מָרַרmârar

be bitter

Pronunciation: maw-rar' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H4843

Meanings

Qal: be bitter (Isaiah 38:17; 1 Samuel 30:6; 2 Kings 4:27)

2. the soul, was bitter (1 Samuel 30:6; 2 Kings 4:27; Ruth 1:13)

Pi`el: make bitter, shew bitterness (Isaiah 22:4; Exodus 1:14; Genesis 49:23)

1. shewed bitterness, toward him (Genesis 49:23; Isaiah 22:4)

2. and they made their lives bitter (Exodus 1:14)

Hiph`il: make bitter, shew bitterness (Ruth 1:20; Job 27:2; Exodus 23:21)

1. Shadday, who hath embittered my soul (Job 27:2; Ruth 1:20)

2. and a bitter outcry (Zechariah 12:10)

Hithpalpel: shall embitter himself, (be enraged) (Daniel 11:11; Daniel 8:7)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 16 times in the Bible.

  • Genesis 49:23 Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him.
  • Exodus 1:14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.
  • Exodus 23:21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.
  • Ruth 1:13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.”
  • Ruth 1:20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.
  • 2 Kings 4:27 But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).