עֹנֶג

𐤏𐤍𐤂

ʻôneg

H6027 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ענג to be soft, to be delicate, to delight oneself

Definition

A state or quality of pleasurable delight, luxurious enjoyment, or sensuous pleasure; refers primarily to a pleasurable experience or condition characterized by delight, joy, or enjoyment, often in a context of abundance or comfort. Used as a positive quality associated with blessing or desired experience, but sometimes with implicit critique of overindulgence or excess.

Semantic Range

delight, pleasure, luxurious enjoyment, sensuous delight, state of pleasurable abundance, pleasurable experience

Root / Etymology

From the root ע־נ־ג (עָנַג), which carries the core meaning 'to be soft, delicate, or dainty; to delight oneself.' The noun form עֹנֶג derives from this root, capturing the sense of that which is delightful, pleasurable, or enjoyable, particularly in connection with experiences or states rather than actions.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עֹנֶג occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, notably in Isaiah 58:13, where it denotes 'delight' in the context of Sabbath observance—specifically, the act of making the Sabbath a delight (עֹנֶג) rather than approaching it as burdensome. While the root ע־נ־ג can suggest overindulgence or luxurious self-indulgence in later usage or in negative moralizing contexts, in the biblical context its focus is on the positive experience of pleasure or enjoyment, especially one that is wholesome or blessed. The term is distinct from more general words for 'joy' (e.g., שִׂמְחָה) or 'pleasure' (e.g., חֵפֶץ); עֹנֶג emphasizes a richer, more luxurious delight, sometimes with an implied nuance of softness or luxury. In post-biblical Hebrew, the root develops a wider association with refined pleasures and even excessive self-indulgence, but this nuance is much less present in the biblical corpus. Standard English translations as 'delight' or 'pleasure' typically capture its basic semantic content in biblical contexts, though the underlying sense of luxury or sensuous enjoyment may sometimes be missed.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָנַג; luxury; delight, pleasant.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

ענג (ʿ-n-g) — softness, delicacy, self-delighting, pleasurable enjoyment

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6026 עָנַג from delighting oneself
H6028 עָנֹג and luxuriously delicate
H8588 תַּעֲנוּג in luxurious delights

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6027-01 עֹ֑נֶג oneg HNcmsa a delight luxurious delight 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6027-01 Isaiah 13:22 עֹ֑נֶג oneg HNcmsa delight luxurious delight
H6027-01 Isaiah 58:13 עֹ֗נֶג oneg HNcmsa a delight luxurious delight