4751. mar or marah
Strong's Lexicon
mar or marah: Bitter, bitterness

Original Word: מַר or מָרָה
Part of Speech: Adjective; substantive
Transliteration: mar or marah
Pronunciation: mar or maw-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mar)
Definition: Bitter, bitterness
Meaning: bitter, bitterness, bitterly

Word Origin: Derived from a root word meaning "to be bitter"

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G4088 (pikria): bitterness

- G4089 (pikros): bitter

Usage: The Hebrew words "mar" and "marah" are used to describe a state of bitterness, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Literally, it can refer to a bitter taste, as in the case of water or food. Metaphorically, it often describes a state of emotional distress, grief, or rebellion. The term can also denote a sense of harshness or severity in circumstances or relationships.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Hebrew culture, bitterness was often associated with suffering and hardship. The Israelites' experiences in the wilderness, where they encountered bitter waters at Marah (Exodus 15:23), highlight the physical and spiritual challenges they faced. Bitterness also symbolized the emotional pain of individuals, such as Naomi, who described her life as bitter due to personal loss (Ruth 1:20).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from marar
Definition
bitter, bitterness
NASB Translation
bitter (15), bitter thing (1), bitterly (4), bitterness (11), discontented* (1), embittered (1), fierce (1), fierce* (2), great bitterness (1), greatly distressed (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. מַר adjective and substantive bitter, bitterness; — absolute ׳מ Proverbs 27:7 +, הַמַּר Habakkuk 1:6, מָ֑ר Psalm 64:4 +; construct מַר 1 Samuel 22:2 +; feminine מָרָה Genesis 27:34 +, מָרָא Ruth 1:20; construct מָרַת 1 Samuel 1:10; masculine plural מָרִים Exodus 15:23 +; construct מָרֵי Judges 18:25; Proverbs 31:6; — bitter:

1 literally, of water Exodus 15:23 (J); food Proverbs 27:7 (opposed to מָתוֺק); wormwood (לַעֲנָה Proverbs 5:4 (in simile of end of harlot, compare Ecclesiastes 7:26 below); as substantive plural, of physical pain, result of curse לְמָרִים Numbers 5:24,27, whence מֵי הַמָּרִים Numbers 5:18 (compare Di) Numbers 5:19; Numbers 5:23; Numbers 5:24; of harmful result of ruthless fighting 2 Samuel 2:26; of wickedness Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 4:18; = injurious, hurtful Isaiah 5:20 (twice in verse) (opposed to מָתוֺק).

2 figurative,

a. of cry (צְעָקָה, זְעָקָה) Genesis 27:34 (J), Esther 4:1; מִסְמֵּד מָ֑ר Ezekiel 27:31 (strike out Co); דָּבָר מָ֑ר Psalm 64:4; as adverb (cry, weep) bitterly Ezekiel 27:30 (מָרָה), Zephaniah 1:14; Isaiah 33:7 (both מַר).

b. of feeling, temper, especially with נֶפֶשׁ: אֲנָשִׁים מָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ Judges 18:25 men fierce (GFM acrid) of temper, so 2 Samuel 17:8 (like a bear robbed of whelps); הַגּוֺי הַמַּר Habakkuk 1:6 the fierce nation; מַרנֶֿפֶשׁ = discontented 1 Samuel 22:2; מַרֵי נֶפֶשׁ = the bitterly wretched Job 3:20; Proverbs 31:6, so ׳מָרַת נ 1 Samuel 1:10; compare יוֺם מָ֑ר Amos 8:10; as substantive abstract מַרנֶֿפֶשׁ bitterness of soul Isaiah 38:15; Ezekiel 27:31 (strike out Co), Job 7:11; Job 10:1 = נפשׁ מָרָה Job 21:25; compare מָרָא Ruth 1:20 (name given to Naomi by herself); מַרהַֿמָּוֶת 1 Samuel 15:32 the bitterness of death; מַרמִֿמָּוֶת Ecclesiastes 7:26 (metaphor of harlot); in Ezekiel 3:14 I went bitterly, strike out מַר Co. — Isaiah 38:17 see מרר.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
angry, bitterly chafed, discontented, great, heavy

Or (feminine) marah {maw-raw'}; from marar; bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly -- + angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, X great, heavy.

see HEBREW marar

Forms and Transliterations
בְּמַ֣ר בְּמַר־ במר במר־ הַמַּ֣ר הַמָּרִ֖ים הַמָּרִ֥ים הַמָּרִֽים׃ המר המרים המרים׃ וָמָ֔ר וּמָרֵ֥י וּמָרָ֖ה וּמָרָֽה׃ ומר ומרה ומרה׃ ומרי לְמָ֣רֵי לְמָֽר׃ לְמָרִ֔ים לְמָרִֽים׃ למר׃ למרי למרים למרים׃ מַ֖ר מַ֛ר מַ֣ר מַ֥ר מַר֙ מַר־ מָ֑ר מָ֔ר מָ֣רֵי מָ֣רַת מָֽר׃ מָרִ֖ים מָרַּ֣ת מָרָ֑ה מָרָ֣ה מָרָ֥ה מר מר־ מר׃ מרה מרי מרים מרת bə·mar bə·mar- beMar bəmar bəmar- ham·mā·rîm ham·mar hammar hammaRim hammārîm lə·mā·rê lə·mā·rîm lə·mār leMar ləmār ləmārê leMarei lemaRim ləmārîm mā·rāh mā·raṯ mā·rê mā·rîm mar mār mar- mār·raṯ maRah mārāh Marat māraṯ mārê Marei maRim mārîm marRat mārraṯ ū·mā·rāh ū·mā·rê umaRah ūmārāh ūmārê umaRei vaMar wā·mār wāmār
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 27:34
HEB: צְעָקָ֔ה גְּדֹלָ֥ה וּמָרָ֖ה עַד־ מְאֹ֑ד
NAS: great and bitter cry,
KJV: and exceeding bitter cry,
INT: cry great and bitter with an exceedingly

Exodus 15:23
HEB: מִמָּרָ֔ה כִּ֥י מָרִ֖ים הֵ֑ם עַל־
NAS: of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore
KJV: of Marah, for they [were] bitter: therefore the name
INT: of Marah for were bitter like and

Numbers 5:18
HEB: יִהְי֔וּ מֵ֥י הַמָּרִ֖ים הַמְאָֽרֲרִֽים׃
NAS: is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.
KJV: shall have in his hand the bitter water
INT: become is to be the water of bitterness brings

Numbers 5:19
HEB: הִנָּקִ֕י מִמֵּ֛י הַמָּרִ֥ים הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃
NAS: water of bitterness that brings a curse;
KJV: be thou free from this bitter water
INT: be immune water of bitterness brings to this

Numbers 5:23
HEB: אֶל־ מֵ֥י הַמָּרִֽים׃
NAS: into the water of bitterness.
KJV: and he shall blot [them] out with the bitter water:
INT: into the water of bitterness

Numbers 5:24
HEB: אֶת־ מֵ֥י הַמָּרִ֖ים הַמְאָֽרֲרִ֑ים וּבָ֥אוּ
NAS: the water of bitterness that brings
KJV: to drink the bitter water
INT: the woman the water of bitterness brings will go

Numbers 5:24
HEB: הַמַּ֥יִם הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖ים לְמָרִֽים׃
NAS: will go into her and [cause] bitterness.
KJV: shall enter into her, [and become] bitter.
INT: the water A curse her and bitterness

Numbers 5:27
HEB: הַמַּ֤יִם הַמְאָֽרֲרִים֙ לְמָרִ֔ים וְצָבְתָ֣ה בִטְנָ֔הּ
NAS: will go into her and [cause] bitterness, and her abdomen
KJV: shall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly
INT: the water brings her and bitterness will swell abdomen

Judges 18:25
HEB: בָכֶ֗ם אֲנָשִׁים֙ מָ֣רֵי נֶ֔פֶשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ֥ה
NAS: among us, or else fierce men will fall
INT: will fall men angry your life will lose

1 Samuel 1:10
HEB: וְהִ֖יא מָ֣רַת נָ֑פֶשׁ וַתִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל
NAS: She, greatly distressed, prayed
KJV: And she [was] in bitterness of soul,
INT: She greatly of soul prayed

1 Samuel 15:32
HEB: אָכֵ֖ן סָ֥ר מַר־ הַמָּֽוֶת׃ ס
NAS: Surely the bitterness of death
KJV: Surely the bitterness of death
INT: Surely is past the bitterness of death

1 Samuel 22:2
HEB: וְכָל־ אִ֣ישׁ מַר־ נֶ֔פֶשׁ וַיְהִ֥י
NAS: and everyone who was discontented gathered
INT: and everyone men angry and he became

2 Samuel 2:26
HEB: יָדַ֔עְתָּה כִּֽי־ מָרָ֥ה תִהְיֶ֖ה בָּאַחֲרוֹנָ֑ה
NAS: Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?
KJV: knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?
INT: acknowledge that it will be bitter become after

2 Samuel 17:8
HEB: גִבֹּרִ֣ים הֵ֗מָּה וּמָרֵ֥י נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ הֵ֔מָּה
NAS: that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear
KJV: that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed in their minds,
INT: are mighty like and they chafed their minds like

Esther 4:1
HEB: זְעָקָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה וּמָרָֽה׃
NAS: and wailed loudly and bitterly.
KJV: with a loud and a bitter cry;
INT: cry loudly and bitterly

Job 3:20
HEB: א֑וֹר וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃
NAS: And life to the bitter of soul,
KJV: and life unto the bitter [in] soul;
INT: is light and life to the bitter of soul

Job 7:11
HEB: רוּחִ֑י אָ֝שִׂ֗יחָה בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי׃
NAS: I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
KJV: I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
INT: of my spirit will complain the bitterness of my soul

Job 10:1
HEB: שִׂיחִ֑י אֲ֝דַבְּרָה֗ בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי׃
NAS: I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
KJV: upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
INT: my complaint will speak the bitterness of my soul

Job 21:25
HEB: יָ֭מוּת בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ מָרָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־ אָ֝כַ֗ל
NAS: dies with a bitter soul,
KJV: And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul,
INT: dies soul A bitter Never tasting

Psalm 64:3
HEB: חִ֝צָּ֗ם דָּבָ֥ר מָֽר׃
NAS: They aimed bitter speech
KJV: [their bows to shoot] their arrows, [even] bitter words:
INT: their arrow speech bitter

Proverbs 5:4
HEB: וְֽ֭אַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָ֣ה כַֽלַּעֲנָ֑ה חַ֝דָּ֗ה
NAS: But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
KJV: But her end is bitter as wormwood,
INT: the end is bitter wormwood Sharp

Proverbs 14:10
HEB: לֵ֗ב י֭וֹדֵעַ מָרַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֑וֹ וּ֝בְשִׂמְחָת֗וֹ
INT: the heart knows angry own joy

Proverbs 27:7
HEB: רְ֝עֵבָ֗ה כָּל־ מַ֥ר מָתֽוֹק׃
NAS: man any bitter thing is sweet.
KJV: soul every bitter thing is sweet.
INT: to a famished any bitter is sweet

Proverbs 31:6
HEB: לְאוֹבֵ֑ד וְ֝יַיִן לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃
NAS: And wine to him whose life is bitter.
KJV: and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
INT: is perishing and wine is bitter life

Ecclesiastes 7:26
HEB: וּמוֹצֶ֨א אֲנִ֜י מַ֣ר מִמָּ֗וֶת אֶת־
NAS: more bitter than
KJV: And I find more bitter than death
INT: discovered I bitter death the woman

41 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4751
41 Occurrences


bə·mar — 3 Occ.
ham·mar — 1 Occ.
ham·mā·rîm — 4 Occ.
lə·mār — 1 Occ.
lə·mā·rê — 2 Occ.
lə·mā·rîm — 2 Occ.
mar- — 16 Occ.
mā·rāh — 4 Occ.
mā·raṯ — 1 Occ.
mā·rê — 1 Occ.
mā·rîm — 1 Occ.
mār·raṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·mā·rāh — 2 Occ.
ū·mā·rê — 1 Occ.
wā·mār — 1 Occ.
















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