Original Word: עָנֹג
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: `anog
Pronunciation: ah-nog
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-nogue')
KJV: delicate
NASB: delicate, delicate woman
Word Origin: [from H6026 (עָנַג - delight)]

1. luxurious

delicate

From anag; luxurious -- delicate.

see HEBREW anag

Word Origin
from anog
Definition
dainty
NASB Translation
delicate (2), delicate woman (1).

עָנֹג adjective dainty; — ׳הֶע Deuteronomy 28:54 man; הָעֲנֻגָּה Deuteronomy 28:56 woman; Isaiah 47:1 (Babylonian personified); all "" [ה]רכ.

Biblical Usage

The word occurs only three times, always as an adjective describing a person who is exquisitely pampered or refined. In every case the term is employed in a context of impending judgment, thereby heightening the contrast between former ease and coming hardship. In Deuteronomy 28 the word describes an Israelite man (28:54) and woman (28:56) who have enjoyed such ease that they recoil from the slightest discomfort. The siege conditions foretold by Moses will invert that luxury so completely that the formerly “tender and delicate” will commit the unthinkable to survive. Isaiah 47:1 transfers the same imagery to Babylon: “You shall no longer be called tender and delicate”, announcing the empire’s abrupt transition from opulence to humiliation.

Contextual Portraits

1. Deuteronomy 28:54–56 – The blessings–curses covenant pattern climaxes in a siege so severe that the nation’s most refined citizens become ruthless. The term underscores the horror of divine discipline: refinement without righteousness cannot shield against covenant penalties.
2. Isaiah 47:1 – Babylon, cultural capital of luxury, is prophetically stripped of its gracious lifestyle. What Israel experienced under chastisement, Babylon will encounter under retributive justice. The shared term links Israel’s covenant experience with God’s universal sovereignty over the nations.

Historical Background

In the Late Bronze and Iron Age Near East, royal courts prized delicacy as a status symbol—fine garments, uncalloused hands, fragrant oils. The prophets seize this cultural marker to illustrate how swiftly political upheaval erases human pretensions. Assyrian siege records, Babylonian chronicles, and archaeological evidence of famine during blockades corroborate the biblical picture of suddenly shattered luxury.

Theological and Pastoral Insights

• Fragile Luxury – Scripture presents worldly refinement as inherently precarious when divorced from covenant obedience. Prosperity is a gift, not a guarantee.
• Reversal Motif – God repeatedly overturns human expectations (1 Samuel 2:7–8; Luke 1:52). The fall of the “tender and delicate” person or empire displays His just governance.
• Heart Exposure – Extreme pressure unmasks character. The siege reveals the latent selfishness of the pampered, challenging believers to cultivate resilience and compassion before testing arrives.

Foreshadowing of Final Judgment

Isaiah’s oracle against Babylon prefigures the downfall of the eschatological “Babylon” in Revelation 18. The lament “Woe, woe to the great city, dressed in fine linen and purple and scarlet” echoes the demise of one once considered “tender and delicate.” Earthly splendor cannot withstand the day of the Lord.

Ministry Application

• Disciple-making should aim for spiritual toughness, not mere comfort, preparing saints to endure hardship (2 Timothy 2:3).
• Pastors must teach stewardship of prosperity, warning that complacency invites discipline (Deuteronomy 8:11–14).
• Believers living in affluent contexts can pray Psalm 62:10—“If wealth increases, do not set your heart on it”—maintaining vigilance against the seductive illusion of invulnerability.

Key Related Passages for Further Study

Deuteronomy 32:15; Proverbs 1:32; Amos 6:1–7; Revelation 18:7–8

וְהֶעָנֹ֖ג וְהָעֲנֻגָּ֗ה וַעֲנֻגָּֽה׃ והענג והענגה וענגה׃ vaanugGah vehaanugGah veheaNog wa‘ănuggāh wa·‘ă·nug·gāh wə·hā·‘ă·nug·gāh wə·he·‘ā·nōḡ wəhā‘ănuggāh wəhe‘ānōḡInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts