Hebrew word · H6026

עָנֹג

tit'anag

to delight

The root ʿ-n-g covers softness, daintiness and luxurious pleasure.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be soft, be delicate, be dainty

1a) (Pual) to be delicate

1b) (Hithpael)

1b1) to be of dainty habit, be pampered

1b2) to be happy about, take exquisite delight

1b3) to make merry over, make sport of

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 37:4

Range of meaning

The root ʿ-n-g covers softness, daintiness and luxurious pleasure. The adjective ʿanog means 'delicate, pampered': in Deuteronomy 28:54–56 it describes the refined woman who would not set her foot on the ground, and in Isaiah 47:1 Babylon, 'tender and delicate.' The noun ʿoneg means 'delight, luxury' (Isaiah 58:13: 'call the Sabbath a delight'). The reflexive verb used here means 'to enjoy oneself, take exquisite pleasure, revel.' It is used for drinking deeply at a nursing breast (Isaiah 66:11) and for feasting on rich food (Isaiah 55:2: 'let your soul delight itself in fatness').

Against the English

'Delight yourself' (BSB, KJV, ESV, NASB) keeps the reflexive 'yourself' but sounds polite and mild today. 'Take delight' (NIV, NLT) loses the reflexive. Neither fully carries the sense of indulgence and feasting that the Hebrew root has.

How it drifted

'Delight' has softened in modern English to 'be pleased by.' The Hebrew word is closer to 'luxuriate in, treat yourself to.'

Used elsewhere in the period

The exact phrase 'delight yourself upon Yahweh' comes again in Isaiah 58:14 (titʿannag ʿal-YHWH), where it is the reward for honouring the Sabbath. Job 22:26 and 27:10 use it of delighting 'upon Shaddai.' Inside Psalm 37, verse 11 uses the same verb: the humble 'will delight themselves in abundant peace.' The Septuagint renders it κατατρύφησον (katatryphēson), from tryphē, 'luxury, soft living': 'revel in the Lord.'

From the study of Isaiah 66:11

Range of meaning

In this form: to take delight, to indulge oneself, to luxuriate. The related adjective ʿānōg means "delicate, pampered" (Deut 28:54, 56; Isa 47:1, of Babylon as a "tender and delicate" lady).

Against the English

"Delight yourselves" (BSB, YLT) keeps the reflexive sense. "Be delighted" (KJV, WEB) is passive, which makes the hearers sound acted upon when they are actually the ones enjoying.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 55:2: "let your soul delight itself in fatness." Isa 58:14: "then you shall delight yourself in the LORD." Ps 37:4, 11.

From the study of Isaiah 58:14

Range of meaning

The root has to do with softness, delicacy and luxury. The adjective describes a 'tender and delicate' woman too pampered to set her foot on the ground (Deut 28:54–56). The noun ʿoneg means 'delight, luxury' (Isa 13:22 of palaces, Isa 58:13 of the Sabbath). The reflexive verb used here means 'to indulge oneself, revel, luxuriate in'. It can be used in mockery: 'against whom do you make sport?' (Isa 57:4).

Against the English

'Delight yourself' (KJV, BSB, WEB) and 'take delight' (ESV, NASB) are accurate but tame. NIV's 'find your joy in' and NLT's 'the LORD will be your delight' smooth it further. None quite carries the luxury in the word: feasting-level pleasure, a soul 'luxuriating in rich food' (Isa 55:2, same verb).

How it drifted

English 'delight yourself' now sounds like a mild devotional mood. The Hebrew is closer to 'pamper yourself, feast your soul'. Its sensual richness is the point.

Used elsewhere in the period

The closest parallel is Job 22:26: 'for then you will delight yourself in the Almighty', with the same 'then' and the same verb and preposition. Ps 37:4 ('delight yourself in the LORD') uses the same reflexive form. Isa 55:2 and 66:11 use it for feasting on abundance. In later Jewish tradition the noun ʿoneg became the technical term for Sabbath joy (ʿoneg shabbat), taken directly from Isa 58:13.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 28:56 מֵהִתְעַנֵּ֖ג because was delicate

    The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter

Job · 2

  1. Job 22:26 תִּתְעַנָּ֑ג you will take delight

    Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

    Here: A reflexive verb form meaning 'you will pamper yourself, revel'. The root describes soft, delicate, luxurious living. Eliphaz uses a word for sensual pleasure and applies it to enjoying God.

  2. Job 27:10 יִתְעַנָּ֑ג will he take delight

    Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

    Here: The form is reflexive ("delight himself"), from a root about pampered, luxurious enjoyment. The question is whether the godless man finds his deep pleasure in God, the way someone takes pleasure in fine food.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 37:4 וְהִתְעַנַּ֥ג and take delight

    Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

    Here: An imperative in the reflexive form: 'treat yourself, enjoy yourself to the full.' The root belongs to the language of luxury and soft living, so the command is to feast on Yahweh, not just to approve of him. The 'and' ties the line to the commands of verse 3.

  2. Psalm 37:11 וְ֝הִתְעַנְּג֗וּ and they will take delight

    But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.

    Here: A reflexive form ('enjoy oneself, luxuriate'), placed in sequence after the first verb, so it is future: 'and then they will revel'. It is the same verb and the same construction as v. 4, 'delight yourself in the LORD'. Its sound also echoes ʿanawim.

Isaiah · 4

  1. Isaiah 55:2 וְתִתְעַנַּ֥ג so it may take delight

    Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

    Here: A form that turns the action back on the subject: 'take your own pleasure in, revel in'. The word suggests luxury and pampering, not just getting by. Coming after the commands, it gives the result: 'so that your appetite may revel'.

  2. Isaiah 57:4 תִּתְעַנָּ֔גוּ are you making fun

    Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit,

    Here: A reflexive verb that means 'to indulge yourselves, enjoy yourselves'. With 'over' it means amusing yourselves at someone else's expense. The prophet is describing mocking as a kind of self-indulgent pleasure.

  3. Isaiah 58:14 תִּתְעַנַּג֙ you will take delight

    then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

    Here: Reflexive form of a verb for luxurious, pampered enjoyment: 'you will revel, you will indulge yourself.' It picks up the noun ʿoneg ('delight') from v. 13: whoever calls the Sabbath a delight will find his delight in YHWH himself.

  4. Isaiah 66:11 וְהִתְעַנַּגְתֶּ֖ם and you will take delight

    so that you may nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you may drink deeply and delight yourselves in her glorious abundance.

    Here: The verb form describes taking pleasure for oneself. It means real enjoyment, even indulgence. The same verb is used of delighting in rich food (55:2) and delighting in the LORD (58:14).

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 6:2 וְהַמְּעֻנָּגָ֔ה and the dainty [one]

    Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.

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