Hebrew word · H599

אָנַף

ve'anafta

be angry

To be angry, to be enraged. It is linked to ʾap, "nose, nostril," and so to anger as flared nostrils or hard breathing. Every one of its roughly fourteen occurrences has God as the one who is angry.

Appears 14 times in 14 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be angry, to be displeased, to breathe hard

1a) (Qal) to be angry (of God)

1b) (Hithpael) to be angry (always of God)

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 Psalm 60:1

Range of meaning

To be angry, to be enraged. It is linked to ʾap, "nose, nostril," and so to anger as flared nostrils or hard breathing. Every one of its roughly fourteen occurrences has God as the one who is angry.

Against the English

Modern versions say "been angry." The KJV's "thou hast been displeased" is too mild for a modern reader, who hears "displeased" as polite disapproval.

How it drifted

In 1611 "displeased" carried more force (compare "the king's displeasure"). Today it suggests mild dissatisfaction.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 1:37; 4:21; 9:8, 20; 1 Kgs 8:46; Ezra 9:14; Ps 2:12 ("lest he be angry"); 79:5; 85:5; Isa 12:1: "though you were angry (ʾānaptā) with me, your anger has turned away (yāšōb)". Isaiah pairs the same verb with shuv ("turn"), the same pairing found in this verse.

From the study of Psalm 79:5

Range of meaning

To be angry, to be furious. It is related to 'af, 'nose, nostril' and so 'anger', from the picture of flared nostrils and heavy breathing. The verb occurs only about 14 times, and in every case the one who is angry is God (Deut 1:37; 4:21; 9:8, 20; 1 Kgs 8:46; 11:9; 2 Kgs 17:18; Ezra 9:14; Ps 2:12; 60:1; 79:5; 85:5; Isa 12:1).

Against the English

'Be angry' is accurate. English can suggest a loss of temper. In the Hebrew Bible God's anger is a strong emotion, but it is his response to covenant betrayal: anger with a cause and a direction, not a mood.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 85:5 is the closest parallel: 'Will you be angry with us forever (hale'olam te'enaf-banu)?' Isa 12:1 shows the hoped-for reversal: 'Though you were angry with me, your anger turned away and you comforted me.' Solomon's prayer (1 Kgs 8:46) already expects God to be angry with a sinning Israel and to hand them to an enemy. That scenario is now the community's real situation.

From the study of 1 Kings 8:46

Range of meaning

"To be angry, to breathe hard in anger." The verb is built on ʾap, "nose, nostril", and so "anger" (the snorting nostril of rage). It is rare, appearing about 14 times, and used almost only of YHWH: against Moses (Deut 1:37; 4:21), against Israel and Aaron at the golden calf (Deut 9:8, 20), against Solomon (1 Kgs 11:9), and in laments and prayers (Ps 60:1; 79:5; 85:5; Isa 12:1; Ezra 9:14).

Against the English

"Be angry" is accurate. The vivid bodily picture of hot, heavy breathing is lost in English. The word's setting is also lost: in Deuteronomy and Kings it is the reaction of the wronged covenant Lord, not a sudden fit of temper.

Used elsewhere in the period

Its concentration in Deuteronomy and in exilic prayers (Ezra 9:14: "would you not be angry with us until you consumed us?") ties it to the language of covenant breach and exile.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 4

  1. Deuteronomy 1:37 הִתְאַנַּ֣ף he was angry

    The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.

    Here: A rare reflexive-intensive form (Hebrew grammarians call it the hitpael). In the Bible it is used only with God as the subject: "became incensed", "showed himself angry". The root is tied to ʾaf, "nose". The picture is flaring, heated nostrils.

  2. Deuteronomy 4:21 הִתְאַנֶּף־ he was angry

    The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

  3. Deuteronomy 9:8 וַיִּתְאַנַּ֧ף and he was angry

    At Horeb you provoked the LORD, and He was angry enough to destroy you.

  4. Deuteronomy 9:20 הִתְאַנַּ֧ף he was angry

    The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron.

1 Kings · 2

  1. 1 Kings 8:46 וְאָנַפְתָּ֣ and you will be angry

    When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,

    Here: "And you become angry." The verb is built on the word for "nose": anger pictured as hard breathing through the nostrils. In the Bible it is used almost only of God's anger at his people's covenant-breaking (Deut 1:37; 9:8, 20; Ezra 9:14).

  2. 1 Kings 11:9 וַיִּתְאַנַּ֥ף and he was angry

    Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 17:18 וַיִּתְאַנַּ֨ף and he was angry

    So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,

    Here: The verb form here means 'showed himself angry' or 'became angry' (the reflexive form of the verb), and the 'and' that opens it marks it as the next event in the story. It answers v.17, where Israel 'provoked him to anger.' The root is connected with ʾap, 'nose', the flared nostril of an angry face.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 6:36 וְאָנַפְתָּ֣ and you will be angry

    When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near,

    Here: 'And you become angry.' The verb comes from the same root as 'af, 'nose,' which also means 'anger'. The image is flaring nostrils. In the Old Testament it is used almost only of God.

Ezra · 1

  1. Ezra 9:14 תֶֽאֱנַף־ will you be angry

    shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 2:12 יֶאֱנַ֤ף׀ he should be angry

    Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

    Here: 'He becomes angry.' The verb comes from the same root as 'aph, 'nose', the image of flaring nostrils. Grammatically 'he' could be the LORD (verse 11) or the son.

  2. Psalm 60:1 אָ֝נַ֗פְתָּ you have been angry

    For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us!

    Here: "You have been angry": a verb built on the word for nose or nostril (ʾap), so a snorting, flaring anger. In the Hebrew Bible this verb is used only of God. It has no object, so it stands as a bare statement of the cause behind the defeat.

  3. Psalm 79:5 תֶּאֱנַ֣ף will you be angry?

    How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

    Here: 'Will you be angry / go on being angry?' The verb comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for 'nose' and is pictured as the hard breathing of a furious person. In the Hebrew Bible it is used only of God's anger. The verb form points to something ongoing that has not ended.

  4. Psalm 85:5 תֶּֽאֱנַף־ will you be angry

    Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 12:1 אָנַ֖פְתָּ you were angry

    In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.

    Here: 'You were angry.' The form is a completed past: God's anger was real and it happened. The root shares letters with the word for 'nose' that follows, so the line echoes itself.

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