H2734 H2734
To burn or be kindled (of anger); God's or man's wrath blazing hot; reflexively, to fret oneself or become vexed.
Charah is the Bible's primary verb for the kindling of anger, appearing overwhelmingly in the idiom charah 'af — literally 'his nostril burned,' since Hebrew locates anger in the flaring nose. The image is visceral: wrath as fire igniting in the face. God's anger 'burns' against Israel's rebellion (Num 11:1; Exod 22:24), and human anger 'kindles' in moments of jealousy, insult, or injustice — from Cain's murderous rage (Gen 4:5) to David's fury at Nathan's parable (2 Sam 12:5). The multilingual evidence reveals how deeply embodied this metaphor is: Spanish encendió ('ignited'), German entbrannte ('blazed up'), and French brula ('burned') all preserve the fire imagery, while Arabic istashata ('flared up') and Korean 노하셨다 ('became wrathful') confirm the anger-as-combustion frame across language families. The Hitpael reflexive in Psalm 37 — 'fret not yourself' — turns the burning inward, warning against self-consuming envy.
1. anger was kindled — Anger was kindled, wrath burned — the massive Qal sense at 82 occurrences, covering both divine and human anger in the frozen idiom charah 'af ('his nostril/anger burned'). Divine wrath: God's anger burns against Israel in the wilderness (Num 11:1, 10), against Moses for resisting his call (Exod 4:14), against Balaam (Num 22:27). Human wrath: Cain's face 'fell' when his anger burned (Gen 4:5), Potiphar's anger 'kindled' at the accusation against Joseph (Gen 39:19), David 'burned' at Nathan's rich-man parable (2 Sam 12:5). Spanish se-encendio and German entbrannte both preserve the combustion metaphor. Arabic ghadiba/ishtaala and Swahili -waka ('ignite') confirm the fire imagery is not a mere Hebraism but a cross-linguistic anger-as-heat conceptual mapping. 82×
AR["فَاشْتَعَلَ","فَحَمِيَ-","فَـ-حَمِيَ","وَ-احتَدَّ","وَ-احْتَدَّ-","وَ-اشْتَعَلَ-","وَ-التَهَبَ-","وَ-اِحتَدَّ-","وَ-اِحْتَدَّ","وَ-حَمِيَ","وَ-حَمِيَ-"]·ben["আর-জ্বলে-উঠল","এবং-জ্বলল","এবং-জ্বলল-","এবং-জ্বলে-উঠল","এবং-জ্বলে-উঠল-","ও-জ্বলে-উঠল","ও-জ্বলে-উঠল-"]·DE["[ויחר]","und-es-entbrannte","und-verbrannt","und-verbrannte","und-verbrannte-"]·EN["and-burned","and-burned-"]·FR["et-brûla","et-brûla-","et-s'enflammer"]·heb["ו-חרה","ו-יחר"]·HI["और-जलअ-","और-भड़का","और-भड़का-"]·ID["Dan-menyala","dan-menyala","dan-menyala-","dan-menyalalah","dan-menyalalah-"]·IT["e-accendersi","e-adirarsi","e-arse","e-brucio","e-brucio-","e-bruciò","e-bruciò-"]·jav["Lan-murka","Lan-murub","Lan-murub-","Lan-piyambakipun-murub","lan-duka-","lan-muntab","lan-murka","lan-murka-","lan-murub","lan-murub-","lan-piyambakipun-murub","lan-piyambakipun-murub-"]·KO["그-와-타올랐다","그리고-뚨거워졌다","그리고-타오르시니","그리고-타올랐다","그리고-타올랐다-","그리고-타올렀다"]·PT["E-acendeu-se","E-acendeu-se-","e-acendeu","e-acendeu-se","e-acendeu-se-"]·RU["И-возгорелся-","И-разгорелся","и-возгорелся","и-возгорелся-","и-воспламенился","и-воспылал","и-воспылал-","и-разгорелся","и-разгорелся-"]·ES["Y-se-encendió","Y-se-encendió-","y-se-encendió","y-se-encendió-"]·SW["Na-ikawaka-","na-ikawaka","na-ikawaka-","na-iliwaka"]·TR["Ve-alevlendi-","Ve-tutuştu","Ve-tutuştu-","Ve-yandı-","ve-alevlendi","ve-alevlendi-","ve-tutuştu-","ve-yandı","ve-yandı-","ve-yardı-","ve-öfkelendi","ve-öfkelendi-"]·urd["اور-بھڑکا","اور-بھڑکا-"]
Gen 44:18, Gen 45:5, Exod 22:24, Exod 32:19, Num 11:1, Num 11:10, Num 12:9, Num 22:22, Num 22:27, Num 24:10, Num 25:3, Num 32:10 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. fret oneself, be vexed — To fret oneself, be vexed — the Hitpael reflexive stem, appearing 4 times exclusively in wisdom literature (Ps 37:1, 7, 8; Prov 24:19). The reflexive morphology turns the burning inward: do not let envy or resentment kindle a fire in yourself. This is self-directed emotional agitation rather than outward-directed wrath. Spanish te-impacientes ('do not become impatient with yourself') and Korean captures the reflexive turn well. The wisdom context — paired with imperatives not to envy evildoers — makes this a genuine sub-sense: therapeutic counsel against the spiritual self-harm of bitter resentment. 4×
AR["تَغَرْ","تَغْتَظْ"]·ben["উত্তেজিত-হও","উদ্বিগ্ন"]·DE["[תתחר]","fret"]·EN["fret","fret-yourself"]·FR["s'enflammer"]·heb["תתחר"]·HI["जल-","जलन-कर"]·ID["menjadi-marah"]·IT["adirarsi","arse"]·jav["benter","panas-manah"]·KO["노여워하지","분내라"]·PT["te-indignes","te-irrites"]·RU["раздражайся"]·ES["te-enciendas","te-impacientes"]·SW["kasirike","ukasirike"]·TR["kız","kızgın-ol"]·urd["جَل","جھنجھلا"]
3. sense 3 — The Niphal participle form hannecharim — 'those who are incensed/enraged against you' — appearing twice in Isaiah's oracles of assurance (Isa 41:11; 45:24). The Niphal passive-reflexive morphology marks a state of being incensed rather than the Qal's narrative moment of anger-kindling. Spanish los-que-se-enfurecen and English who-are-angry both render it as a characterizing description of hostile opponents. The Isaianic context is specifically about enemies of God's servant who shall be put to shame — a prophetic-forensic application of the anger root. 2×
AR["المُغْتَاظِينَ"]·ben["-যারা-ক্রুদ্ধ","যারা-ক্রুদ্ধ"]·DE["[הנחרים]"]·EN["who-are-angry","who-are-incensed"]·FR["[הנחרים]"]·heb["ה-נחרים"]·HI["क्रोधित-होने-वाले","जो-क्रोधित-हैं"]·ID["yang-marah"]·IT["[הנחרים]"]·jav["ingkang-ngèrèh"]·KO["분노하는-자들이"]·PT["os-que-se-enfurecem","os-que-se-iram"]·RU["-гневающиеся","гневающиеся"]·ES["los-que-se-enfurecen","los-que-se-enojan"]·SW["anayekukasirikia","waliomkasirikia"]·TR["ofkelenenler","ofkelenenlerin"]·urd["بھڑکنے-والے","غصے-والے"]
4. sense 4 — Zealously, ardently — a single adverbial use at Neh 3:20 where Baruch son of Zabbai 'zealously' (charah) repaired a section of the wall. Here the fire metaphor shifts from anger to fervent energy and passionate commitment. Spanish ardientemente ('ardently') and English 'zealously' both capture the intensity-without-anger reading. This represents an interesting semantic extension: the combustion imagery of charah applied to burning dedication rather than burning wrath. 1×
AR["بِـ-غَيْرَةٍ"]·ben["পরিশ্রম-করে"]·DE["der-entbrannte"]·EN["zealously"]·FR["s'enflammer"]·heb["החרה"]·HI["लगन-से"]·ID["dengan-bersemangat"]·IT["accendersi"]·jav["kanthi-semangat"]·KO["타올랐다"]·PT["ardentemente"]·RU["ревностно"]·ES["ardientemente"]·SW["kwa-bidii"]·TR["coşkuyla"]·urd["جوش-سے"]
5. sense 5 — To kindle (divine anger against a specific person) — a single occurrence at Job 19:11 where Job says 'He has kindled his wrath against me.' While semantically close to sense 1, the Hifil-like causative nuance (God actively kindles/stokes his anger) and the intensely personal context — Job as singular target of divine fury — sets this apart. Spanish ha-encendido and German entbrannte both render the active kindling. Job's theological complaint inverts the usual narrative: instead of corporate Israel provoking divine anger, here God unilaterally ignites wrath against an innocent individual. 1×
AR["وَ-أَضْرَمَ"]·ben["এবং-জ্বলেছে"]·DE["und-es-entbrannte"]·EN["and-He-kindles"]·FR["et-s'enflammer"]·heb["ו-יחר"]·HI["और-जलाया"]·ID["dan-Dia-menyalakan"]·IT["e-adirarsi"]·jav["lan-murub"]·KO["그리고-태우셨나니"]·PT["E-acendeu"]·RU["и-воспылал"]·ES["Y-ha-encendido"]·SW["na-imewaka"]·TR["ve-tutuştu"]·urd["اور-بھڑکا"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)H3701 1. silver (the metal) (391×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָרָה vb. burn, be kindled, of anger (Aramaic חרי Pa. cause fire to burn (rare); Zinj. חרא anger, NöZMG 1893, 98. 103; Arabic حَرْوَةٌ burning sensation, in throat, etc., from rage and pain)— Qal Pf. ח׳ Gn 4:6 + 20 times; Impf. יֶחֱרֶה Ex 32:11 + 2 times; יִ֫חַר Gn 18:30 + 7 times; וַיִּ֫חַר Gn 4:5 + 46 times; Inf. abs. חָרֹה 1 S 20:7; cstr. חֲרוֹת 2 S 24:1 ψ 124:3;— 1. of man: a. חרה אף…