Lexical Summary zalaphah: Heat, burning, fever Original Word: זַלְעָפָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance horrible, horror, terrible Or ziliaphaph {zil-aw-faw'}; from za'aph; a glow (of wind or anger); also a famine (as consuming) -- horrible, horror, terrible. see HEBREW za'aph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition raging heat NASB Translation burning (1), burning heat (1), burning indignation (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs זַלְעָפָה noun feminine raging heat (on formation compare GesLbg 863 Ol§ 196 a. 1. 2) — ׳ז Psalm 119:53; plural absolute זִלְעָפוֺת Psalm 11:6; construct זִלְעֲפוֺת Lamentations 5:10; — 1 of fever heat of famine רָעָב ׳ז Lamentations 5:10. 2 of burning wind ׳רוּח ז Psalm 11:6 (in figurative of ׳יs judgment, with אֵשׁ, גָּפְרִית). 3 figurative of zeal אֲחָזַתְנִי ׳ז Psalm 119:53. Topical Lexicon Conceptual Meaning and Imagery זַלְעָפָה evokes the picture of a furnace-like blast—whether the scorching sirocco that sweeps across the Judean wilderness or the suffocating heat radiating from an oven. Scripture applies this sensory image to three related experiences: (1) the consuming wrath of God, (2) the fierce moral indignation felt by the righteous, and (3) the debilitating fever of famine. In every setting the thought is that of an overwhelming, inescapable heat that exposes and tests whatever it touches. Occurrences in Scripture • Psalm 11:6: “He will rain fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be a portion of their cup.” Here the searing gale is the climactic element of God’s judicial “cup,” underscoring that divine justice is not a light breeze but a breath that burns. Historical Background Ancient Israelites were well acquainted with the dry, east-wind blasts that could parch vegetation in hours and lift clouds of fine dust into storm-darkened skies (Genesis 41:6; Ezekiel 17:10). Such winds threatened crops, intensified drought, and were dreaded harbingers of judgment. Prophets and poets drew on this common experience to portray God’s active displeasure with sin and the devastating consequences of covenant infidelity. Theological Themes Judgment: זַלְעָפָה accents the personal nature of divine wrath. The same Lord who shelters with a gentle breeze (Isaiah 32:2) can unleash a furnace wind upon the unrepentant (Psalm 11:6). Holiness and Zeal: The term bridges God’s wrath and the believer’s righteous anger. Psalm 119:53 validates passionate grief over lawlessness and frames it as participation in God’s own moral heat (see also Ephesians 4:26). Suffering and Lament: In Lamentations the word turns from metaphor to lived reality. The community’s fevered skin testifies that sin scorches body as well as soul, yet the lament reorients pain into prayer, inviting hope amid ashes (Lamentations 5:19-22). Intercanonical Echoes The fiery motif resurfaces in Isaiah 30:33, Nahum 1:6, and Malachi 4:1, and ultimately in New Testament depictions of final judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 16:8-9). The cross, where the Son endured the full blast of divine displeasure (Mark 15:33-34), stands as the decisive answer to זַלְעָפָה, transforming wrath into refuge for all who believe (Romans 5:9). Application for Ministry Preaching: Use Psalm 11:6 to balance proclamations of grace with sober warnings of judgment, reminding hearers that the God who saves is also the God who scorches unrepentant wickedness. Pastoral Care: Psalm 119:53 legitimizes intense emotional responses to societal evil; shepherd God’s people to channel such heat into intercession and action rather than bitterness. Mercy Ministry: Lamentations 5:10 calls the church to practical compassion for those facing literal hunger and fever, embodying the gospel that quenches both physical and spiritual thirst (Matthew 25:35-40). Spiritual Formation: Encourage believers to examine where holy zeal has cooled. Pray for the Spirit’s refining fire (Matthew 3:11) to burn away apathy and ignite fervent love for God and neighbor. Summary זַלְעָפָה is Scripture’s shorthand for heat that judges, purifies, and compels. Whether in cosmic wrath, covenant lament, or personal indignation, it reminds the reader that God’s holiness is no tepid concept; it is a blazing reality that both consumes sin and, through Christ, refines the saints. Forms and Transliterations זִלְעָפ֗וֹת זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת זַלְעָפָ֣ה זלעפה זלעפות zal‘āp̄āh zal‘ăp̄ōwṯ zal·‘ā·p̄āh zal·‘ă·p̄ō·wṯ zalaFah zalaFot zil‘āp̄ōwṯ zil·‘ā·p̄ō·wṯ zilaFotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 11:6 HEB: וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ NAS: and brimstone and burning wind KJV: and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: INT: and brimstone wind and burning will be the portion of their cup Psalm 119:53 Lamentations 5:10 3 Occurrences |
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