H4751 H4751
Bitter, bitterness; describes harsh taste, emotional anguish, fierce temperament, or intensified weeping
A rich adjective spanning the physical and emotional worlds. In its most concrete sense it describes the acrid taste of water at Marah (Exod 15:23) or the wormwood of Proverbs 5:4. Yet Scripture presses this word far beyond the palate: Hannah is 'bitter of soul' (1 Sam 1:10), David's fugitives are 'bitter of spirit' (1 Sam 22:2), and Habakkuk's Chaldeans are the 'bitter and hasty nation' (Hab 1:6). The multilingual evidence is telling -- Spanish and French consistently render the emotional uses with the same root (amargo/amer), showing how naturally the metaphor of bitterness bridges from taste to grief across languages.
Senses
1. bitter in taste or quality — The foundational physical sense: something that tastes harsh, acrid, or unpleasant. Applied to the waters of Marah (Exod 15:23), to food that a hungry person will eat regardless (Prov 27:7), and to the 'bitter water' of the ordeal in Numbers 5:18-24. Translations across languages uniformly use direct taste vocabulary (eng 'bitter', spa 'amargo', fra 'amer'), confirming this as the core semantic anchor. 23×
AR["أَمَرَّ", "المُرَّ", "الْـمُرِّ", "مَرَارَةٌ-", "مَرِيرًا", "مُرًّا", "مُرٌّ", "مُرٍّ", "مُرَّةً", "مُرَّةٌ", "مُرَّةٍ", "وَ-مُرٌّ", "وَ-مُرَّةً"]·ben["আর-তিক্ত", "এবং-তিক্ত", "ও-কঠিন", "তিক্ত", "তিক্ত।", "তিক্তকে", "তিক্ততার", "তিক্তের", "তেতো"]·DE["[ומרה]", "[מר]", "[מרה]", "bitter", "der-bitter", "und-bitter", "und-bitteren"]·EN["and-bitter", "bitter", "bitter-thing", "bitterness", "is-bitter", "more-bitter", "the-bitter"]·FR["[ומרה]", "amer", "et-amer", "le-bitter"]·heb["ה-מרים", "ו-מר", "ו-מרה", "מר", "מרה"]·HI["और-कड़वा", "और-कड़वी", "और-दुखदायी", "कड़वा", "कड़वा-", "कड़वा।", "कड़वी", "कड़वे", "कड़वे-को", "जल-कड़वे"]·ID["dan-pahit", "dengan-pahit", "kepahitan", "lebih-pahit", "pahit", "pahit.", "yang-pahit"]·IT["[ומרה]", "[מר]", "amaro", "e-amaro", "il-amaro"]·jav["lan-pait", "langkung-pait", "pait", "pait."]·KO["그-쓴", "그리고-쓴", "쓰다", "쓰라", "쓰라림이", "쓴", "쓴-것이", "쓴것을"]·PT["amarga", "amargo", "amargura", "as-amargas", "e-amargo", "mais-amarga"]·RU["горек", "горькая", "горький", "горьким", "горько", "горькое", "горькой", "горькую", "горьче", "и-горьким", "и-горько"]·ES["amarga", "amargo", "amargura", "es-amargo", "las-amargas", "y-amargo"]·SW["Hmrim", "chungu", "kichungu", "kwa-uchungu", "machungu", "na-cha-uchungu", "na-kichungu", "na-uchungu", "uchungu", "ulivyochungu", "yenye-uchungu"]·TR["aci", "acı", "acıdır", "acılığın-", "acıyi", "beni", "ve-acı"]·urd["اور-تلخ", "اور-کڑوی", "تلخ", "تلخی", "تلخی-میں", "کڑوا", "کڑوی", "کڑوے", "کڑوے-کو"]
2. bitterness, grief (substantive) — Used as a substantive denoting the abstract condition of bitterness, anguish, or grief. Agag walks 'in the bitterness of death' (1 Sam 15:32), and Job speaks 'in the bitterness of my soul' (Job 7:11; 10:1). Spanish 'amargura de' and French 'amertume de' both shift to abstract nominalizations, mirroring the Hebrew grammatical move from adjective to substantive. 8×
AR["بِمَرارَةِ", "بِمَرَارَةِ-", "لِ-مَرَارَةٍ", "مَرَارَةِ", "مُرٌّ-", "مُرُّ-"]·ben["-তিক্ততায়", "তিক্ত-", "তিক্ততা", "তিক্ততায়", "তিক্ততায়-", "তিক্ততায়।", "তেতো"]·DE["[במר]", "bitter", "bitterness-von-", "fuer-bitterness"]·EN["I-had", "bitterness-of-", "for-bitterness", "in-bitterness-of", "the-bitterness", "with-bitterness-of-"]·FR["amer", "amertume-de-", "dans-amer", "pour-bitterness"]·heb["ב-מר", "ל-מרים", "מר", "מר-"]·HI["-कड़वाहट-से", "कड़वाहट", "कड़वाहट-", "कड़वाहट-के-लिए", "कड़वाहट-में", "कदुवअहत-"]·ID["dalam-kepahitan", "dengan-pahit-", "kepahitan", "menjadi-pahit", "pahit-"]·IT["amaro", "bitterness-di-", "in-amaro", "per-bitterness"]·jav["ing-pait", "ing-pait-", "kangge-pait", "pahit", "pait-"]·KO["쓰라림", "쓰라림으로-", "쓰라림이-", "쓴-", "쓴-것-안에서", "쓴-에게", "에-쓴"]·PT["amargo-", "amargura-de", "amargura-de-", "com-amargura-de", "em-amargura-de", "para-amarguras"]·RU["в-горечи", "горечи", "горечь", "горечь-", "для-горечи", "с-горечью-"]·ES["amargo", "amargura-de-", "con-amargura-de", "en-amargura-de", "la-amargura", "para-amargas"]·SW["Lmrim", "katika-uchungu-wa", "kwa-uchungu-wa", "uchungu"]·TR["aci-", "acisindan", "acılık-için", "acılıkla-", "acılığı-", "acılığında"]·urd["بَ-تلخی-", "تلخی", "تلخی-میں", "کڑوے-ہو-کر"]
3. bitter of soul, fierce — In construct chains describing persons whose inner disposition is bitter, fierce, or desperate. David's men at Adullam were 'bitter of soul' (1 Sam 22:2), the men of Dan were 'fierce of soul' (Judg 18:25), and Job laments that light is given 'to the bitter of soul' (Job 3:20). The construct pattern mar + nephesh/lev creates a compound character description that German renders as 'bitter-von' and Spanish as 'amargo de'. 6×
AR["لِ-مَريري", "لِمُرِّي", "مُرَّةُ", "مُرُّو", "مُرِّ-", "وَ-مُرّو"]·ben["-তিক্তদের-কাছে", "এবং-তিক্ত", "তিক্ত", "তিক্তদের", "তেতো"]·DE["[למרי]", "bitter-von", "bitter-von-", "und-bitter-von"]·EN["and-bitter-of", "bitter-of", "bitter-of-", "to-bitter-of", "to-the-bitter-of"]·FR["amer-de", "amer-de-", "et-amer-de", "à-amer"]·heb["ו-מרי", "ל-מרי", "מר", "מרי", "מרת"]·HI["और-कड़वे", "कड़वी", "कड़वे", "कड़वे-", "कदव-"]·ID["dan-pahit", "kepada-yang-pahit", "pahit", "pahit-"]·IT["amaro-di", "amaro-di-", "e-amaro-di", "per-amaro"]·jav["dhateng-tiyang-kang-pait", "dhumateng-ingkang-sedhih", "getir", "lan-pait", "pait", "sedhih"]·KO["~에게-쓴", "고통스러운-", "괴로운", "그리고-격분한", "쓴", "에게-고통스러운-자들"]·PT["amarga-de", "amargo-de", "amargos-de", "aos-amargos-de", "e-amargos-de", "para-amargos-de"]·RU["горька", "горькие", "горький-", "и-горькие", "огорчённым"]·ES["a-los-amargos-de", "amarga-de", "amargo-de", "amargos-de", "y-amargos-de"]·SW["kwa-wenye-uchungu-wa", "mwenye-uchungu", "na-wana-uchungu", "uchungu", "wenye-uchungu"]·TR["acı", "acı-", "acı-olanlara", "ve-acı"]·urd["اور-تلخ", "تلخ-جان", "تلخ-جانوں-کو", "تلخ-مزاج", "کو-رنجیدوں", "کڑوے"]
4. bitterly (adverbial intensifier) — An adverbial intensifier modifying actions like weeping or crying out. The messengers of peace 'weep bitterly' (Isa 33:7), and mariners 'cry out bitterly' over Tyre (Ezek 27:30). Spanish shifts to the adverbial form 'amargamente', confirming the grammatical function as distinct from the adjectival senses. 2×
AR["بِمَرَارَةٍ", "مَرِيرًا"]·ben["কড়া", "তিক্ত"]·DE["[מרה]", "bitter"]·EN["bitterly", "weep"]·FR["amer"]·heb["מר", "מרה"]·HI["कटुता-से", "कड़वाहट"]·ID["dengan-pahit", "dengan-pahit;"]·IT["amaro"]·jav["pait"]·KO["쓰라리게-", "쓴도록"]·PT["amargamente"]·RU["горько"]·ES["amargamente"]·SW["kwa-uchungu"]·TR["aciyla", "acıyla"]·urd["تلخی-سے"]
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
† I. מַר adj. and subst. bitter, bitterness;—abs. מ׳ Pr 27:7 +, הַמַּר Hb 1:6, מָ֑ר ψ 64:4 +; cstr. מַר 1 S 22:2 +; f. מָרָה Gn 27:34 +, מָרָא Ru 1:20; cstr. מָרַת 1 S 1:10; mpl. מָרִים Ex 15:23 +; cstr. מָרֵי Ju 18:25 Pr 31:6;—bitter: 1. lit., of water Ex 15:23 (J); food Pr 27:7 (opp. מָתוֹק); wormwood (לַעֲנָה) Pr 5:4 (in sim. of end of harlot, cf. Ec 7:26 infr.); as subst. pl., of physical…