What does חֵמָה (ḥēmāh) mean in the Bible?
חֵמָה can denote heat, fury, rage, or wrath. It is used for human anger as well as for the LORD’s judicial anger, so the noun itself does not guarantee that the response is righteous, measured, or divine.
Hebrew · H2534
חֵמָה
Heat ; figuratively, anger , poison (from its fever)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
חֵמָה H2534
Pronunciation ḥēmāh
What does חֵמָה (ḥēmāh) mean in the Bible?
חֵמָה can denote heat, fury, rage, or wrath. It is used for human anger as well as for the LORD’s judicial anger, so the noun itself does not guarantee that the response is righteous, measured, or divine.
Reader summary
Full entry for חֵמָה (H2534) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2534?
The BSB source-word alignment has 125 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include My wrath (19), wrath (10), and wrath (6), the wrath (6), fury (5).
Where does חֵמָה (ḥēmāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 27:44. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (33), Jeremiah (17), Psalms (15), Isaiah (13).
What This Word Actually Means
חֵמָה can denote heat, fury, rage, or wrath. It is used for human anger as well as for the Lord’s judicial anger, so the noun itself does not guarantee that the response is righteous, measured, or divine. Context and subject determine whether it describes Haman’s enraged pride, destructive human fury, or God’s announced judgment against covenant rebellion and injustice.
In prophetic judgment texts, חֵמָה communicates the intensity of the Lord’s opposition to sin. Ezekiel 5:15, Isaiah 42:25, and Jeremiah 30:23-24 place the word within announced acts of judgment, while Psalm 78:38 praises God for restraining his fury in compassion. These passages should be read within their covenant settings: divine wrath is neither irritability nor an impersonal force, and its justice is established by the surrounding scriptural claims rather than by the noun’s heat imagery alone.
For teaching, חֵמָה helps resist a sentimental account of God that treats evil as morally inconsequential. It also warns against projecting sinful human rage onto God. The same word can describe Haman’s self-serving anger in Esther 3:5, so teachers must distinguish the creaturely misuse of fury from the Lord’s holy judgment by attending to each narrative and prophetic context.
The New Testament speaks directly of God’s wrath and Christ’s saving work, but those connections should be made from New Testament texts rather than by claiming that the cross literally “absorbs” this Hebrew lexeme.
Lexical sourcePassage contextBook contextCanonical parallelPastoral applicationEditorial synthesis
How the Bible Uses It
חֵמָה appears about 124 times in the local Hebrew index, concentrated in the prophets (Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah) and appearing in narrative (Esther) and wisdom (Job). The prophetic concentration is in exile-and-judgment contexts, where divine חֵמָה is the specific quality of the judgment being announced.
- Ezek.5.15
So you will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations around you, when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging fury. I, the Lord, have spoken.
חֵמָה paired with אַף (anger) and תוֹכֵחוֹת חֵמָה (furious rebukes). The judgment on Jerusalem is described in layered wrath vocabulary. The phrase 'I am the Lord; I have spoken' anchors the fury in divine identity — it is not rage but the settled execution of what He declared.
- Isa.42.25
So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
Isaiah 42:25 describes the Lord pouring out the heat of anger and the violence of battle on Jacob. The verse also laments Israel’s failure to understand or take the judgment to heart. That failure does not mean the judgment accomplished nothing; the text emphasizes the people’s continued spiritual insensibility under a real act of covenant judgment.
- Jer.30.23-24
Behold, the storm of the Lord has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked.
Jeremiah 30:23-24 portrays the Lord’s wrath as a storm that falls on the wicked and continues until he has carried out the intentions of his heart. The image presents judgment as purposeful rather than random. Its purpose and outcome must be read from Jeremiah’s oracle, not inferred from the word חֵמָה alone.
- Esth.3.5
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.
Human חֵמָה: Haman's rage at perceived disrespect. The same word used for divine burning wrath is used for a petty official's wounded pride. The contrast illuminates divine חֵמָה — God's wrath is the opposite of Haman's in that it is proportionate, just, and not self-serving.
- Ps.78.38
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
חֵמָה restrained by compassion. YHWH's חֵמָה is real — it is mentioned precisely because holding it back is significant. The restraint of wrath is itself an act of mercy, not the denial that the wrath is real.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It My wrath 19× Numbers 25:11, 2 Kings 22:17, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 2 Chronicles 34:25
wrath 10× Job 19:29, Psalms 37:8, Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 21:14
and wrath 6× Deuteronomy 9:19, Jeremiah 42:18, Ezekiel 22:20, Ezekiel 25:14
the wrath 6× 2 Chronicles 34:21, 2 Chronicles 36:16, Job 21:20, Psalms 76:10
fury 5× Genesis 27:44, Isaiah 59:18, Jeremiah 21:5, Ezekiel 13:13
Your wrath 5× Psalms 79:6, Psalms 88:7, Jeremiah 10:25, Jeremiah 18:20
. . . 4× Deuteronomy 29:23, Proverbs 19:19, Jeremiah 32:37, Hosea 7:5
His wrath 4× Psalms 106:23, Lamentations 2:4, Lamentations 4:11, Nahum 1:6
in fury 3× Leviticus 26:28, Ezekiel 19:12, Ezekiel 23:25
of wrath 3× Psalms 76:10, Jeremiah 25:15, Nahum 1:2
the venom 3× Deuteronomy 32:24, Psalms 58:4, Psalms 140:3
with fury 3× Isaiah 66:15, Jeremiah 23:19, Jeremiah 30:23
A hot-tempered 2× Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 22:24
and fury 2× Jeremiah 32:31, Jeremiah 36:7
in My wrath 2× Isaiah 63:6, Ezekiel 13:13
in Your wrath 2× Psalms 6:1, Psalms 38:1
out My wrath 2× Ezekiel 20:13, Ezekiel 20:21
with furious 2× Ezekiel 25:17, Daniel 8:6
with rage 2× Esther 3:5, Esther 5:9
[is] the wrath 1× 2 Kings 22:13
[them] in wrath 1× Psalms 59:13
and a hot-tempered 1× Proverbs 29:22
and furious 1× Isaiah 34:2
and his anger 1× Esther 1:12
and in My wrath 1× Jeremiah 33:5
and in the anger 1× Ezekiel 3:14
and My fury 1× Jeremiah 7:20
and My own wrath 1× Isaiah 63:5
and raging 1× Ezekiel 5:15
anger 1× 2 Samuel 11:20
angry 1× Isaiah 27:4
Be careful 1× Job 36:18
because of His wrath 1× 2 Chronicles 28:9
by Your wrath 1× Psalms 90:7
enrages a husband 1× Proverbs 6:34
fervor 1× Zechariah 8:2
from the wineskin 1× Habakkuk 2:15
His full wrath 1× Psalms 78:38
His furious 1× Isaiah 42:25
in a rage 1× 2 Kings 5:12
In his fury 1× Esther 7:7
in My burning 1× Ezekiel 36:6
in My fury 1× Isaiah 63:3
is the fury 1× Isaiah 51:13
is the venom 1× Deuteronomy 32:33
My fury 1× Ezekiel 6:12
of His fury 1× Isaiah 51:17
of My fury 1× Isaiah 51:22
of the wrath 1× Isaiah 51:20
rage 1× Deuteronomy 29:28
the fury 1× Isaiah 51:13
their poison 1× Job 6:4
Their venom 1× Psalms 58:4
Then the fury 1× Esther 7:10
Therefore My wrath 1× Jeremiah 44:6
when the anger 1× Esther 2:1
will My wrath 1× Jeremiah 42:18
Will Your wrath 1× Psalms 89:46
with wrath 1× Ezekiel 8:18
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 27:44 חֲמַ֥ת to fury Noun - feminine singular construct Leviticus 26:28 בַּחֲמַת־ to in fury Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Numbers 25:11 חֲמָתִי֙ to My wrath Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Deuteronomy 9:19 וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ה to and wrath Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 29:23 וּבַחֲמָתֽוֹ׃ to . . . Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 29:28 וּבְחֵמָ֖ה to rage Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 32:24 חֲמַ֖ת to the venom Noun - feminine singular construct Deuteronomy 32:33 חֲמַ֥ת to is the venom Noun - feminine singular construct 2 Samuel 11:20 חֲמַ֣ת to anger Noun - feminine singular construct 2 Kings 5:12 בְּחֵמָֽה׃ to in a rage Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 27:44
Aligned rows 125
Books represented 21
Genesis 1 Leviticus 1 Numbers 1 Deuteronomy 5 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 3 2 Chronicles 5 Esther 6 Job 4 Psalms 15 Proverbs 9 Isaiah 13 Jeremiah 17 Lamentations 2 Ezekiel 33 Daniel 3 Hosea 1 Micah 1 Nahum 2 Habakkuk 1 Zechariah 1
Source forms
חֲמַת־ 7x ḥă·maṯ- 2 Chronicles 34:21, 2 Chronicles 36:16, Psalms 58:4, Proverbs 6:34
חֲמָתִי֙ 7x ḥă·mā·ṯî Numbers 25:11, Jeremiah 42:18, Jeremiah 44:6, Ezekiel 7:8
חֵ֭מָה 5x ḥê·māh Job 19:29, Job 36:18, Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 19:19
חֲמַ֣ת 5x ḥă·maṯ 2 Samuel 11:20, 2 Kings 22:13, Psalms 76:10, Isaiah 51:13
חֲמָתִ֖י 5x ḥă·mā·ṯî Ezekiel 5:13, Ezekiel 6:12, Ezekiel 22:22, Ezekiel 24:13
חֵמָ֑ה 4x ḥê·māh Psalms 37:8, Proverbs 15:1, Ezekiel 25:17, Nahum 1:2
חֲמַ֥ת 4x ḥă·maṯ Genesis 27:44, Deuteronomy 32:33, Psalms 140:3, Isaiah 51:13
חֲמָתִ֛י 4x ḥă·mā·ṯî 2 Kings 22:17, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 2 Chronicles 34:25, Ezekiel 5:13
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular 26x Numbers 25:11, 2 Kings 22:17, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 2 Chronicles 34:25
Noun - feminine singular 21x Esther 3:5, Esther 5:9, Job 19:29, Job 36:18
Noun - feminine singular construct 19x Genesis 27:44, Deuteronomy 32:24, Deuteronomy 32:33, 2 Samuel 11:20
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular 8x 2 Kings 5:12, Psalms 59:13, Isaiah 66:15, Ezekiel 8:18
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 7x Psalms 79:6, Psalms 88:7, Psalms 89:46, Jeremiah 10:25
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular 6x Deuteronomy 29:28, Jeremiah 21:5, Ezekiel 5:15, Ezekiel 20:33
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 6x Psalms 78:38, Psalms 106:23, Isaiah 51:17, Lamentations 2:4
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular 4x Jeremiah 32:37, Jeremiah 33:5, Ezekiel 22:20, Ezekiel 36:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Divine wrath (chemah) is not something to explain away or minimize — it is the fierce covenantal response of a holy God to specific moral and relational failures. Honest theology holds God's love and wrath together.
- Human fury (chemah) is consistently warned against in wisdom literature — the burning, venomous anger it describes destroys relationships and moral judgment. The contrast with divine, morally ordered wrath is significant.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that divine wrath is incompatible with God's love — the OT consistently shows that God's wrath and his steadfast love (hesed) operate in the same covenant relationship; the cup of wrath texts are also followed by restoration promises.
- Do not use divine wrath texts to normalize human rage — the biblical framework distinguishes between God's right to judge and the limits on human anger.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Anger as burning heat—divine wrath conceived as consuming fire reflecting God's passionate covenant justice
Source Gloss
heat ; figuratively, anger , poison (from its fever)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Anger as burning heat—divine wrath conceived as consuming fire reflecting God's passionate covenant justice
heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever) BDB: heat Usage: anger, bottles, hot displeasure, furious(-ly, -ry), heat, indignation, poison, rage, wrath(-ful). See 2529.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Burning anger or fury.
Burning anger or wrath.
Fury or burning wrath.
Burning anger or fury.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 124 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
חֵמָה is built from this root:
יָחַם H3179
Why This Word Matters
Wrath frames the Day as moral reckoning rather than random catastrophe. Isaiah 13:9-16
Highlights the intensity of divine opposition to evil. Isaiah 30:27-33
Expresses the intensity of covenant judgment. Isaiah 42:18-25
Divine wrath frames the societal collapse as covenant judgment rather than random chaos. Isaiah 9:18-21
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
חֵמָה gives teachers language for the intensity of anger or wrath, but its moral character depends on the one who bears it and the context in which it appears. Haman’s fury in Esther 3:5 is proud and self-serving; the Lord’s fury in prophetic judgment texts is presented as his response to covenant rebellion and injustice. Psalm 78:38 adds another essential note: God’s compassion restrains the fury his people deserve.
Pastorally, this range keeps two errors in view. Teachers should not minimize divine judgment into mild disappointment, and they should not imagine God’s wrath as fallen human volatility magnified without limit. The prophetic texts ground God’s wrath in his stated judgments, while Esther exposes the destructive character of human rage.
The New Testament announces deliverance from coming wrath through Jesus and presents Christ’s death in sacrificial and atoning categories. Those claims make divine wrath and salvation central to gospel proclamation. The bridge, however, is canonical and doctrinal: it should not be expressed as though Romans 3:25 names חֵמָה or settles every debate about the English term “propitiation.”
Anchor passage
Ezek.5.15
Doctrinal connections
- G3709 ὀργή — the NT settled wrath that is חֵמָה's heir; Rom 1:18; Rev 6:16
- H2617 חֶסֶד — loyal love; the same God who burns with חֵמָה pours out חֶסֶד; both are covenantal
- H3722 כָּפַר — atonement; the mechanism that turns aside חֵמָה (Num 25:11: Phinehas turned away My wrath)
- G629 ἀπολύτρωσις — the NT redemption that rescues from the wrath to come (1 Thess 1:10)
- 1 Thess 5:9 — 'God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ'
חֵמָה is associated with heat and can describe heated fury or wrath. Biblical writers exploit that concrete imagery in phrases about burning, pouring out, or enduring wrath. The image communicates intensity, but it is figurative language and does not define divine emotion as a physical temperature. Human and divine subjects both take the noun, so interpreters must establish the moral and theological force from the passage rather than from an etymological picture alone.
From Old to New Testament
The New Testament uses several Greek terms for anger and wrath, including θυμός and ὀργή, sometimes together as in Revelation 14:10. First Thessalonians 1:10 speaks of Jesus delivering believers from the wrath to come, and 5:9 contrasts appointment to wrath with obtaining salvation through Christ. Romans 3:25 presents Christ as ἱλαστήριον, a term translated and interpreted in relation to atoning sacrifice.
These texts provide a canonical connection to the Old Testament’s teaching on divine judgment, but they do not reproduce H2534 or license a claim that one Hebrew word is mechanically “satisfied” at the cross.
Passage contextCanonical parallelBook contextPastoral applicationEditorial synthesis
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain