Hebrew word · H8588

תַּעֲנוּג

ta'anug

luxury

Luxury, delight, daintiness. It covers the pampered pleasures of a privileged life: rich food, fine homes, ease. It comes from the root 'anag, 'to be soft, delicate, pampered' (Deut 28:54, 56, 'the tender and delicate woman').

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) daintiness, luxury, exquisite delight, pleasantness, delight, comfort

1a) luxury

1b) dainty

1c) delight

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 Proverbs 19:10

Range of meaning

Luxury, delight, daintiness. It covers the pampered pleasures of a privileged life: rich food, fine homes, ease. It comes from the root 'anag, 'to be soft, delicate, pampered' (Deut 28:54, 56, 'the tender and delicate woman').

Against the English

KJV has 'Delight'. WEB has 'Delicate living'. BSB, YLT, NIV, ESV and NASB have 'luxury'. WEB and 'luxury' are closest. KJV's 'delight' now sounds like an inner feeling of joy.

How it drifted

In 1611 'delight' could mean the objects of pleasure as well as the feeling. Today it is mostly the feeling, so a reader may hear 'fools should not be happy'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Eccl 2:8 ('the delights of the sons of men', among the king's acquired luxuries); Song 7:7 (love 'with delights'); Micah 1:16 and 2:9 ('children of your delight', meaning pampered, cherished children). Sirach 14:16 and other later Hebrew texts use the root for indulgence.

From the study of Micah 2:9

Range of meaning

Delight, pleasure, comfort, and sometimes luxury (Prov 19:10, 'luxury is not fitting for a fool'; Song 7:6 'O love, in delights'; Eccl 2:8).

Against the English

'Pleasant homes' (BSB, KJV, WEB) is fair. 'Luxury' would mislead, because the point is attachment, not wealth.

Used elsewhere in the period

Wisdom literature and the Song of Songs; the related verb ʿanag means 'to take delight' (Isa 58:14).

Where it appears

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 19:10 תַּעֲנ֑וּג luxury

    Luxury is unseemly for a fool—how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

    Here: Soft, pampered, comfortable living: the 'delights' wealth can buy (Eccl 2:8). It is the subject of the first line: luxury is what does not suit the fool.

Ecclesiastes · 1

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:8 וְתַעֲנוּגֹ֛ת and [the] delights of

    and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 7:6 בַּתַּֽעֲנוּגִֽים׃ with <the> delights

    How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!

Micah · 2

  1. Micah 1:16 תַּעֲנוּגָ֑יִךְ delights your

    Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

  2. Micah 2:9 תַּֽעֲנֻגֶ֑יהָ delights her

    You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes. You take away My blessing from their children forever.

    Here: 'Her delights': the home she loves and finds comfort in. The point is how much the place means to her, not that it is a mansion. 'Her' applies to each woman in turn.

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