chema · wrath, fury

What it means

chema (חֵמָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “wrath, fury”.

Wrath, burning anger, fury; also venom.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Literally "heat": burning anger, of a person or of YHWH.
2. The venom of serpents, which burns inside.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Heat; figuratively, fury, burning anger; and from the fever it causes, venom. Related to יָחַם, “to be hot”.

• “Until your brother’s fury turns away” Genesis 27:44
• “A soft answer turns back wrath” Proverbs 15:1
• The fury of YHWH Ezekiel 5:132 Kings 22:17
• Venom of serpents Psalms 58:4Deuteronomy 32:33

How we translate it

“Fury” 101 times, “wrath” 14, “venom” 6, “furies” 1, “heat” 1, “rage” 1. It is translated “fury”, distinct from אַף, “anger” (“my anger will be spent … my fury”, Ezekiel 5:13); said of serpents, “venom”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• fury ×101
• wrath ×14
• venom ×6
• furies ×1
• heat ×1
• rage ×1

Where it appears

• 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
• Zechariah×1

• Genesis 27:44

  and stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,

• Leviticus 26:28

  then I will walk with you in the fury of opposition, and I myself will correct you seven times more for your sins.

• Numbers 25:11

  “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the sons of Israel when he was jealous with my jealousy among them, and I did not make an end of the sons of Israel in my jealousy.

• Deuteronomy 9:19

  For I was afraid of the anger and the fury with which YHWH was angry with you, to destroy you. But YHWH listened to me that time also.

• Deuteronomy 29:23

  —all its land brimstone and salt, a burning; it will not be sown, and it will not sprout, and no plant will come up in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which YHWH overthrew in his anger and in his wrath—

• Deuteronomy 29:28

  And YHWH uprooted them from their ground in anger and in wrath and in great fury, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.”

• Deuteronomy 32:24

  Wasted by hunger, and devoured by burning fever and bitter plague; and the teeth of beasts I will send against them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust.

• Deuteronomy 32:33

  The venom of serpents is their wine, and the cruel poison of vipers.

• 2 Samuel 11:20

  then if the king’s wrath rises, and he says to you, ‘Why did you go near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

• 2 Kings 5:12

  Are not Amana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.

• 2 Kings 22:13

  “Go, consult YHWH for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the fury of YHWH that is kindled against us, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

• 2 Kings 22:17

  because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands; so my fury will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.

• 2 Chronicles 12:7

  When YHWH saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of YHWH came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and I will give them escape in a little while, and my fury will not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

• 2 Chronicles 28:9

  But there was a prophet of YHWH whose name was Oded; he went out before the army that was coming to Samaria, and said to them, “Look, because of the fury of YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, against Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them with a rage that has reached up to the heavens.

• 2 Chronicles 34:21

  “Go, consult YHWH for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, about the words of the book that has been found; for great is the fury of YHWH that has been poured out on us, because our fathers did not keep the word of YHWH, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

• 2 Chronicles 34:25

  because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; and my fury will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’

• 2 Chronicles 36:16

  But they kept mocking the messengers of Elohim, and despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the fury of YHWH rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

• Esther 1:12

  But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that came by the hand of the eunuchs. And the king became very angry, and his fury burned within him.

• Esther 2:1

  After these things, when the fury of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

• Esther 3:5

  And Haman saw that Mordecai was not kneeling or bowing down to him, and Haman was filled with fury.

• Esther 5:9

  And Haman went out that day glad and good of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not rise and did not tremble before him, Haman was filled with fury against Mordecai.

• Esther 7:7

  And the king rose in his fury from the banquet of wine and went to the garden of the palace; and Haman stayed to petition Esther the queen for his life, for he saw that evil had been determined against him by the king.

• Esther 7:10

  And they hanged Haman on the pole that he had prepared for Mordecai; and the fury of the king subsided.

• Job 6:4

  For the arrows of Shaddai are with me, whose venom my spirit drinks; the terrors of Eloah are arrayed against me.

• Job 19:29

  be afraid yourselves of the sword, for wrath is iniquities of the sword, so that you may know that there is judgment.”

• Job 21:20

  Let his eyes see his ruin, and let him drink of the wrath of Shaddai.

• Job 36:18

  For beware lest fury incite you with abundance, and let not the great compensation turn you aside.

• Psalms 6:1

  For the director. With stringed instruments, on the eighth. A psalm of David. YHWH, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor correct me in your fury.

• Psalms 37:8

  Let go of anger and abandon fury; do not get heated; it leads only to doing evil.

• Psalms 38:1

  A psalm of David. For bringing to remembrance. YHWH, do not rebuke me in your wrath, nor correct me in your fury.

• Psalms 58:4

  They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

• Psalms 59:13

  Make an end in fury, make an end, so that they are no more; and let them know that Elohim rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah.

• Psalms 76:10

  For the fury of human beings will give you thanks; with the remainder of furies you will gird yourself.

• Psalms 78:38

  But he, merciful, makes expiation for iniquity and does not destroy; and many times he turned back his anger, and did not stir up all his fury.

• Psalms 79:6

  Pour out your fury on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name,

• Psalms 88:7

  Upon me your fury has leaned, and with all your breakers you have afflicted me. Selah.

• Psalms 89:46

  How long, YHWH? Will you hide yourself forever? Will your fury burn like fire?

• Psalms 90:7

  For we are consumed by your anger, and by your fury we are dismayed.

• Psalms 106:23

  And he said he would destroy them, had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn back his fury from destroying.

• Psalms 140:3

  They sharpen their tongue like a serpent; the venom of an asp is under their lips. Selah.

And 84 more times.