Original Word: כַּעַס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ka`ac
Pronunciation: kah-as
Phonetic Spelling: (kah'-as)
KJV: anger, angry, grief, indignation, provocation, provoking, X sore, sorrow, spite, wrath
Word Origin: [from 3707]

1. vexation

vexation

Or (in Job) kaoas {kah'-as}; from ka'ac; vexation:

see HEBREW ka'ac

כַּ֫עַס noun masculine vexation, anger; — ׳כ Deuteronomy 32:27 13t.; כָּ֑עַס Proverbs 21:19; Ecclesiastes 1:18; suffix כַּעְסִי 1 Samuel 1:16, כַּעַסְךָ Psalm 85:5, כַּעְסוֺ Proverbs 12:16; 1 Kings 15:30; plural כְּעָסִים 2 Kings 23:26. — vexation:

1 of men, especially caused by unmerited treatment, 1 Samuel 1:6,16; Proverbs 12:16; Proverbs 17:25; Proverbs 21:19; Proverbs 27:3; Ecclesiastes 7:9.

2 vexation, anger of Yahweh (caused especially by worship of other gods) 1 Kings 15:30; 1 Kings 21:22; 2 Kings 23:26; עִמָּנוּ ׳כ Psalm 85:5 anger (of Yahweh) with us; בָּנָיו ׳כ Deuteronomy 32:19 anger against his sons, אוֺיֵב ׳כ Deuteronomy 32:27 anger against the enemy (both object Genitive see Di; RV provocation of, compare Dr); קָרְבָּנָם ׳כ Ezekiel 20:28 provocation of their offering (so RV but Co strike out, rightly).

3 vexation, grief Psalm 6:8; Psalm 10:14; Psalm 31:10; Ecclesiastes 1:18; Ecclesiastes 2:23; Ecclesiastes 7:3; Ecclesiastes 11:10, also כעס Ecclesiastes 5:16 accusative Ew aI.

כַּ֫עַשׂ noun masculine (dialectic variation of כַּעַם, only in Job); — ׳כ Job 17:7, כָּ֑עָשׂ Job 5:2; suffix כַּעְשִׂי Job 6:2; כַּעַשְׂךָ Job 10:17; —

1 vexation, grief of men Job 5:2 (compare Proverbs 12:16; Proverbs 27:3), Proverbs 6:2; Proverbs 17:7.

2 vexation, anger, of God; with כַּעַשְׂךָ עִמָּדִי Job 10:17 thine anger with me.

כַּף see below כפף.

Meaning and Scope of כַּעַס (kaʿas)

The noun כַּעַס describes a state of inner heat that may express itself as “anger” or remain turned inward as “vexation” or “grief.” Scripture applies the word both to the righteous anger of God and to the frequently sinful irritation of human beings. The context determines whether the emphasis falls on outward wrath or inward sorrow, but in every case כַּעַס conveys profound emotional disturbance.

Distribution in the Old Testament

Roughly twenty-six instances occur, concentrated in covenantal and wisdom settings: Deuteronomy, Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Micah. The pattern is instructive—historical narratives link כַּעַס to idolatry that provokes God, whereas wisdom literature warns that unrestrained anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Covenant Context: Provoking the LORD to Anger

Moses repeatedly warns Israel that pagan worship will stir up the LORD’s כַּעַס.
• Deuteronomy 9:19 recounts the golden-calf rebellion: “I feared the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you to destroy you”.
• Deuteronomy 32:21, echoed by Paul in Romans 10:19, shows that idolatry not only dishonors God but incites Him to judicial action: “They provoked My jealousy with what is not a god; they enraged Me with their worthless idols.”

The Deuteronomic historians pick up the theme. In 1 Kings 15:30 Jeroboam’s cult of the golden calves “provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.” The formula recurs (1 Kings 16:2; 2 Kings 23:26), underscoring the continuity of divine justice across generations.

Prophetic Warnings and National Judgment

Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel interpret the exile as the outflow of divine כַּעַס. Jeremiah 32:37 speaks of regathering Israel “from all the lands to which I banished them in My furious anger and great wrath.” The anger is real but not capricious; it is covenantally bound to Israel’s infidelity and tempered by eventual mercy (Isaiah 12:1).

Human Anger: Folly, Oppression and Sorrow

Wisdom literature moves the term from God’s courtroom to the human heart.
• Proverbs 12:16: “A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”
• Ecclesiastes 7:9: “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of fools.”

Here כַּעַס is portrayed as a moral liability that blinds judgment, ruins relationships, and opens the door to more grievous sins (compare Proverbs 27:4). Even when the emotion is labeled “vexation” (Ecclesiastes 1:18; 2:23; 5:17), the basic idea remains: unchecked agitation destroys the enjoyments of life under the sun.

Anger, Grief and Inner Pain

Several contexts blend anger with sorrow. Hannah’s rival “provoked her grievously to irritate her” (1 Samuel 1:6, verb form), resulting in tears and prayer rather than retaliation. Job 6:2 (verb form again) reveals pain more than rage. Thus כַּעַס encompasses the entire spectrum of inner turmoil produced by frustration, injustice or loss.

Historical and Cultural Setting

In the ancient Near East deities were thought to react unpredictably to human behavior. By contrast, Israel’s Scriptures present divine כַּעַס as morally predictable: it is triggered by covenant violation, especially idolatry and social injustice. This revelation calls the nation to take responsibility for its own suffering and to seek repentance rather than appeasement through ritual manipulation.

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching and Teaching: Emphasize that God’s anger is neither arbitrary nor spiteful; it is the settled opposition of His holiness to sin. Present both the warning and the hope—divine anger can be turned away through genuine repentance (Joel 2:12-14).
2. Pastoral Care: Help believers distinguish righteous indignation from sinful irritability. Ecclesiastes 7:9 provides a diagnostic: does anger settle and dominate, or does it move one toward constructive action?
3. Counseling: Many experience כַּעַס as bottled-up grief. The Psalms demonstrate that lament, not suppression, is the biblical pathway to relief (Psalms 42; 55).
4. Discipleship: Encourage memorization of verses that link anger to folly (Proverbs 14:29) and model the gentle answer that turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1).

Christological and New Covenant Reflections

The Old Testament anticipates a resolution to divine כַּעַס. Isaiah 53:5 declares, “the punishment that brought us peace was on Him,” forecasting Christ’s atoning death. At the cross the righteous anger of God meets the suffering Servant, providing the only ultimate escape from wrath (Romans 5:9). Believers therefore pursue holiness not to placate an unpredictable deity, but in grateful response to wrath already satisfied.

Summary

כַּעַס exposes the heart of both God and humanity. In God it is a just reaction to covenant treachery; in humanity it is most often a folly needing restraint. The term calls every reader to reverence, repentance and transformation—finding shelter in the One who bore divine anger and gives peace to troubled hearts.

בְּכַעְס֕וֹ בְכַ֥עַס בכעס בכעסו הַכְּעָסִ֔ים הַכַּ֙עַס֙ הכעס הכעסים וְכַ֥עַס וְכַעְסִ֖י וְכָעַ֥ס וָכַ֙עַס֙ וָכַ֨עַס ׀ וָכָֽעַס׃ וכעס וכעס׃ וכעסי כַ֔עַס כַּ֔עַס כַּ֖עַס כַּ֙עַס֙ כַּ֣עַס כַּ֤עַס כַּֽ֭עַשְׂךָ כַּֽעַסְךָ֣ כַּעְס֑וֹ כַּעְשִׂ֑י כָּ֑עַס כָּ֑עַשׂ כעס כעסו כעסך כעש כעשי כעשך מִכַּ֣עַס מִכַּ֣עַשׂ מִכַּ֥עַס מכעס מכעש bə·ḵa‘·sōw ḇə·ḵa·‘as bechaSo ḇəḵa‘as bəḵa‘sōw Chaas hak·ka·‘as hak·kə·‘ā·sîm hakka‘as hakKaas hakkə‘āsîm hakkeaSim ka‘·śî ka‘·sōw ka‘as kā‘as kā‘aś ḵa‘as ka‘asḵā ka‘aśḵā ka‘śî ka‘sōw ka·‘as kā·‘as kā·‘aś ḵa·‘as ka·‘as·ḵā ka·‘aś·ḵā Kaas Kaascha kaSi kaSo mik·ka·‘as mik·ka·‘aś mikka‘as mikka‘aś mikKaas vaChaas veChaas vechaSi wā·ḵa·‘as wā·ḵā·‘as wāḵa‘as wāḵā‘as wə·ḵa‘·sî wə·ḵa·‘as wə·ḵā·‘as wəḵa‘as wəḵā‘as wəḵa‘sîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts