Lexical Summary
qatsaph: To be angry, to be wroth, to be indignant
Original Word: קָצַף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qatsaph
Pronunciation: kah-tsaf'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tsaf')
KJV: (be) anger(-ry), displease, fret self, (provoke to) wrath (come), be wroth
NASB: angry, furious, provoked the to wrath, became angry, became angry, become wrathful, enraged
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to crack off, i.e. (figuratively) burst out in rage
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be angry, displease, fret self, provoke to wrath come, be wroth
A primitive root; to crack off, i.e. (figuratively) burst out in rage -- (be) anger(-ry), displease, fret self, (provoke to) wrath (come), be wroth.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be angry
NASB Translationangry (21), became angry (1), became...angry (1), become wrathful (1), enraged (1), furious (3), provoked (1), provoked him to wrath (1), provoked me to wrath (1), provoked the to wrath (2), wrath (1), wrathful (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Late Hebrew
id., Hiph`il
make wrathful (rare); Syriac
👁 Image be wrathful, also
be anxious, fearful);-
Perfect3masculine singular Genesis 41:10 +, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular Leviticus 10:6 +, etc.; Infinitive construct Isaiah 54:9; Participle Zechariah 1:15;-be wroth:
; absolute Deuteronomy 1:34; Isaiah 57:16,17 (twice in verse); Isaiah 64:4; Isaiah 64:8; Zechariah 1:15; with against, Leviticus 10:6; Numbers 16:22 (P), Deuteronomy 9:19; Isaiah 47:6; Isaiah 54:9; Lamentations 5:22; Zechariah 1:2,15; Ecclesiastes 5:5; with Joshua 22:18 (P).
; absolute Esther 1:12; Esther 2:21; 2 Kings 5:11; with Genesis 40:2; Genesis 41:10 (E), Exodus 16:20; Leviticus 10:16; Numbers 31:14 (P), Jeremiah 37:15; 1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Kings 13:19.
Perfect2masculine singular Deuteronomy 9:7; 2masculine plural Deuteronomy 9:8; Imperfect3masculine plural Psalm 106:32; Infinitive construct Zechariah 8:14; Participle plural Deuteronomy 9:22;-provoke to wrath, with accusative Deuteronomy 9:7,8,22; Zechariah 8:14; so (accusative omitted) Psalm 106:32.
put oneself in a rage: Perfect3masculine singular consecutive Isaiah 8:21, of hard-pressed people.
Topical Lexicon
Root Meaning and Semantic Range קָצַף portrays the surge of anger that rises swiftly and demands response, whether in righteous indignation or in sinful irritation. Unlike the related noun חֵמָה (“wrath”) that depicts a settled disposition, קָצַף describes the moment when displeasure breaks into visible action.
Occurrences and Distribution in Scripture
The verb appears about thirty-four times, spread across Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, Prophets, and Chronicles–Ezra–Nehemiah. Roughly two-thirds refer to divine anger and one-third to human anger. The distribution underscores that God’s wrath is neither capricious nor comparable to fallen human temper; it is the holy reaction of the covenant Lord toward sin, idolatry, and injustice.
Divine Anger
1. Against idolatry: “They angered Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols” (Psalm 78:58).
2. Against covenant breach: “The wrath of the Lord burned against Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 24:18).
3. Against presumption: “You shall not harden your hearts, lest the Lord be angry and shut up the heavens” (Deuteronomy 11:16-17).
These texts reveal that the Lord’s קָצַף is provoked by moral and spiritual rebellion, not by whim. It is also tempered by mercy; Micah 7:18 praises God who “does not retain His anger forever, for He delights in loving devotion.”
Human Anger
1. Pharaoh’s volatile court: “Pharaoh was angry with his two officials” (Genesis 40:2; cf. 41:10). The anger of pagan rulers is unpredictable and self-serving.
2. Moses’ righteous indignation: “Moses was furious with the officers of the army” (Numbers 31:14). Here קָצַף aligns with zeal for divine holiness.
3. Zerubbabel’s adversaries: “Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build” (Ezra 4:4-5). Human anger can either serve God’s purposes or oppose them.
Anger of Kings and Leaders
Proverbs 16:14 warns, “A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will appease it.” Earthly rulers wield power that can break or bless. The biblical narrative repeatedly contrasts the fickle rage of kings like Saul (1 Samuel 20:30) with the steady righteousness of God’s wrath.
Covenant Context and Theological Significance
In the covenantal framework, קָצַף functions as the legal penalty clause. By violating Torah, Israel calls down the stipulated curses, which manifest as divine wrath—drought (Deuteronomy 11:17), defeat (Joshua 7:1), exile (2 Kings 17:18). Conversely, repentance and intercession—seen in passages such as Numbers 16:46-48 where Aaron stands between the living and the dead—stay that wrath.
Eschatological and Prophetic Dimensions
Prophets repeatedly borrow the verb to foretell judgment on nations:
• Isaiah 8:21 pictures the despairing people who “will curse their king and their God” because of His anger.
• Zechariah 1:2-3 links past wrath to future restoration: “The Lord was very angry with your fathers… ‘Return to Me…and I will return to you.’”
The prophets thus transform the theme of wrath into a summons to repentance and a promise of hope.
Wisdom Literature Insights
Ecclesiastes 5:17 observes, “All his days he eats in darkness with great frustration, affliction, and anger.” Human anger, when untethered from divine righteousness, yields emptiness. Proverbs offers pastoral counsel: “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1), acknowledging the volatile power of קָצַף and the value of restraint.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Faithful proclamation must hold together God’s wrath and His grace, warning the unrepentant while offering the gospel’s remedy.
• Discipleship: Believers are exhorted to “be angry, yet do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). The Old Testament verb illustrates both the legitimacy of holy anger against evil and the peril of self-centered rage.
• Worship: Corporate confession (Nehemiah 9:17, 33) recognizes that the congregation’s sins have provoked divine anger; gratitude follows for His patience and forgiveness.
Christological and Redemptive Trajectory
God’s wrath culminates at the cross, where the sinless Son bears the Father’s righteous anger in the place of His people. The Old Testament witness to קָצַף sets the background for propitiation: “God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25). The believer’s assurance that “there is now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) rests on the certainty that divine anger has been satisfied in Christ.
Summary
קָצַף unveils the moral seriousness with which Scripture treats sin and justice. Far from diminishing God’s love, His controlled and covenantal wrath magnifies the costliness of grace and the depth of redemption. Understanding this verb equips the church to proclaim a gospel that is both holy and hopeful.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶקְּצ֑וֹף אקצוף בְּהַקְצִ֤יף בהקציף הִקְצַ֛פְתָּ הִקְצַפְתֶּ֖ם הקצפת הקצפתם וְאֶקְצֹ֑ף וְהִתְקַצַּ֗ף וַ֠יִּקְצֹף וַ֭יַּקְצִיפוּ וַיִּקְצְפ֧וּ וַיִּקְצְפ֨וּ וַיִּקְצֹ֖ף וַיִּקְצֹ֣ף וַיִּקְצֹ֤ף וַיִּקְצֹ֥ף וַיִּקְצֹ֨ף ואקצף והתקצף ויקציפו ויקצף ויקצפו יִקְצֹ֑ף יִקְצֹ֤ף יִקְצֹֽף׃ יקצף יקצף׃ מִקְּצֹ֥ף מַקְצִפִ֥ים מקצף מקצפים קָצַ֙פְתָּ֙ קָצַ֣ף קָצַ֣פְתִּי קָצַ֥פְתִּי קָצַ֥פְתָּ קָצַ֧ף קָצַף֩ קֹצֵ֔ף קצף קצפת קצפתי תִּקְצֹ֤ף תִּקְצֹֽף׃ תקצף תקצף׃ ’eq·qə·ṣō·wp̄ ’eqqəṣōwp̄ bə·haq·ṣîp̄ behakTzif bəhaqṣîp̄ ekkeTzof hikTzafta hiktzafTem hiq·ṣap̄·tā hiq·ṣap̄·tem hiqṣap̄tā hiqṣap̄tem kaTzaf kaTzafta kaTzafti koTzef maktziFim maq·ṣi·p̄îm maqṣip̄îm mikkeTzof miq·qə·ṣōp̄ miqqəṣōp̄ qā·ṣap̄ qā·ṣap̄·tā qā·ṣap̄·tî qāṣap̄ qāṣap̄tā qāṣap̄tî qō·ṣêp̄ qōṣêp̄ tikTzof tiq·ṣōp̄ tiqṣōp̄ Vaiyaktzifu vaiyiktzeFu vaiyikTzof veekTzof vehitkatzTzaf way·yaq·ṣî·p̄ū way·yiq·ṣə·p̄ū way·yiq·ṣōp̄ wayyaqṣîp̄ū wayyiqṣəp̄ū wayyiqṣōp̄ wə’eqṣōp̄ wə·’eq·ṣōp̄ wə·hiṯ·qaṣ·ṣap̄ wəhiṯqaṣṣap̄ yikTzof yiq·ṣōp̄ yiqṣōp̄
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