fornication
za.nun denotes sexual unfaithfulness, including conduct attributed to persons and language for a people turning from God.
The term most often marks sexual misconduct or a reputation characterized by it in accusations and descriptions of persons or a city. In Hosea, the same language is applied to a wife and children and to a spirit connected with the people's failure to return to God.
Senses in use
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Sexual misconduct or a harlot's conduct · dominant
Construct-plural forms occur in descriptions of Jezebel, Oholibah, and a woman who sells nations; in 2 Kings 9:22 the APB renders Jehu's reply with Jezebel's continuing “harlotries,” while Nahum 3:4 describes the selling of nations. In Genesis 38:24 the absolute plural appears in the accusation concerning Tamar's pregnancy, and Ezekiel 23:11 and Ezekiel 23:29 place construct forms in descriptions of Oholibah's conduct and exposed nakedness.
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Unfaithfulness linked with departure from God · common
In Hosea 1:2, absolute plurals occur in the instruction concerning a wife and children, followed by the statement that the land has forsaken the LORD. Hosea 4:12 and Hosea 5:4 place the absolute plural in clauses about a spirit that leads the people astray or is within them, while Hosea 2:4 identifies sons by a construct form; Hosea 2:6 contains an absolute plural in the warning that she will not find her paths.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB uses “harlotries,” “fornication,” and “fornicated” in the surrounding clauses. Those English choices show the verses' presentation rather than a fixed one-to-one rendering of the term.