Lexical Summary
ragaz: To tremble, to quake, to rage, to be agitated
Original Word:רָגַז
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:ragaz
Pronunciation:rah-GAHZ
Phonetic Spelling:(raw-gaz')
KJV: be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake, rage, shake, tremble, trouble, be wroth
NASB:tremble, raging, trembled, trembling, disturbed, quaked, quakes
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake,
A primitive root; to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear) -- be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake, rage, shake, tremble, trouble, be wroth.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed
NASB Translationcome trembling (1), deeply moved (1), disturbed (2), enraged (1), excited (1), moved (1), provoke (1), quake (1), quaked (2), quakes (2), quarrel (1), rages (1), raging (4), shakes (1), stirred (1), tremble (11), trembled (3), trembling (3), troubled (2), turmoil (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Phoenician Iph. (+ Infinitive absolute Qal)
disquiet, disturb, Inscription Tabn.
4.6.7; Late Hebrew Hiph`il
provoke to wrath;
,
tremble (with rage, fear, Dozy); V, VIII,
rumble (of thunder, Frey),
a trembling disease (of camels), etc.; Aramaic
tremble, rage,
be enraged; Zinjirli
wrath, Lzb
367); —
Perfect3masculine singular consecutiveProverbs 29:9, 3feminine singularIsaiah 14:9 +, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singular2 Samuel 7:10;1 Chronicles 17:9, 2feminine singularEzekiel 16:43 (but see below); 3 masculine pluralHabakkuk 3:7,Exodus 15:14, etc.;Imperative masculine singular (Ges§ 48i)Isaiah 32: masculine pluralPsalm 4:5; —quake, subject1 Samuel 14:15;Amos 8:8 ( of thing),Psalm 77:19 (+ ),Joel 2:10 ( of locusts; "" ),Proverbs 30:21( person); subjectPsalm 18:8 ("" ), =2 Samuel 22:8 (; ""id.);Isaiah 5:25;Psalm 77:17; of tent-curtainsHabakkuk 3:7 (figurative of terror of tent-dwellers); of people, in dread, with personDeuteronomy 2:25 ("" ),Isaiah 64:1; with of thingJeremiah 33:9 (+ ); absolute,Exodus 15:14 ("" ),Psalm 99:1;Joel 2:1; pregnantly =come quiveringMicah 7:17 ( local); of person, in fear, awe,Genesis 45:24 ( location),Isaiah 32:11 ("" ),Isaiah 32:10;Psalm 4:5;Habakkuk 3:16 (), compare ofHabakkuk 3:16; of Israel, =be disquieted,2 Samuel 7:10 =1 Chronicles 17:9;be excited, perturbed, of person2 Samuel 19:1 (by grief; compare Dr),Isaiah 14:9 (surprise; person); in rage, with ,at,Ezekiel 16:43 (of Jerusalem personified; but read
(i.e.didst enrage me) Hi Sm Co Berthol Toy Krae); probably alsoProverbs 29:9; ofIsaiah 28:
Perfect3masculine singularIsaiah 23:11; 2masculine singular suffix1 Samuel 28:15;Imperfect1singularIsaiah 13:13;Infinitive construct (Ges§ 53l)Jeremiah 50:34;ParticipleIsaiah 14:16;Job 9:6, plural constructJob 12:6; —cause to quake, disquiet, enrage: cause earthto quakeIsaiah 14:16 (figurative; "" ),Job 9:6shake earth ; heavensIsaiah 13:13 ("" ); kingdomsIsaiah 23:11;cause disquiet, with person,Jeremiah 50:34 ("" ); = disturb1 Samuel 28:15 (compare Phoenician , Inscription Tabn.4 Drsm xxviii);= enrage, provoke,Job 12:6; so also probablyEzekiel 16:43 (reading ), see
near the end
excite oneself, onlyInfinitiveconstruct suffixthine exciting thyself (to rage) against me,2 Kings 19:27,26 =Isaiah 37:28,29.
[] (compare Biblical Hebrew); —Perfect3masculine pluralEzra 5:12, with accusative .
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 7264, ragaz, gathers a cluster of ideas that move from inward agitation (anger, indignation, anxious trembling) to outward convulsion (quaking, shaking, panic). It appears about forty-one times, spanning Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets. The term can describe the response of nations before the LORD (Exodus 15:14), the trembling of the earth itself (Habakkuk 3:10), or the righteous but restrained indignation of the faithful (Psalm 4:4). The breadth of usage underscores both the moral seriousness of sin that provokes divine wrath and the creaturely frailty that trembles under the weight of God’s majesty.
Semantic range and nuances
1. Emotional agitation: rage, fury, vexation (Genesis 45:24;Psalm 4:4;Proverbs 29:9).
2. Fearful trembling: quaking, shuddering, panic (Exodus 15:14;Deuteronomy 2:25;Psalm 99:1).
3. Physical upheaval: seismic shaking of land, mountains, or created order (Proverbs 30:21;Habakkuk 3:10;Ezekiel 26:10).
4. Divinely induced terror in warfare (1 Samuel 14:15;2 Chronicles 17:10).
5. Judicial or prophetic indignation, often paired with divine judgment (Isaiah 32:11;Jeremiah 33:9).
Ragaz and the fear of the LORD
The earliest corporate use links ragaz to the exodus victory song: “The nations will hear and tremble” (Exodus 15:14). Moses later promises a similar dread will precede Israel’s advance into Canaan (Deuteronomy 2:25). Scripture thus frames holy fear not as irrational superstition but as an acknowledgment of Yahweh’s unmatched power.Psalm 99:1 presses this theology into worship: “The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble.” The trembling of the nations becomes an eschatological sign that God’s kingdom is breaking in with righteous rule.
Holy indignation without sin
Psalm 4:4 offers a pastoral corrective: “Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed, search your heart and be still.” The imperative (ragzu) validates emotional intensity while warning against crossing into sin. The balance of righteous anger and inner stillness is foundational for Christian discipleship, echoed by Paul inEphesians 4:26.
Narratives of panic and deliverance
In1 Samuel 14:15 the LORD “threw the camp into such panic” that Philistine swords turned upon one another, a theme mirrored in2 Chronicles 20:22-23. Ragaz here signals a sovereign strategy: divine-induced chaos dismantles human strength, exalting reliance upon the LORD.
Wisdom reflections on social order
Proverbs 30:21-23 lists social violations that make “the earth tremble.” The verb personalizes creation, suggesting that moral disorder reverberates through the physical world. A later proverb warns that litigation with a fool ends only in “rage and ridicule” (Proverbs 29:9), highlighting ragaz as a diagnostic of folly.
Prophetic summons to repentant trembling
Isaiah addresses complacent women: “Shudder, you complacent women; tremble, you daughters who feel secure” (Isaiah 32:11). Jeremiah foresees a restored Jerusalem becoming “a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the good I do for it; they will fear and tremble” (Jeremiah 33:9). Trembling, therefore, can be a grace that presses sinners to repentance and magnifies redemption.
Cosmic upheaval and the day of the LORD
Habakkuk 3:10 pictures an eschatological theophany: “The mountains saw You and shuddered.” Ragaz widens from human emotion to cosmic response, portraying creation as a responsive participant in redemptive history. The motif recurs in Revelation where earth and heavens flee from the face of the enthroned Christ, completing the trajectory begun in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Ministry implications
• Preaching: Employ ragaz texts to confront sin with the gravity heaven assigns to it, yet also to offer the refuge of grace that stills the soul.
• Worship: Embrace reverent awe; true worship allows room for trembling before glory (Psalm 99:1).
• Pastoral care: Guide believers to channel anger toward holy purposes, echoingPsalm 4:4 andJames 1:19-20.
• Mission: Expect that the proclamation of the gospel will both comfort and unsettle; the same divine presence that steadies the redeemed causes the unrepentant to quake.
Intertextual echoes
Though the Greek New Testament uses different vocabulary (e.g., seismos, tarassō, orgē), the conceptual continuity is clear. At Calvary the earth quaked (Matthew 27:51), and early believers prayed that the place would be “shaken” as the Spirit filled them (Acts 4:31). These events extend ragaz’s theology into the new covenant: God still shakes earthly powers to advance His unshakable kingdom (Hebrews 12:26-28).
Summary
Ragaz gathers anger, fear, and seismic disturbance into one verb that ultimately exalts the supremacy of the LORD. Whether nations panic, mountains quiver, or hearts churn, the consistent scriptural message is that God alone can still the storm within and without. Those who bow in repentant trembling find refuge; those who rage against Him discover the futility of resisting the One whose mere presence causes creation itself to shake.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶרְגָּ֑ז אַרְגִּ֔יז ארגז ארגיז הִֽתְרַגֶּזְךָ֥ הִרְגִּ֖יז הִרְגַּזְתַּ֖נִי הִתְרַגֶּזְךָ֣ הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז המרגיז הרגזתני הרגיז התרגזך וְהִרְגִּ֖יז וְרָֽגְז֗וּ וְרָגְז֥וּ וְרָגַ֥ז וַֽיִּרְגְּזוּ֙ וַיִּרְגַּ֣ז וַתִּרְגְּזִי־ וַתִּרְגַּ֣ז והרגיז וירגז וירגזו ורגז ורגזו ותרגז ותרגזי־ יִרְגְּז֕וּ יִרְגְּז֕וּן יִרְגְּז֖וּ יִרְגְּז֣וּ יִרְגְּז֥וּ יִרְגַּ֖ז יִרְגָּ֑ז יִרְגָּ֑זוּ יִרְגָּֽזוּ׃ יִרְגָּז֑וּן ירגז ירגזו ירגזו׃ ירגזון לְמַרְגִּ֣יזֵי למרגיזי מַרְגִּ֣יז מרגיז רְגָ֖זָה רִגְז֗וּ רָ֣גְזָה רָגְזָ֖ה רָגְזָ֥ה רגזה רגזו תִּרְגְּז֖וּ תִּרְגַּ֖זְנָה תִרְגַּ֣ז תרגז תרגזו תרגזנה ’ar·gîz ’argîz ’er·gāz ’ergāz arGiz erGaz ham·mar·gîz hammarGiz hammargîz hir·gaz·ta·nî hir·gîz hirgazTani hirgaztanî hirGiz hirgîz hiṯ·rag·gez·ḵā hitraggezCha hiṯraggezḵā lə·mar·gî·zê ləmargîzê lemarGizei mar·gîz marGiz margîz rā·ḡə·zāh rageZah rāḡəzāh rə·ḡā·zāh reGazah rəḡāzāh riḡ·zū rigZu riḡzū ṯir·gaz tir·gaz·nāh tir·gə·zū tirGaz ṯirgaz tirGaznah tirgaznāh tirgeZu tirgəzū vaiyirGaz vaiyirgeZu vattirGaz vattirgezi vehirGiz veraGaz verageZu wat·tir·gaz wat·tir·gə·zî- wattirgaz wattirgəzî- way·yir·gaz way·yir·gə·zū wayyirgaz wayyirgəzū wə·hir·gîz wə·rā·ḡaz wə·rā·ḡə·zū wəhirgîz wərāḡaz wərāḡəzū yir·gā·zū yir·gā·zūn yir·gaz yir·gāz yir·gə·zū yir·gə·zūn yirgaz yirgāz yirGazu yirgāzū yirgaZun yirgāzūn yirgeZu yirgəzū yirgeZun yirgəzūn
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