Hebrew word · H2151

זָלַל

nazolu

be vile

Two possible roots. (1) זלל II, in the niphal (passive/reflexive form), 'to quake, shake'. This is how the Masoretic pointing reads it, with the same pattern as נָגֹלּוּ 'they will be rolled up' in Isa 34:4. (2) נזל, 'to flow, trickle, run down' (Exod 15:8; Ps 147:18).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be worthless, be vile, be insignificant, be light

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be worthless, be insignificant

1a2) to make light of, squander, be lavish with

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 64:1

Range of meaning

Two possible roots. (1) זלל II, in the niphal (passive/reflexive form), 'to quake, shake'. This is how the Masoretic pointing reads it, with the same pattern as נָגֹלּוּ 'they will be rolled up' in Isa 34:4. (2) נזל, 'to flow, trickle, run down' (Exod 15:8; Ps 147:18). This gives 'the mountains flowed / melted'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'flow (down)', following the Latin Vulgate's 'defluerent' and the 'flow' root. BSB, WEB, ESV and NASB have 'quake', following the Masoretic pointing. NIV has 'tremble'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same expression appears in Judg 5:5 (הָרִים נָזְלוּ, 'the mountains quaked/flowed before YHWH, this Sinai'). The Greek of Judges there reads 'shook'. Mic 1:4 and Ps 97:5 have mountains melting like wax before God. The Greek Septuagint of this verse has the mountains seized with trembling and melting.

From the study of Jeremiah 15:19

Range of meaning

From zālal, "to be light, cheap, of little worth; to treat lightly." As a participle it can mean "what is worthless," and of people "a squanderer" or "glutton," someone who wastes things (Deut 21:20; Prov 23:20–21; 28:7). The noun zullût means "worthlessness" (Ps 12:8).

Against the English

KJV's "vile" now sounds like "disgusting" or "morally repulsive." The Hebrew word is closer to "cheap," "trashy," "of no value." ESV and NASB's "worthless" is more accurate.

How it drifted

In 1611 "vile" (from Latin vilis, "cheap, of low value," the word the Vulgate uses here) still mainly meant "of little worth." The sense "despicable, revolting" has since taken over.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lamentations 1:11 uses the same root: "See, O YHWH, how worthless (zôlēlāh) I have become." The Vulgate has pretiosum a vili, "the precious from the cheap," which the KJV followed.

From the study of Proverbs 23:21

Range of meaning

Lexicons separate two senses. One is 'be light, worthless, despised' (Jer 15:19; Lam 1:11). The other, used in the participle zolel, is 'be lavish, squander, gorge oneself': the glutton or profligate (Deut 21:20; Prov 23:20, 21; 28:7). BDB keeps them under one root, with the idea of treating things lightly, being prodigal. HALOT tends to separate them.

Against the English

Every major English version has 'glutton'. That is accurate as far as it goes, but it narrows the word to eating. In the Hebrew uses, the zolel wastes household wealth in feasting, especially on meat (v. 20, 'gorgers of meat').

How it drifted

Modern 'glutton' has become a word about diet and appetite. The Hebrew word sits in a context of family shame and squandered inheritance.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 21:20, where parents bring a son before the elders: 'stubborn and rebellious… a glutton and a drunkard'. Prov 28:7, 'a companion of gluttons (zolelim) shames his father'. The Greek Septuagint (LXX) of this verse renders it with a word for 'whoremonger', which shows that early translators heard general dissolute living, not just overeating.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 21:20 זוֹלֵ֖ל a glutton

    and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”

    Here: One who wastes and devours: a reckless, worthless reveller who uses up what the household has. Proverbs 23:20–21 sets this word next to 'drunkard' and warns that such people end up poor.

Proverbs · 3

  1. Proverbs 23:20 בְּזֹלֲלֵ֖י among gluttons of

    Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.

    Here: "Among the squanderers / gluttons of." The root carries the idea of making light of things and being worthless or profligate. A זוֹלֵל is someone who devours lavishly and wastes, not simply someone with a big appetite.

  2. Proverbs 23:21 וְ֭זוֹלֵל and a glutton

    For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

    Here: 'And one who gorges' (with 'meat' supplied from verse 20). The word means a profligate who wastes his substance on feasting, more than someone who simply overeats. Paired with 'guzzler', it is the very charge laid against the rebellious son in Deuteronomy 21:20.

  3. Proverbs 28:7 זֽ֝וֹלְלִ֗ים gluttons

    A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

    Here: People who consume recklessly: carousers who blow their substance on feasting and drink. This is the word used for the rebellious son in Deuteronomy 21:20. The idea is waste and dissipation, not merely a big appetite.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 64:1 נָזֹֽלּוּ׃ they shook

    If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

    Here: As pointed in the Hebrew text, 'they quaked'. Read from a related root, it means 'they flowed / melted down'. Either way the solid ground loses its footing at God's arrival, as at Sinai and in Deborah's song (Judg 5:5).

  2. Isaiah 64:3 נָזֹֽלּוּ׃ they shook

    When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 15:19 מִזּוֹלֵ֖ל from [the] worthless

    Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

    Here: "From what is cheap or of no account." The preposition can mean "out of" (separating the precious from the worthless) or "rather than" (precious instead of worthless).

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 1:11 זוֹלֵלָֽה׃ ס despised

    All her people groan as they search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have become despised.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.