אַף
nose
also: nostril, face fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Particle
- A short function word — article, negation, interrogative, the sign of the direct object, and the like.
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Dual
- Exactly two — for natural pairs and some measures of time.
Every verse where H639 appears in the Book of Job — 20 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Job
- Job 4:9 אַפּ֣/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms By the breath of God they perish, By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
- Job 9:5 בְּ/אַפּֽ/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Who removes the mountains, and they don't know it, When he overturns them in his anger
- Job 9:13 אַפּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms "God will not withdraw his anger; The helpers of Rahab stoop under him.
- Job 14:13 אַפֶּ֑/ךָ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2ms "Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, That you would keep me secret, until your wrath is past, That you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
- Job 16:9 אַפּ֤/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms He has torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me; He has gnashed on me with his teeth: My adversary sharpens his eyes on me.
- Job 18:4 בְּ/אַ֫פּ֥/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms You who tear yourself in your anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?
- Job 19:11 אַפּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms He has also kindled his wrath against me. He counts me among his adversaries.
- Job 20:23 אַפּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath on him. It will rain on him while he is eating.
- Job 20:28 אַפּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms The increase of his house shall depart; They shall rush away in the day of his wrath.
- Job 21:17 בְּ/אַפּֽ/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms "How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes on them? That God distributes sorrows in his anger?
- Job 27:3 בְּ/אַפִּֽ/י prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs (For the length of my life is still in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
- Job 32:2 אַ֨ף אַפּ֑/וֹ ptcl acc n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Then the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled against Job. His wrath was kindled because he justified himself rather than God.
- Job 32:3 אַ֫פּ֥/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Also his wrath was kindled against his three friends, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
- Job 32:5 אַפּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.
- Job 35:15 אַפּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms But now, because he has not visited in his anger, Neither does he greatly regard arrogance.
- Job 36:13 אָ֑ף n c ms "But those who are godless in heart lay up anger. They don't cry for help when he binds them.
- Job 40:11 אַפֶּ֑/ךָ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2ms Pour forth the fury of your anger. Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
- Job 40:24 אָֽף n c ms Shall any take him when he is on the watch, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?
- Job 41:2 בְּ/אַפּ֑/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Can you put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
- Job 42:7 אַפִּ֤/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“nose” is the headline sense of the Hebrew noun אף (ʼaph). Where the King James Version says “anger,” newer translations reach for “nose” (unfoldingWord Literal Text); the renderings breakdown has the detail. It appears 269 verses across 32 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its common vocabulary. First canonically at Genesis 2:7, it enters the text early. Beyond “nose” it also covers “nostril” and “face” — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 269-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H639 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 269
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 269 distinct verses.
- 32 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 32 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #179
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 179 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 269 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 269 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 119 verses · 44%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 99 verses · 37%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 51 verses · 19%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Anger 139×, Wrath 35×, Face 13×
- American Standard Version†: Anger 120×, Wrath 23×, 's anger 13×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Anger 159×, Facedown 14×, Nostrils 11×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Nose 145×, Nose of 41×, Nostrils 29×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H639 across 273† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 49 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H639 across 271† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 65 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H639 across 243† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 31 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 33 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H639 across 278† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
אף I
- 1. nostril, as organ of breathing Gn 2:7; 7:22; Jb 27:3 cf. Nu 11:20; 2 S 22:9 = ψ 18:9 cf. Is 65:5; Is 2:22; La 4:20; Ez 38:18 (del. Co) Am 4:10; רוּחַ אַפֶּיךָ (of י׳) i.e. wind Ex 15:8; cf. נִשְׁמַת רוּחַ אַפּוֹ 2 S 22:16 = ψ 18:16 (vid. also sub 3); nose sg. Ct 7:5, 9; Ez 8:17; 23:25; Pr 30:33 (where play upon diff. meaning of אַף & אַפַּיִם): (a) as organ of smelling Dt 33:10 ψ 115:6; (b) as place of ring for ornament Gn 24:47; Is 3:21 Ez 16:12; (c) as place of ring or hook for captive 2 K 19:28 = Is 37:29; for beasts, e.g. swine Pr 11:22; hippopot. Jb 40:24; crocod. v 26. e.g. Genesis 2:7
- 2. Du face (especially in phrase אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה) Gn 19:1; 42:6; 48:12 Nu 22:31; 1 S 20:41; 24:9; 25:41; 28:14; 2 S 14:4, 33; 18:28; 24:20; 1 K 1:23, 31; Is 49:23; 1 Ch 21:21; 2 Ch 7:3; 20:18; Ne 8:6 also Gn 3:19; גֹּבַהּ אַפּוֹ pride of his countenance ψ 10:4; לְאַפֵּי before, loc. sense (cf. לִפְנֵי) 1 S 25:23; אַפָּ֑יִם 1 S 1:5 read אֶפֶס 𝔊 We Dr (q.v.) e.g. Genesis 19:1
- 3. mostly anger, human Gn 27:45; 49:6, 7 + (45 times); oftener divine Ex 32:12; Dt 9:19; 2 K 24:20 + (177 times); often subj. חָרָה (וַיִּ֫חַר etc.) his anger was kindled Gn 30:2; 39:19; Ex 4:14; 22:23; 32:10, 11 +; in various combinations, especially חֲרוֹן אַף fierceness of anger Ex 32:12; Nu 25:4; 32:14 +; cf. חֳרִי־אַף 1 S 20:34; בַּעַל־אַף Pr 22:24 given to anger; אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם slow to anger Ex 34:6; Nu 14:18; Ne 9:17 + 7 times of God; Pr 14:29; 15:18; 16:32 of man; אֹרֶךְ א׳ 25:15. e.g. Genesis 27:45
אף II conj. denoting addition, especially of something greater, also, yea (so Ph. Aramaic ܐܳܦ, אַף, אוֹף
- 1. very rare in plain prose (in which גַּם is more usual): Gn 40:16 (with pron., as rather often) I also in my dream, Nu 16:14 Dt 2:11, 20 2 S 20:14 (v. Dr) 2 K 2:14 Est 5:12; more freq. in poetry, especially as introducing emphatically a new thought Dt 33:3, 20, 28 1 S 2:7 ψ 16:6, 7, 9; 18:49; 65:14 they shout for joy, yea, they sing! 68:9, 17; 74:16; 89:28; 93:1 Pr 22:19; 23:28 +; or in more elevated prose style, Lv 26:16, 24, 28, 41; and 25 times in the impassioned rhetoric of Is 2 (40:24–48:15), e.q. 40:24; 41:10, 26; 42:13; 43:7, 19; 46:11 yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it! 48:12, 15. Implying something surprising or unexpected, even, indeed Jb 14:3; 15:4. וְאַף and also Lv 26:39, 40, 42, 44 Dt 15:17 Hb 2:15 ψ 68:19 1 Ch 8:32 = 9:38 2 Ch 12:5 Ne 2:18; 13:15; and even Jb 19:4 וְאַף־אָמְנָם שָׁגִיתִי and even indeed (if) I have erred … With הֲ, הַאַף indeed …? really …? †Gn 18:13, 23 wilt thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? v 24 Am 2:11 Jb 34:17; 40:8. In contrast to a preceding thought (expressed or implied) but, nay ψ 44:10; 58:3; cf. Ju 5:29. e.g. Genesis 40:16
- 2. (Equally in prose and poetry) with ref. to a preceding sentence, yea, à fortiori, the more so (= how much more! after an affirm. clause; = how much less! after a neg. one): †2 S 4:10 f. when one told me, Saul is dead … I took hold of him and slew him … אַף כִּי־אֲנָשִׁים רְשָׁעִים הָרְגוּ וג׳ à fortiori, how much more (should I do so), when wicked men have slain a righteous person, etc.! Ez 14:21 (Ew Hi) 15:5 Pr 21:27 (in all these passages כִּי = when) Jb 4:19. So וְאַף †1 S 23:3 2 K 5:13 … וְאַף כִּי־אָמַר אֵלֶיךָ and the more (= and how much rather), when he hath said to thee, etc. More commonly in this sense strengthened by כִּי (q.v.), v. infr. e.g. 2 Samuel 4:10
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.m. Gn 30:2 nostril, nose, face, anger (Assyrian appu, face Floodiii. 27, 29 cf. Hpt KAT2Gloss, Arabic أَنْفٌ, Ethiopic አንፍ nose; Aramaic ܐܰܦܶܐ, אַנְפִּין face)—abs. ψ 78:21 +; cstr. Gn 27:45 +; sf. אַפִּי Ex 22:23 +, etc.; du. אַפַּיִם Pr 14:17 +; אַפָּיו Gn 2:7 + etc.;—In Hex JE (Jos 7:1 P? 23:16 D?).
III. conj. denoting addition, especially of something greater, also, yea (so Ph. Aramaic ܐܳܦ, אַף, אוֹף; cf. فَ ).
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from אנף (ʼânaph) (H599) — to be angry.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אַף I
- also, too. Keth. 6ᵇ; a. fr. אף הוא the same. Aboth II, 6.—אף על פי (abbr. אע"פ) prop. even following the dictation of; אף על גב (abbr. אע"ג) prop. even on the top of, = notwithstanding, although (the former mostly in Mishnah, the latter in Gemara). Keth. V, 1 אע"פ שאמרו וכ׳ although the Rabbis have said; a. fr.—Meg. 3ᵃ אע"ג דאיהו לא חזא although he does not see it; a. v. fr.—אף על פי כן nevertheless. Snh. 98ᵃ; a. fr.—Chald. same. Targ. O. Num. XVI, 13; a. e. V. אוּף.
אַף II
- v. אָנַף) prop. breath, hence
- 1. nose. Midr. Till. to Ps. XVIII, 5 (interpret, ăfafuni, ib.) הגיעו הצרות עד א׳ the troubles have risen up to the nose.
- 2. panting, anger.—Du. אַפַּיִם. Y. Taan. II, 65ᵇ bot. ארך אף … ארך אפים וכ׳, it does not read (Jonah IV, 2), Slow of anger but of angers, which means that He is long suffering both to the righteous and the wicked; a. fr. e.g. Jonah 4:2
- 3. pr. n. m. Af, allegorical name of the angel administering justice., allegorical name of the angel administering justice. Ex. R. s. 41 end; s. 44; Deut. R. s. 3.—
- *4. overheated condition, wearines. Maksh. III, 8 בשעת האף when the animal is overheated, Var. יַחַף q. v.
אַף III
- , only in du. אַפַּיִם face (cheeks).
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 121 distinct written forms H639 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 61 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H639, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 247 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 269 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:7
- Exodus 4:14
- Numbers 11:1
- Deuteronomy 6:15
- Joshua 7:1
- Judges 2:14
- 1 Samuel 1:5
- 2 Samuel 6:7
- 1 Kings 1:23
- 2 Kings 13:3
- 1 Chronicles 13:10
- 2 Chronicles 7:3
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
