Original Word: זָלַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: zalal
Pronunciation: zah-LAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (zaw-lal')
KJV: blow down, glutton, riotous (eater), vile
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to shake (as in the wind), i.e. to quake
2. (figuratively) to be loose morally, worthless or prodigal

blow down, glutton, riotous eater, vile

A primitive root (compare zuwl); to shake (as in the wind), i.e. To quake; figuratively, to be loose morally, worthless or prodigal -- blow down, glutton, riotous (eater), vile.

see HEBREW zuwl

I. [זָלַל] verb shake (Arabic slip, agitate, shake; be agitated, quake, especially of earth-quake) —

Niph`al Perfect נָזֹ֫לּוּ shake, quake Isaiah 63:19 of mountains at ׳יs presence (Ges De Che Di Du; ᵐ5 ᵑ9 as if from נזל flow down); so Isaiah 64:2 (but here probably not original Che Di Du); read נָזֹלּוּ likewise Judges 5:5 (ᵐ5 Thes Stu Be Bl MV SS; ᵑ0 נָָֽזְלוּ, from נזל).

II. [זָלַל] verb 1. be light, worthless,

2 make light of (Assyrian zalâlu, be in ruins, COT^Gloss (Assurnasirpal^{Standard Inscr. 15}), Arabic = Aramaic (rare), easy; but זְלַל, , are more common (all intransitive)) —

Qal only Participle active זוֺלֵל Deuteronomy 21:20 2t.; זוֺלֵלָ֑ה Lamentations 1:11; plural זוֺלְלִים Proverbs 28:7, construct זֹלְלֵי Proverbs 23:20 —

1 be worthless, insignificant Jeremiah 15:19 (opposed to יָקָר) Lamentations 1:11 (of Jerusalem in distress).

2 transitive make light of = be lavish with, squander (compare II. זוּל), especially of gluttony בשׂר ׳ז Proverbs 23:20 ("" סֹבְאֵי יַיִן), absolute Proverbs 23:21; Deuteronomy 21:20 (both "" סֹבֵא), Proverbs 28:7.

Hiph`il Perfect suffix הִזִּילוּהָ Lamentations 1:8 causative of Qal 1 make light of, despise (opposed to כִּבֵּד); on form compare Ges^{§ 67}, R. 8 Rob-Ges, MV SS (> assigned to זוּל by Thes Kö^{Lgb. i. 471}).

Term and Scope

זָלַל depicts both moral frivolity (reckless indulgence, despising what is weighty) and physical trembling. The word’s flexibility moves from the banquet table to the mountains themselves, showing that what is “light” before God—whether conduct or created order—cannot stand unshaken.

Occurrences and Contexts

• Deuteronomy 21:20 sets the keynote: a “glutton and a drunkard” whose lawless appetite calls for covenant discipline.
• Proverbs 23:20–21 and 28:7 apply the warning to daily life, urging youth to reject companions whose overindulgence “disgraces his father.”
• Jeremiah 15:19 contrasts what is “worthless” with what is “precious,” making the extraction of true value a condition for prophetic service.
• Lamentations 1:11 laments a city that now counts its treasures “worthless,” a graphic picture of exile-born deprivation.
• Isaiah 64:1, 3 shifts to creation: at the divine descent “the mountains trembled,” reminding readers that even the firmest things are lightweight in the presence of the LORD.

Moral and Theological Themes

1. Appetite as a barometer of the heart. Excessive food and drink reveal a refusal to live under divine boundaries, eroding personal dignity and family honor (Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 28:7).
2. The devaluation of what is holy. When Judah bartered sacred treasures for bread (Lamentations 1:11), she literalized the spiritual exchange condemned in Proverbs.
3. Divine appraisal. Jeremiah 15:19 shows that God alone defines worth; ministry requires discerning and separating the precious from the trivial.
4. Cosmic response to holiness. Isaiah 64 demonstrates that what humans treat lightly, creation cannot—the earth quakes at God’s advent.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the agrarian Near East, communal meals solidified social bonds. Gluttony and drunkenness therefore threatened not only personal health but societal stability. A rebellious son who squandered resources imperiled clan survival; hence the severe remedy of Deuteronomy 21. Prophets later employed the term to indict national prodigality that had turned covenant blessings into self-indulgence.

Intertextual Connections

• Proverbs’ warnings anticipate the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), where reckless living is met by gracious yet costly restoration.
• Jeremiah’s “precious vs. worthless” echoes Paul’s call to build with gold, silver, and precious stones rather than hay and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12–13).
• The trembling mountains of Isaiah prefigure Revelation 6:14, where all creation recoils at the Lamb’s unveiled majesty.

Application for Ministry and Discipleship

• Shepherding youth: Parents and mentors must name and confront appetites that appear harmless but harden into rebellion.
• Discernment training: Churches cultivate believers who can “extract the precious from the worthless,” distinguishing eternal values from cultural trivialities.
• Worship renewal: Isaiah 64 stirs expectancy for God’s manifest presence; announcements of divine visitation call the congregation to reverent awe rather than casual familiarity.
• Compassionate restoration: When a modern “prodigal” squanders resources, the body of Christ balances accountability with the open arms modeled by the Father.

Related Concepts

Gluttony, drunkenness, prodigality, worthlessness, trembling, holy fear, discernment, covenant discipline.

Summary

זָלַל warns that what humanity treats as lightweight—moral boundaries, covenant treasures, even the created order—God weighs with eternal gravity. Whether addressing a rebellious son, a wayward nation, or trembling mountains, Scripture turns the spotlight from reckless indulgence to the steadfast worth of God’s presence and purposes.

בְּזֹלֲלֵ֖י בזללי וְ֭זוֹלֵל וזולל זֽ֝וֹלְלִ֗ים זוֹלֵ֖ל זוֹלֵלָֽה׃ זולל זוללה׃ זוללים מִזּוֹלֵ֖ל מזולל נָזֹֽלּוּ׃ נזלו׃ bə·zō·lă·lê bəzōlălê bezolaLei miz·zō·w·lêl mizzoLel mizzōwlêl nā·zōl·lū naZollu nāzōllū Vezolel wə·zō·w·lêl wəzōwlêl zō·w·lê·lāh zō·w·lêl zō·wl·lîm zoLel zoleLah zolLim zōwlêl zōwlêlāh zōwllîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts