H4785 H4785
Marah, the bitter spring encountered by Israel in the Sinai wilderness after the Exodus
Marah is the place name given to a spring in the Sinai peninsula whose waters were too bitter to drink (Exodus 15:23). The name itself derives from the root mar, meaning 'bitter,' and the narrative records how God made the waters sweet through a thrown tree. Numbers 33:8-9 lists Marah as a station in Israel's wilderness itinerary. The name became emblematic of trial transformed by divine provision.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Proper noun designating the bitter spring in the Sinai wilderness where Israel stopped after crossing the Sea of Reeds. All five occurrences cluster in the Exodus-Numbers wilderness narrative (Exod 15:23 three times with directional he 'Marah-ward'; Num 33:8-9 in the itinerary). Spanish 'a-Marah' and French 'Mara' preserve the toponym consistently, and the directional suffix in Hebrew shows locative use. 5×
AR["إِلَى-مَارَة", "فِي-مَارَةَ", "مَارَة", "مِنْ-مَارَة", "مِنْ-مَارَةَ"]·ben["মারা", "মারা-থেকে", "মারাতে"]·DE["Mara", "Mara-ward", "in-Marah", "von-Mara", "von-Marah"]·EN["Marah", "Marah-ward", "from-Marah", "in-Marah"]·FR["Mara", "Mara-garde", "dans-Marah", "de-Mara", "de-Marah"]·heb["ב-מרה", "מ-מרה", "מרה", "מרתה"]·HI["मारा", "मारा-में", "मारा-से"]·ID["Mara", "dari-Mara", "di-Mara", "ke-Mara"]·IT["Mara", "Mara-ward", "da-Mara", "da-Marah", "in-Marah"]·jav["Marah", "saking-Mara", "saking-Marah", "wonten-Mara"]·KO["마라-에", "마라-에서", "마라라"]·PT["Marah.", "a-Marah,", "de-Marah", "de-Marah,", "em-Marah"]·RU["Марра", "в-Маре", "в-Марру", "из-Марры", "из-Мары"]·ES["Marah", "a-Marah", "de-Mara", "de-Marah", "en-Mara"]·SW["Mara", "katika-Mara", "kutoka-Mara"]·TR["-da-Mara'da", "-dan-Mara'dan", "Mara", "Mara'dan", "Mara'ya"]·urd["سے-مارہ", "مارہ", "مارہ-سے", "مارہ-میں", "میں-مارہ"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מָרָה n.pr.f. of bitter spring in Sinaitic penins. Ex 15:23(×2) (J), Nu 33:8, 9 (P), + הָ loc. מָרָ֑תָה Ex 15:23 (J); prob. mod. ʿAin Hawwâratun (Cf. RobBR i. 67 PalmerDesert i. 40 EbGS 125 f.)