H2114a H2114a
To be strange or foreign; as participle: a stranger, outsider, foreigner, or alien — one who does not belong to the family, community, or covenant.
A deeply relational word in Hebrew, zur captures the experience of being outside — outside the family, outside the priesthood, outside the covenant. Its participial form zar appears most often as a noun meaning 'stranger' or 'outsider,' someone who has no authorized access (Lev 22:10) or no kinship claim (Deut 25:5). Proverbs deploys it pointedly for the 'strange woman' whose allure leads to ruin (Prov 5:3, 7:5). When applied to things rather than people — strange fire (Lev 10:1), foreign gods — it signals what does not belong in sacred space. In its finite verb forms (Qal and Nifal), it describes the painful process of becoming estranged, as when Job laments that his acquaintances 'are wholly estranged from me' (Job 19:13).
1. stranger, foreigner (person) — The dominant participial use, functioning as a substantive noun: a stranger, foreigner, or unauthorized outsider. The multilingual evidence is remarkably consistent — Spanish extraños, French étranger, German Fremder all converge on the core meaning of social and ritual exclusion. In Levitical contexts (Lev 22:10, 12, 13; Exod 29:33), this denotes anyone outside the priestly household who is forbidden to eat holy offerings. In broader usage (Isa 29:5; Hos 5:7), it refers to foreign enemies or those outside the covenant community. 54×
AR["الأَجْانِبِ","الغُرَبَاءِ","الـ-غُرَباءِ","غَريبٌ","غَريبٍ","غَرِيبٌ","غَرِيبٍ","غُرَبَاءَ"]·ben["-বিদেশীদের","অচেনা","অন্য","অপরিচিত","অপরিচিতদের","কেউ-নেই","বিদেশী","বিদেশীদের","বিদেশীদের-এর","বিদেশীর"]·DE["Fremder","ein-Fremder","entfremden","foreign","fremd","strange","stranger"]·EN["a-stranger","foreign","from-a-city","of-strangers","strange","stranger","strangers","the-strangers","winnowers"]·FR["stranger","un-étranger","étranger","étrangère","être-étranger"]·heb["ה-זרים","זר","זרים"]·HI["अजनबी","कोई-अजनबी","ते-परदेशियों","परदेशियों-का","परदेशियों-की","परदेशियों-द्वारा","परदेशी","पराए-की","पराए-की-ओर","पराए-लोग","पराए-से","पराया","पराये"]·ID["asing","oleh-orang-asing","orang-asing","orang-orang-asing"]·IT["essere-estraneo","straniero","un-straniero"]·jav["liyan","manca","tiyang-asing","tiyang-manca","tiyang-tiyang-manca"]·KO["그-외국인들의","낯선","낯선-사람","낯선-사람들을","낯선-사람이","낯선-자","낯선-자-가","낯선-자가","낯선-자들-을","이방인들을","이방인들의"]·PT["estrangeiro","estrangeiros","estranho","estranhos","os-estrangeiros"]·RU["чужеземцам","чужеземцев","чужих","чужого","чужой","чужому"]·ES["a-extraños","aventadores","extranjeros","extraño","extraño;","extraños","los-extraños"]·SW["la-wageni","mgeni","pamoja-nasi","wageni","ya-wageni"]·TR["ele","yabancilarin","yabancı","yabancılara","yabancıları","yabancıların"]·urd["اجنبی","اجنبیوں-سے","اجنبیوں-کا","اجنبیوں-کی","اجنبیوں-کے","غیر","پردیسی"]
Exod 29:33, Exod 30:33, Lev 22:10, Lev 22:12, Lev 22:13, Num 1:51, Num 3:10, Num 3:38, Num 16:40, Num 18:4, Num 18:7, Deut 25:5 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. strange, foreign (of things/gods) — Applied attributively to non-personal referents — strange fire (Lev 10:1; Num 3:4, 26:61), strange incense (Exod 30:9), foreign gods, and alien things. German fremd and Spanish extraña capture this adjectival flavor. The underlying logic is the same as sense 1 (what does not belong), but the referent shifts from persons to objects, offerings, and deities. The strange fire of Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1) is the paradigmatic example: an offering God 'had not commanded,' categorically outside sanctioned worship. 12×
AR["الْغَرِيبَ","شَيءٍ-غَريبٍ","غَريباً","غَرِيباتٍ","غَرِيبٌ","غَرِيبٍ","غَرِيبَةً","غَرِيبَةٌ","غُرَباءَ"]·ben["অজানা","অন্য","অপরিচিত","অপরিচিত-জিনিস","বিদেশি","বিদেশী","বিদেশীদের","বিদেশীর"]·DE["entfremden","foreign","fremd","strange"]·EN["foreign","strange","strange-god","strange-thing","strange-things"]·FR["foreign","strange","étrange","étrangère","être-étranger"]·heb["זר","זרה","זרות","זרים"]·HI["अजनबी","अजीब","पराई-स्त्रियां","पराए","पराए-की","पराया"]·ID["allah-asing","asing","hal-hal-aneh","haram"]·IT["essere-estraneo","strange","straniero"]·jav["allah-sanes","aneh","asing","barang-aneh","ingkang-asing","manca"]·KO["낯선","낯선-것으로","낯선-신이","이상한","이상한-것들을"]·PT["estrangeiros","estranha","estranhas","estranho"]·RU["странное","чужие","чужих","чужого","чужое","чужой","чужую"]·ES["cosas-extrañas","extraña","extrañas","extraño","extraños"]·SW["kigeni","mgeni","vitu-vya-ajabu","wa-kigeni","ya-ajabu","ya-kigeni"]·TR["yabanci","yabancinin","yabancı","yabancı-şeyler"]·urd["اجنبی","اجنبی-عورتوں-کو","اجنبی-کی","بیگانہ-معبود","غیر","غیروں","پردیسی"]
3. strange woman, adulteress — The specialized Proverbial usage for the zarah, the 'strange woman' or adulteress whose lips drip honey but whose end is bitter as wormwood (Prov 5:3-4). Appearing in Prov 2:16, 5:3, 5:20, 7:5, and 22:14, this sense is distinguished by its consistent literary context in wisdom poetry and its moral-sexual connotation. French étrangère and Spanish la extraña preserve the feminine form. Whether she is ethnically foreign or merely 'other' to the covenant marriage is debated, but the clustering evidence treats her as a distinct semantic profile. 5×
AR["الغَرِيباتِ","الْغَرِيبَةِ","بِغَرِيبَةٍ"]·ben["পর","বিদেশিনী","বিদেশিনীতে","বিদেশিনীদের"]·DE["fremd"]·EN["strange","strange-women","the-foreign-one","the-strange-woman","with-a-strange-woman"]·FR["dans-étrangère","étrangère"]·heb["ב-זרה","זרה","זרות"]·HI["पराई","पराई-से","पराई-स्त्रियों-का","पराई-स्त्री-के"]·ID["asing","dengan-perempuan-asing","perempuan-asing"]·IT["in-straniero","straniero"]·jav["dhateng-wanita-asing","garwa-manca","kang-asing","wanita-asing"]·KO["낯선","낯선-여자-에게","낯선-여자-의","음란한-여자들-의"]·PT["com-estranha","estranha","estranhas"]·RU["чужих-женщин","чужой,"]·ES["con-la-extraña","extraña","la-extraña","mujeres-extrañas"]·SW["mgeni","mwanamke-mgeni","na-mwanamke-mgeni","wanawake-wageni"]·TR["yabancı","yabancı-kadında","yabancı-kadınların","yabancı-kadının"]·urd["بیگانہ","بیگانہ-سے","بیگانہ-کے","پرائی","پردیسی-عورتوں-کا"]
4. be estranged, turn away (Qal) — The finite Qal verb meaning to become estranged, alienated, or to turn away. In Ps 58:3 the wicked 'go astray from the womb,' and in Job 19:13 Job's acquaintances have become utterly estranged from him. Ps 78:30 describes Israel turning away before their craving was satisfied. Spanish se apartaron ('they drew apart') and German sie-sind-estranged capture the active process of relational rupture. This is the verbal core behind the participial senses — the dynamic act of becoming an outsider. 3×
AR["ضَلّوا","غَرِبُوا","يَبْتَعِدُوا"]·ben["তারা-দূরে-সরেছিল","পথভ্রষ্ট-হয়েছে","বিদেশী-হয়েছে"]·DE["fremd","sie-sind-estranged","sie-wandte-weg"]·EN["are-estranged","they-are-estranged","they-turned-away"]·FR["étrangère","être-étranger"]·heb["זרו"]·HI["अजनबी-हैं","वे-पराए-हो-गए","वे-हटे-थे"]·ID["menjadi-asing","mereka-menjauhi"]·IT["straniero"]·jav["dados-tiyang-manca","misah","ugi"]·KO["낯설어졌나니","단절되었도다","떠나지-않았다"]·PT["Alienados-estão","se-apartaram","se-tornaram-estranhos"]·RU["отошли","отчуждены"]·ES["se-apartaron","se-extraviaron","se-han-extrañado"]·SW["Wamepotoka","geuka","wameniacha"]·TR["sapıyorlar","vazgeçtiler","yabancılaştı"]·urd["بِگڑے","بے گانے ہو گئے","کنارہ-کیا-اُنہوں-نے"]
5. be estranged, go back (Nifal) — The Nifal (passive/reflexive) stem expressing estrangement as something undergone or self-directed — to be estranged, to fall back, to withdraw. In Isa 1:4 Israel has 'gone backward' (turned away from the LORD), and in Ezek 14:5 the house of Israel 'are all estranged from me through their idols.' Spanish se apartaron and German entfremden (to alienate) point to the passive or reflexive quality that distinguishes this from the active Qal. The theological weight is heavy: this is covenant alienation described from the inside. 2×
AR["ابْتَعَدُوا","اِرتَدُّوا"]·ben["দূরে-গিয়েছে","ফিরে-গেছে"]·DE["entfremden"]·EN["are-estranged"]·FR["être-étranger"]·heb["נזורו"]·HI["वे-अलग-हुए","वे-फिर-गए"]·ID["menjadi-asing","mereka-berpaling"]·IT["essere-estraneo"]·jav["sampun-murtad","sampun-nyimpang"]·KO["돌아섰도다","멀어졌다"]·PT["afastaram-se","se-afastaram"]·RU["отступили"]·ES["se-apartaron"]·SW["wamegeuka","wamejitenga"]·TR["donduler","yabancılaştılar"]·urd["بیگانے-ہوئے","پھر-گئے"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)H3162a 1. together, all together, alike (44×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [זוּר] vb. be a stranger (Arabic زَارَ (med. و incline toward, repair to, visit; ii. honour as visitor or guest; ix. decline, turn aside; زَاىِٔرٌ visitor; Aramaic זוּר, often = Heb. סוּר turn aside, turn aside to visit)— Qal Pf. 3 pl. זֹר֫וּ ψ 58:4 (Köi 445), זָ֫רוּ ψ 78:30 Jb 19:13; Pt. זָר Ex 30:33 + 27 times; f. זָרָה Ex 30:9 + 7 times; mpl. זָרִים Ho 5:7 + 30 times; fpl. זָרוֹת Pr…