Word Study for H2528 (חֱמָא) | Strong's Concordance

chĕmâʼ /khem-aw'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) or חֲמָה

Meaning(Aramaic), corresponding to חֵמָה; anger

KJV usagefury.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of chĕmâʼ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word chĕmâʼ, represented by H2528, corresponds to the Hebrew word for anger and is defined as fury. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. This specific term is used to describe a powerful and intense emotional state of anger.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H2528 is found exclusively in the book of Daniel, describing the reaction of King Nebuchadnezzar. It first appears when the king, in his "rage and fury," commands Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought before him Daniel 3:13. The term is used again when, following their defiance, Nebuchadnezzar becomes "full of fury," causing his own visage to change and leading him to command that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than normal Daniel 3:19.

Related Words & Concepts

One related word is used in conjunction with chĕmâʼ to intensify its meaning:

H7266 rᵉgaz (violent anger; rage): This term appears directly alongside chĕmâʼ in Daniel 3:13, where Nebuchadnezzar's state is described as both "rage and fury," highlighting the extreme nature of his emotional response.

Theological Significance

The significance of H2528 is tied to its narrative function within the account of the fiery furnace.

Narrative Catalyst: The king's fury is the driving force behind the central conflict. It is this intense anger that directly leads to the life-threatening decree against the three faithful men.
Portrait of Earthly Power: The word powerfully illustrates the volatile and destructive nature of unchecked human authority when challenged. Nebuchadnezzar's fury is portrayed as a consuming force that alters his judgment and appearance.

Summary

In summary, H2528 is a specific Aramaic term for fury used pointedly in the book of Daniel. Its two appearances are critical to the narrative, characterizing the intense anger of King Nebuchadnezzar and serving as the catalyst for the events at the fiery furnace. It effectively captures the raw emotion of a powerful ruler whose authority has been defied.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

חֲמָה

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in Daniel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.