Original Word: חָרוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: charown
Pronunciation: khaw-rone'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-rone')
KJV: sore displeasure, fierce(-ness), fury, (fierce) wrath(-ful)
NASB: burning, fierce, fierceness, wrath, burning anger, fury
Word Origin: [from H2734 (חָרָה - burned)]

1. a burning of anger

sore displeasure, fierceness, fury, fierce wrathful

Or (shortened) charon {khaw-rone'}; from charah; a burning of anger -- sore displeasure, fierce(-ness), fury, (fierce) wrath(-ful).

see HEBREW charah

Word Origin
from charah
Definition
(burning of) anger
NASB Translation
burning (17), burning anger (2), fierce (15), fierceness (3), fury (1), wrath (3).

חָרוֺן noun masculine (burning of) anger (compare Lag^{BN 204 Anm. *} *) — ׳ח Ezekiel 7:12 2t.; construct חֲרוֺן Numbers 25:4 33t.; suffix חֲרוֺנִי Ezekiel 7:14 (Co חרון), חֲרוֺגוֺ Psalm 2:5; חֲרֹנְךָ Exodus 15:7; plural suffix חֲרוֺנֶי֑ךָ Psalm 88:17; — always of God's anger (see note, below), חֲרוֺן אף Exodus 32:12; Numbers 25:4; Numbers 32:14; Joshua 7:26 (J), Deuteronomy 13:18; 1 Samuel 28:18; 2 Kings 23:26; 2Chronicles 28:11,13; 29:10; 30:8; Ezra 10:14; Hosea 11:9; Nahum 1:6; Zephaniah 2:2; Zephaniah 3:8; Isaiah 13:9,13; Jeremiah 4:8,26; Jeremiah 12:13; Jeremiah 25:37,38; Jeremiah 30:24; Jeremiah 49:37; Jeremiah 51:45; Jonah 3:9; Psalm 69:25; Psalm 78:49; Psalm 85:4; Job 20:23; Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 4:11; אף omitted, Exodus 15:7 (song), Nehemiah 13:18; Psalm 2:5; Ezekiel 7:12 (strike out Co), Ezekiel 7:14; plural bursts of burning anger Psalm 88:17. —

Note: כְּמוֺחָֿרוֺן Psalm 58:10 burning anger ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Jerome AV Bae Che; but Thes MV SS DeW Ew Ol Pe, something burning, e.g. thorns, antith. green thorns; Hengst De cooked flesh, antith. raw; Jeremiah 25:38 הַיּוֺנָה ׳מפני ח because of the fierceness of the oppressor (? AV) would then be the only use of the word of other than God's anger; here ᵐ5 ᵑ7 Ew Hi Gf Ke Che Gie RV rightly read חרב oppressing sword (as Jeremiah 46:16; Jeremiah 50:16). חרון is not used in H P D² or E (except song, Exodus 15:7) of the Hexateuch; nor in Ezekiel except Ezekiel 7:12 (strike out Co), Ezekiel 7:14.

Meaning and Scope of Usage

חָרוֹן describes an intense, burning anger. It occurs about forty-one times, chiefly in conjunction with אַף (“nose,” a Hebraism for anger), forming the idiom “burning of anger.” The word appears in the Pentateuch, the Historical Books, the Psalms, and the Prophets, with a single use in Jonah. The great majority of references depict the righteous indignation of the LORD; a smaller group records the anger of human beings.

Divine Wrath Displayed

1. Exodus sets the tone. When Israel fashions a calf, God says, “Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them” (Exodus 32:10). Moses intercedes and the threat is stayed, highlighting mercy within judgment.
2. Numbers repeats the pattern: unbelief at Taberah, complaint at Kibroth-hattaavah, immorality at Peor, and refusal to enter Canaan each awaken “the burning anger of the LORD” (Numbers 11:1; 25:3-4; 32:10-13).
3. Judges and Kings reveal an escalating cycle: “The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of” foreign oppressors (Judges 2:14; 3:8; 10:7; 2 Kings 13:3). Even the sweeping reforms of Josiah could not avert the stored-up wrath provoked by Manasseh (2 Kings 23:26).
4. The Prophets turn חָרוֹן into a call for repentance. Jeremiah warns of a “burning wrath” that will blaze against uncircumcised hearts (Jeremiah 4:4), while Jonah proclaims that Nineveh may yet be spared if God “turns from His fierce anger” (Jonah 3:9). In Micah 7:18 the prophet marvels that the LORD “does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion,” stressing forgiveness without minimizing wrath.

Human Anger Contrasted

Moses’ own fury when he shatters the tablets (Exodus 32:19) and Jonathan’s indignation toward Saul (1 Samuel 20:34, using the compound phrase) show that human anger, even when justified, is volatile and limited. By contrast, God’s wrath is perfectly righteous, never arbitrary, always purposeful.

Covenant Context

חָרוֹן functions within the Sinai covenant: obedience brings blessing; persistent rebellion summons wrath. Deuteronomy 13:17 captures both sides: “The LORD may turn from His fierce anger, show you mercy, and have compassion on you.” The same covenant dynamic underlies the exile narratives and the prophetic promise of restoration.

Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions

Later prophets fuse past judgments with future expectation. Isaiah 13:9 pictures “the day of the LORD” coming “with wrath and fierce anger” against Babylon, prefiguring final judgment upon all ungodliness. Psalm 2:12 universalizes the warning: “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry… when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

Christological Fulfillment

At Calvary the converging streams of divine wrath and mercy meet. The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as the propitiation who absorbs righteous anger (Romans 3:25), an echo of Exodus 32 where intercession averts destruction. The Old Testament witness to חָרוֹן thus prepares hearts to grasp the cross: God remains “slow to anger” (Numbers 14:18) yet will not leave the guilty unpunished, so substitutionary atonement becomes essential.

Pastoral and Devotional Application

• Preaching: Present God’s wrath as personal, holy, and proportionate, never pitting it against His love but displaying both at the cross.
• Discipleship: Cultivate reverent fear that deters sin and fuels gratitude for mercy (Hebrews 12:28-29).
• Counseling: Distinguish righteous indignation from sinful anger, urging believers to be “slow to anger” after God’s own pattern (Proverbs 15:18).
• Evangelism: Use the biblical record of חָרוֹן to underscore the urgency of repentance and the sufficiency of Christ as refuge.

Summary

חָרוֹן unveils the blazing holiness of God, the seriousness of covenant infidelity, and the wonder of divine mercy that tempers but never negates justice. Its forty-one appearances form a thread that runs from Sinai through exile to prophetic hope, finally finding resolution at the cross and ultimate fulfillment in the coming Day of the LORD.

בַּחֲר֣וֹן בחרון וַחֲר֣וֹן וַחֲר֥וֹן וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ ובחרונו וחרון חֲר֣וֹן חֲר֤וֹן חֲר֥וֹן חֲר֬וֹן חֲרֹ֣נְךָ֔ חֲרוֹן֙ חֲרוֹן־ חֲרוֹנִ֖י חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ חָ֝ר֗וֹן חָר֖וֹן חָרוֹן֙ חרון חרון־ חרוני חרוניך חרנך מֵחֲר֖וֹן מֵחֲר֣וֹן מֵחֲר֤וֹן מֵחֲר֥וֹן מחרון ba·ḥă·rō·wn bachaRon baḥărōwn chaRon chaRonecha charoNeicha charoNi ḥă·rō·nə·ḵā ḥă·rō·w·ne·ḵā ḥă·rō·w·nî ḥă·rō·wn ḥā·rō·wn ḥă·rō·wn- ḥărōnəḵā ḥărōwn ḥārōwn ḥărōwn- ḥărōwneḵā ḥărōwnî mê·ḥă·rō·wn mechaRon mêḥărōwn ū·ḇa·ḥă·rō·w·nōw ūḇaḥărōwnōw uvacharoNo vachaRon wa·ḥă·rō·wn waḥărōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts