πικρ-ία G4088
Bitterness; a harsh, resentful disposition; the poisonous root of hostile feeling.
The noun pikria conveys bitterness in both a physical and deeply moral sense. In Acts 8:23 Peter diagnoses Simon Magus as being in the 'gall of bitterness,' an Old Testament echo of poisonous corruption. Paul lists it among vices to be put away (Eph 4:31) and quotes the Psalms that 'their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness' (Rom 3:14). Hebrews 12:15 warns against a 'root of bitterness' springing up to defile the community. Across languages—Spanish 'amargura,' French 'amertume,' German 'Bitterkeit'—the metaphor of a toxic inner disposition is consistent.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Bitterness as a moral and emotional condition—resentment, hostility, or inner poison. Acts 8:23 uses it alongside 'gall' to describe Simon Magus's corrupted heart, echoing Deuteronomy 29:18. Romans 3:14 quotes Psalm 10:7 about mouths full of bitterness. Ephesians 4:31 lists it among attitudes believers must discard, and Hebrews 12:15 warns of a 'root of bitterness' that defiles many. The French 'amertume' and German 'Bitterkeit' uniformly render this as a deep-seated toxic disposition rather than mere physical taste. 4×
AR["عَلْقَمٍ", "مَرارَةً", "مَرارَةٍ", "مَرَارَة"]·ben["তিক্ততার", "তেতো", "পিত্তে"]·DE["Bitterkeit", "πικρίας"]·EN["bitterness", "of-bitterness"]·FR["amertume", "amère"]·heb["מְרִירוּת", "מְרִרוּת"]·HI["कड़वाहट-की", "कड़वाहट-से", "कधवहत"]·ID["kepahitan", "kepahitan,"]·IT["amarezza", "pikria", "pikrias"]·jav["getir", "pait", "pait,", "paitipun"]·KO["쓴", "쓴-것과,", "쓴-의", "쓴맛-의"]·PT["amargura,", "de-amargura"]·RU["горечи", "горечь,", "горчизны"]·ES["amargura", "de-amargura"]·SW["uchungu", "wa-uchungu"]·TR["acilik", "acılıkla", "acılığın"]·urd["تلخی-کے", "کڑواہٹ", "کڑواہٹ-کی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πικρ-ία, ἡ, bitterness: __1 of taste, LXX+4th c.BC+ __2 of temper, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς π. Refs 4th c.BC+; ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσι π. Refs 2nd c.BC+; ἡ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις π. Refs 1st c.BC+ __3 of circumstances, ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ π. Refs 2nd c.AD+