of ritual purity in Israelite law.

Root and etymology

z-r-ʿz-r-ʿ

seed, offspring

In contextLeviticus 18:20

And you shall not give your intimacy to the wife of your companion, to defile yourself with her.

About this coordinate

Leviticus 18:20:5 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 5 of Leviticus 18:20, so the Hebrew word לְזָ֑רַע (lehzaara) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Lev.18.20.W5, which extends further down to each syllable (Lev.18.20.W5.S1) and character.