Original Word: זִמָּה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: zimmah
Pronunciation: zim-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (zim-maw')
KJV: heinous crime, lewd(-ly, -ness), mischief, purpose, thought, wicked (device, mind, -ness)
NASB: lewdness, lewd, immorality, wickedness, acts of lewdness, crime, devising
Word Origin: [from H2161 (זָמַם - purposed)]

1. a plan, especially a bad one

heinous crime, lewdly mischief, wicked device

Or zammah {zam-maw'}; from zamam; a plan, especially a bad one -- heinous crime, lewd(-ly, -ness), mischief, purpose, thought, wicked (device, mind, -ness).

see HEBREW zamam

Word Origin
from zamam
Definition
a plan, device, wickedness
NASB Translation
acts of lewdness (1), crime (1), devising (1), evil intent (1), immorality (2), lewd (3), lewdly (1), lewdness (13), lustful crime (1), plans (1), wicked scheme (1), wicked schemes (1), wickedness (2).

I. זִמָּה noun feminine plan, device, wickedness — absolute ׳ז Leviticus 18:17 17t.; construct זִמַּת Proverbs 24:9 2t.; suffix זִמָּתֵךְ Ezekiel 16:58 + 3t.; זִמַּתְכֶ֫נָֿה Ezekiel 23:48,49; plural זמּוֺת Isaiah 32:7, suffix זִמֹּתַי Job 17:11; —

1 plan, purpose Job 17:3; elsewhere always

2 in bad sense:

a. evil device Isaiah 32:7 (with יעִץ, followed by לְחַבֵּל); זִמַּת אִוֶּלֶת Proverbs 24:9; compare Psalm 26:10 ("" שֹׁחַד), Psalm 119:150.

b. wickedness in act ׳עשׂה ז Hosea 6:9 (where murder in context), Proverbs 10:23; Proverbs 21:27 compare Now. Especially

c. of unchastity: incest Leviticus 18:17; Leviticus 20:14 (twice in verse), licentiousness Leviticus 19:29 (all H), Judges 20:6 ("" נְבָלָה), adultery Job 31:11; frequently (mostly Ezekiel) metaphor of idolatry of people under figure of harlotry and adultery Jeremiah 13:27 (זִמַּת זְנוּתֵךְ), Ezekiel 16:27 (דַּרְכֵךְ זִמָּה), Ezekiel 16:43; Ezekiel 16:58 (both "" תּוֺעֵבָה), Ezekiel 22:9 (with עשׂה), Ezekiel 22:11 (טִמֵּא בְּזִמָּה, "" תועבה), Ezekiel 23:21,27 ("" זְנוּתֵךְ), Ezekiel 23:29 (עֶרְוַת זְנוּנַיִךְ וְזִמָּתֵךְ וְתַזְנוּתָ֑יִךְ), Ezekiel 23:35 ("" תַּזְנוּתָ֑יִךְ), Ezekiel 23:44 (׳אִשּׁוֺת הַזּ, Co ׳לעשׂות ז), Ezekiel 23:48; Ezekiel 23:48; Ezekiel 23:49 ("" חֲטָאֵי גִלּוּלֵיכֶן), Ezekiel 24:13. [In Ezekiel 16:27,43; Ezekiel 24:13 strike out Co, chiefly on internal grounds.]

Word Overview

זִמָּה (zimmah) depicts calculated evil—whether expressed through sexual perversion, violent outrage, or pre-meditated schemes. While its root can describe any deliberate plan, every Old Testament context assigns a morally negative sense. The term therefore confronts Israel (and every reader) with the reality of sin in its most intentional form: wickedness birthed in the heart, pursued with purpose, and destructive both personally and corporately.

Legal Prohibitions in the Torah

1. Sexual Depravity

In the holiness code zimmah marks the most flagrant violations of God’s design for family and covenant:
• Leviticus 18:17—intercourse with a woman and her daughter: “It is depravity.”
• Leviticus 19:29—prostituting one’s daughter threatens to saturate the land “with depravity.”
• Leviticus 20:14—marrying a woman and her mother is “depraved”; all parties are burned to eradicate the evil.

These statutes underscore that zimmah is not merely private immorality; it contaminates the whole community, demanding decisive judgment so that “Israel may be holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 20:26).

2. Premeditation as Aggravation

Unlike sins of rash impulse, zimmah brings heavier penalty because it is conceived, planned, and defended. God’s law therefore exposes the heart-level plotting beneath outward behavior (cp. Deuteronomy 19:19 for the cognate verb zamam).

National Scandals and Judicial Context

Judges 20:6 records the Levite’s indictment of Gibeah: “They committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.” The civil war that followed illustrates how unchecked zimmah can fracture a nation. Similarly, in 2 Samuel 13:12 Tamar pleads with Amnon before her rape: “No, my brother! Do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not commit this outrage.” Her cry shows that zimmah was recognized as covenantal treachery, threatening Israel’s distinctiveness among the nations.

Prophetic Denunciations

Jeremiah repeatedly exposes leaders who “plan iniquity” (Jeremiah 11:15; 13:27). Ezekiel applies zimmah to Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness, portraying the city as a brazen prostitute whose calculated harlotries surpass those of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:27, 16:43, 16:59). Because the people’s sins are deliberate, divine retribution is likewise purposeful—measured, just, and aimed at eventual restoration.

Reflections in Wisdom Literature

Job 31:11 calls adultery “a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.” Proverbs 24:9 (using the related term mezimmah) warns, “The schemes of folly are sin,” reinforcing that sinful planning itself—not only the act—incurs guilt. Proverbs 21:27 intensifies worship ethics: “How much more when he brings it with evil intent!” Even sacrifices displease God if laced with zimmah.

Theological Import

1. Sin as Intentional Rebellion

Zimmah reveals sin’s depth: humans devise ways to subvert God’s order. Such plotting echoes Genesis 6:5, preparing the theological ground for Romans 3:9–18, where Paul unites Jew and Gentile under the indictment of deliberate evil.

2. Holiness of God

The Lord responds to zimmah with proportional sanctity. Fire (Leviticus 20:14), exile (Ezekiel 16), and civil war (Judges 20) all show that a holy God cannot coexist with calculated wickedness among His covenant people.

3. Necessity of Atonement

Because zimmah springs from the heart, mere external reform cannot remove it. Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to the once-for-all offering of Jesus Christ, “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” (Titus 2:14).

Ministry Implications

• Shepherding: Leaders must confront hidden plots—whether sexual or otherwise—before they rip apart families and congregations (Hebrews 12:15).
• Discipline: Church discipline mirrors Levitical measures, aiming not only to protect the body but also to reclaim sinners from deliberate paths of destruction (1 Corinthians 5:5).
• Prevention: Teaching God’s design for sexuality and integrity inoculates the next generation against culture’s normalization of zimmah.
• Gospel Hope: Even those once absorbed in “all kinds of wicked schemes” (Romans 1:30) can be “washed, sanctified, and justified” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Proclaiming this hope is essential in an age where depravity is often celebrated.

Summary

Zimmah exposes the willful dimension of human wickedness, ranging from sexual abominations to carefully crafted plots. Scripture records its corrosive effects on individuals, families, and nations, yet simultaneously magnifies God’s unwavering holiness and redeeming grace. Recognizing, resisting, and repenting of zimmah remain vital for the church’s witness and for every believer’s pursuit of holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

בְזִמָּ֑ה בְזִמָּ֥ה בזמה הַזִּמָּ֔ה הַזִּמָּֽה׃ הזמה הזמה׃ וְזִמָּתֵ֖ךְ וזמתך זִמַּ֣ת זִמַּתְכֶ֙נָה֙ זִמָּ֑ה זִמָּ֖ה זִמָּ֣ה זִמָּ֥ה זִמָּֽה׃ זִמָּתֵ֖ךְ זִמָּתֵ֥ךְ זִמָּתֵךְ֙ זִמֹּתַ֣י זִמּ֣וֹת זמה זמה׃ זמות זמת זמתי זמתך זמתכנה כְּזִמַּתְכֶֽנָה׃ כזמתכנה׃ ḇə·zim·māh ḇəzimmāh haz·zim·māh hazzimMah hazzimmāh kə·zim·maṯ·ḵe·nāh kezimmatChenah kəzimmaṯḵenāh vezimMah vezimmaTech wə·zim·mā·ṯêḵ wəzimmāṯêḵ zim·mā·ṯêḵ zim·māh zim·maṯ zim·maṯ·ḵe·nāh zim·mō·ṯay zim·mō·wṯ zimMah zimmāh zimMat zimmaṯ zimmatChenah zimmaTech zimmāṯêḵ zimmaṯḵenāh zimMot zimmoTai zimmōṯay zimmōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts