SLOW TO ANGER (Heb. ˓arek; ˓aph)

“slow to anger”

 (Heb. ˓arek; ˓aph) (4:2; Num. 14:18; Prov. 14:29) Strong’s #750; 639: The idiom for anger in the Old Testament translated literally is “the nose burns” or “the nose becomes hot” (Gen. 30:2; Ex. 4:14). The Hebrew idiom for “patient,” or “slow to anger” is literally “long of nose” (Pss. 86:15; 103:8). The nose is symbolic of anger because an angry person breathes heavily or noisily. The Hebrew idiom for slow to anger is frequently applied to God to describe His great mercy and kindness (Ps. 145:8; Joel 2:13).