[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%AA/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [Biblical Hebrew](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/) / [ז](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/zayin/)‎ / זֶרֶת‎

# זֶרֶת

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H2239

**span** — used 7 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

span [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2239/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

זֶ֫רֶת: n.f. span [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2239/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. span (NH id. (𝔗 זַרְתָּא, Syriac ܙܰܪܬܳܐ; appar. from Heb.), etym. dub.; Thes and most der. from √ זרה, vid. Ol§ 146 b but also Sta§ 187 a; Ba ZMG 1887, 607 proposes √ זרה measure off, determine, cf. p. 280)—span, as standard of measurement, שָׁמַיִם בַּז׳ תִּכֵּן Is 40:12; elsewhere of actual size, a span, distance between ends of thumb and little finger of spread hand; = ½ cubit (v. אַמָּה & reff.; cf. Ex 25:10 with JosephAnt. iii. 6, 5), ז׳ Ex 28:16(×2); 39:9(×2) (all P) Ez 43:13; זָ֑רֶת 1 S 17:4 six cubits and a span. Vid. Hultsch Metrol. 1882, 443 BenzArchäol 179.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 5 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: a span (3); \[will be\] a span (2); \[was\] a span (1).

## In the verses

[Exodus 28:16](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.28.16/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.28.16/#tree)

רָב֥וּעַ יִֽהְיֶ֖ה כָּפ֑וּל זֶ֥רֶת אָרְכּ֖וֹ וְזֶ֥רֶת רָחְבּֽוֹ׃

*Word for word:* square it.will.be folded.double \[will.be\].a.span length its and \[will.be\].a.span breadth its

*JPS 1917:* Four-square it shall be and double: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

[Exodus 39:9](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.39.9/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.39.9/#tree)

רָב֧וּעַ הָיָ֛ה כָּפ֖וּל עָשׂ֣וּ אֶת־הַחֹ֑שֶׁן זֶ֧רֶת אָרְכּ֛וֹ וְזֶ֥רֶת רָחְבּ֖וֹ כָּפֽוּל׃

*Word for word:* square it.was folded.double they.made (et) the breastpiece \[was\].a.span length its and.\[was\] a.span breadth its folded.double

*JPS 1917:* It was four-square; they made the breastplate double; a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2239.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1494/2239/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).