1149. benas
Lexical Summary
benas: To flee, to escape

Original Word: בְּנַס
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: bnac
Pronunciation: beh-NAS
Phonetic Spelling: (ben-as')
KJV: be angry
NASB: became indignant
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) of uncertain affinity]

1. to be enraged

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be angry

(Aramaic) of uncertain affinity; to be enraged -- be angry.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) a prim. root
Definition
to be angry
NASB Translation
became indignant (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בְּנַס verb be angry (ᵑ7J id.; Samaritan ); —

Pe`al Perfect3masculine singular וּ˜קצַך שַׂגִּיא ׳ב Daniel 2:12.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Setting

בְּנַס appears once in Scripture, in Daniel 2:12, where it conveys the sudden eruption of Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath when the Babylonian magi confess their inability to recount and interpret his forgotten dream. The Berean Standard Bible renders the scene: “This made the king so furious and angry that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.” The term therefore stands at a narrative pivot—moving the plot from court intrigue to a life-or-death crisis that will showcase divine sovereignty through Daniel’s God-given revelation.

Context in Daniel 2

Nebuchadnezzar’s anger is not a passing irritation; it is the combustible fuse that threatens to extinguish the entire class of wise men. In the wider flow of Daniel, this royal fury contrasts sharply with the calm assurance God grants His servant (Daniel 2:14–19). The contrast magnifies both the impotence of human wisdom under duress and the sufficiency of divine wisdom granted in answer to prayer.

Historical Background

Ancient Near Eastern monarchs possessed absolute authority over life and death within their realms. Babylonian inscriptions show that offenders could be executed on mere whim. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar’s rage is historically believable; yet Scripture records it chiefly to exalt the God who alone can “reveal deep and hidden things” (Daniel 2:22). The single use of בְּנַס thus encapsulates the volatile climate of the imperial court and underscores the peril from which the Lord delivers His people.

Theological Insights

1. Human wrath exposes human limitation. Nebuchadnezzar’s anger flows from anxiety born of ignorance; knowledge belongs to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29; James 1:5).
2. Divine providence overrules hostile powers. What appears to threaten the covenant community becomes the stage for God’s wisdom to be proclaimed before the nations (Daniel 2:47).
3. The episode anticipates God’s ultimate triumph over earthly kingdoms, a theme carried through the statue vision unveiled immediately after the outburst (Daniel 2:31–45).

Ministry Applications

• Pastoral counsel: uncontrolled anger often masks fear. Address the underlying insecurity by directing hearts to the God who “gives wisdom to the wise” (Daniel 2:21).
• Teaching on workplace stress: like Daniel’s colleagues, believers may face unfair decrees. Daniel models respectful appeal, corporate prayer, and expectation of supernatural intervention.
• Evangelism: Nebuchadnezzar’s meltdown becomes a missionary moment; Daniel’s testimony turns a pagan king toward acknowledging “a God of gods” (Daniel 2:47). Crises still open doors for gospel witness.

Related Scripture

Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 16:32; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Jonah 4:1–4; Ephesians 4:26–27; James 1:19–20. Each passage warns against rash anger and commends patience, the very virtue conspicuously absent in the Babylonian king but exemplified by Daniel.

Christological Foreshadowing

Nebuchadnezzar’s lethal decree intensifies the need for a mediator. Daniel, standing between the king’s wrath and the condemned, prefigures the greater Mediator who, centuries later, would stand between sinners and the just wrath of God (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25).

Practical Reflection for Believers

בְּנַס reminds disciples that the furnace of human anger cannot thwart God’s purposes. Whether confronted by an irate employer, a hostile government, or personal conflict, the faithful are called to respond with prayer-saturated wisdom, confident that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Conclusion

Though בְּנַס surfaces only once, its narrative impact resounds across the canon: God turns raging fury into redemptive opportunity, revealing that kingdoms rise and fall at His word, and that those who seek Him in crisis will find Him faithful.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּנַ֖ס בנס bə·nas beNas bənas
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:12
HEB: דְּנָ֔ה מַלְכָּ֕א בְּנַ֖ס וּקְצַ֣ף שַׂגִּ֑יא
NAS: the king became indignant and very
KJV: the king was angry and very
INT: of this the king became furious and very

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1149
1 Occurrence


bə·nas — 1 Occ.

1148
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