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.
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"]
▼ 3 more senses below
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"]
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"]
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…