Original Word: תַּעֲנוּג
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ta`anuwg
Pronunciation: tah-ah-NOOG
Phonetic Spelling: (tah-an-oog')
KJV: delicate, delight, pleasant
NASB: charms, delight, luxury, pleasant, pleasures
Word Origin: [from H6026 (עָנַג - delight)]

1. luxury

delicate, delight, pleasant

Or taanug {tah-an-oog'}; and (feminine) taeanugah {tah-ah-oog-aw'}; from anag; luxury -- delicate, delight, pleasant.

see HEBREW anag

Word Origin
from anog
Definition
daintiness, luxury, exquisite delight
NASB Translation
charms (1), delight (1), luxury (1), pleasant (1), pleasures (1).

תַּעֲנוּג noun [masculine] daintiness, luxury, exquisite delight; —

1 luxury: ׳ת Proverbs 19:10; elsewhere plural; construct תַּעֲנֻגוֺת Ecclesiastes 2:8.

2 suffix בְּנֵי תַּעֲנוּנָ֑יִךְ Micah 1:16 thy dainty sons; בֵּית תַּעֲנֻגֶיהָ Micah 2:9 her (their) dainty house(s), > of tender love (reading בְּנֵי Micah 2:9 We Now.

3 delight of love, plural absolute בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים Cant 7:7 (Perles^{Anal. 22 f.} conjecture בַּת עַמִּינָדָב).

Conceptual Overview

תַּעֲנוּג (taʿanug) captures the idea of that which is exquisitely enjoyable—luxury, delight, or pleasure that appeals to the senses and to the heart. Scripture portrays such delight on a spectrum: from the sweet and legitimate joys of covenant love to the corrupting excesses of self-indulgence.

Occurrences in Canon

1. Proverbs 19:10
2. Ecclesiastes 2:8
3. Song of Songs 7:6
4. Micah 1:16
5. Micah 2:9

Wisdom Perspective: Pleasure Tempered by Prudence

In Proverbs 19:10 the sage declares, “Luxury is unseemly for a fool—how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!”. Delight misplaced in the life of the foolish leads not to blessing but to disorder. Pleasure must be yoked to wisdom and covenant faithfulness; otherwise it is incongruous and destructive.

Royal Experimentation: the Limits of Earthly Delight

Ecclesiastes 2:8 records Solomon’s personal pursuit: “I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers, as well as the delights of the sons of men—many concubines”. Taʿanug here sits within a catalogue of regal excess. The Preacher ultimately labels the whole experiment “vanity,” teaching that delight divorced from the fear of God cannot satisfy the soul (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Covenant Romance: Delight Sanctified by Love

Song of Songs 7:6 exclaims, “How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!”. Within the marital covenant, taʿanug is celebrated as pure gift. The same term that warns in Proverbs and fatigues in Ecclesiastes now adorns the intimacy of husband and wife, illustrating that God-given pleasures, when received within His design, magnify His goodness.

Prophetic Indictment: Delight Stolen and Lost

Micah employs the word twice in his oracles of judgment.
• Micah 1:16 grieves: “Shave your head and cut off your hair for the children of your delight; make yourself as bald as an eagle, for they have gone from you into exile”. Jerusalem’s most cherished treasures—her children—are removed because of persistent sin.
• Micah 2:9 rebukes oppressors: “You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes; you take away My blessing from their children forever”. The covenant community has stripped others of their delights, and God promises to strip the perpetrators in return. The prophetic use shows that delight, when gained at another’s expense, invites divine judgment.

Theological Themes

1. Delight is a divine gift but never an absolute right; it is accountable to divine law.
2. Legitimate pleasure thrives in covenant contexts (marriage, faithful stewardship).
3. Misappropriated delight becomes a sign of folly, injustice, and impending judgment.
4. The oscillation between celebration and censure anticipates the need for a Redeemer who rightly orders human joy.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the Ancient Near East, luxuries—costly textiles, spices, jewels, and skilled performers—marked status. Kings stockpiled delight as evidence of supremacy. The biblical text interacts with that cultural reality, exposing both the allure and the emptiness of such accumulation apart from righteousness.

Practical and Pastoral Insights

• Pursue delight as stewardship, not ownership.
• Cultivate gratitude; pleasures received with thanksgiving are sanctified (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
• Guard against using privilege to deprive others of their “pleasant houses.”
• Teach the next generation that lasting joy is found in obedience, not extravagance.

Canonical Connections

The motif of delight is carried forward when the prophets envision the Messianic age as a banquet of richest fare (Isaiah 25:6). The New Testament echoes this trajectory, promising “pleasures forevermore” at God’s right hand (Psalm 16:11 quoted in Acts 2:28), and urging believers to set their hope on the grace to be revealed (1 Peter 1:13) rather than on the “temporary pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25).

Christological and Eschatological Trajectory

Jesus Christ embodies perfectly ordered delight: He rejoices in the Father’s will (John 4:34) and secures for His people eternal pleasure. In the consummated kingdom, the redeemed will experience taʿanug devoid of corruption—“the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). Present pleasures become signposts pointing to that ultimate joy.

Summary

תַּעֲנוּג spans a rich field of meaning—luxury, pleasure, delight—serving alternately as gift, test, and warning. Scripture teaches that true delight is anchored in covenant faithfulness, safeguarded by wisdom, and consummated in the age to come.

בַּתַּֽעֲנוּגִֽים׃ בתענוגים׃ וְתַעֲנוּגֹ֛ת ותענוגת תַּֽעֲנֻגֶ֑יהָ תַּעֲנ֑וּג תַּעֲנוּגָ֑יִךְ תענגיה תענוג תענוגיך bat·ta·‘ă·nū·ḡîm batta‘ănūḡîm batTaanuGim ta‘ănūḡ ta‘ănūḡāyiḵ ta‘ănuḡehā ta·‘ă·nū·ḡā·yiḵ ta·‘ă·nu·ḡe·hā ta·‘ă·nūḡ taaNug taanuGayich taanuGeiha vetaanuGot wə·ṯa·‘ă·nū·ḡōṯ wəṯa‘ănūḡōṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts