rage
che.mah denotes intense anger, often portrayed as being poured out in punitive action, and in two verses as venom.
The dominant use denotes intense anger, frequently attached to the LORD and depicted as kindled, rising, or being poured out in judgment; it also describes the heated anger of rulers and other figures. In two Deuteronomy clauses, the construct form occurs in descriptions of serpents and dragons whose substance is rendered as venom or poison.
Senses in use
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Intense anger expressed or felt · dominant
The singular construct form is repeatedly attached to divine punitive action: in Ezekiel 20:13 the APB renders a declaration to “pour out my rage” on the rebellious house of Israel, and in 2 Kings 22:17 it renders rage kindled against a place that “will not be quenched.” The same anger is also shown in personal reactions: Esther 5:9 describes Haman as “filled with rage” at Mordecai, while Daniel 8:6 depicts a charge against the ram “in the rage of its strength.”
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Venom or poisonous substance · rare
In Deuteronomy 32:24, the construct form occurs in the clause about serpents that crawl in the dust, where the APB renders the substance as “venom.” In Deuteronomy 32:33, it occurs in the comparison of dragons' wine and cobras' “cruel poison”; the translation supports this distinct poisonous-substance use.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the anger passages, the APB variously uses “rage,” “wrath,” “anger,” and “fury,” especially in clauses of judgment or personal outrage. In Deuteronomy 32:24 and Deuteronomy 32:33 it uses “venom” and “poison”; these are presentations of the clauses rather than definitions.