Lexical Summary anaph: bough, branch Original Word: עֲנַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bough, branch (Aramaic) or deneph (Aramaic) {eh'-nef}; corresponding to anaph -- bough, branch. see HEBREW anaph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to anaph Definition a bough NASB Translation branches (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs [עֲנַף] noun [masculine] bough (see Biblical Hebrew ענף); — plural suffix עַנְפ֫וֺהִי Daniel 4:9; Daniel 4:11 (twice in verse); Daniel 4:18. Topical Lexicon Meaning and imagery‘Anaph refers to the branch or bough of a tree—an emblem in Scripture of extension, fruitfulness, and shelter. A flourishing branch connotes vigor and provision; a severed branch signals judgment and loss. Occurrences in Daniel 1. Daniel 4:12 – “The birds of the air lived in its branches.” Provision and security under Nebuchadnezzar’s expansive rule. In every verse the branches portray the reach of Babylon’s power and the peoples that benefited from it. Historical setting Ancient Near Eastern monarchs styled their empires as world trees; surviving Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions show a similar image. Daniel’s usage meets Nebuchadnezzar in his own symbolic language while declaring that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). Theological significance • Divine sovereignty: The God who grants wide-spreading branches can just as easily remove them. Ministry applications • Leadership accountability—those enjoying wide influence must remember Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling. Related passages • Isaiah 10:33-34 – Assyria’s branches lopped off. Summary ‘Anaph captures the grandeur—and the vulnerability—of earthly dominion. Babylon’s branches could shelter multitudes but were powerless when the heavenly Watcher decreed their removal. The word thus drives readers to seek their confidence not in human empires but in the promised righteous Branch whose kingdom knows no end (Jeremiah 23:5). Forms and Transliterations וּבְעַנְפ֕וֹהִי וּבְעַנְפ֙וֹהִי֙ ובענפוהי עַנְפ֔וֹהִי עַנְפֽוֹהִי׃ ענפוהי ענפוהי׃ ‘an·p̄ō·w·hî ‘anp̄ōwhî anFohi ū·ḇə·‘an·p̄ō·w·hî ūḇə‘anp̄ōwhî uveanFohiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 4:12 HEB: חֵיוַ֣ת בָּרָ֗א וּבְעַנְפ֙וֹהִי֙ [יְדֻרוּן כ] NAS: dwelt in its branches, And all KJV: dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all INT: the beasts of the field branches dwell and the birds Daniel 4:14 Daniel 4:14 Daniel 4:21 4 Occurrences |
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