H4803 H4803
To make smooth, bare, or bald; to polish or scour a weapon; to pluck out hair in grief or abuse; to become bald.
A verb of forceful surface action, whether scraping metal to a gleam or tearing hair from the scalp. In Ezekiel's sword oracles the blade is 'polished' for slaughter, a terrifying image of divine judgment made ready. Yet the same root describes Ezra ripping out his own hair in anguish over covenant-breaking marriages, and the Servant of Isaiah offering his cheeks to those who pluck out the beard. Spanish 'pulida' and 'arrancan' capture the surprising breadth: the gleam of a weapon and the rawness of grief share a single Hebrew word.
Senses
1. polish, scour (a sword) — Polishing or scouring a sword to a bright, lethal finish. The Pual passive participle mĕrûṭâ appears repeatedly in Ezekiel 21, where YHWH's sword is 'polished' and ready to devour. The multilingual glosses ('polished,' Spanish 'pulida,' French 'polir') all converge on the metallurgical sense of burnishing a blade until it gleams. The related 1 Kings 7:45 reference extends this to the polished bronze vessels of Solomon's temple. 6×
AR["لِلصَّقْلِ","مَصْقُولٌ","مَصْقُولَةٌ"]·ben["মসৃণ","মসৃণ-করতে","মসৃণ-করা"]·DE["[למרטה]","[מרוטה]","[מרטה]","polished"]·EN["for-polishing","is-polished","it-is-polished","polished"]·FR["polir","polished"]·heb["ל-מרטה","מורטה","ממורט","מרוטה"]·HI["चमकाई-हुई","माँजने","माँजी-गई"]·ID["digosok","untuk-digosok"]·IT["[למרטה]","[מרוטה]","[מרטה]","polished"]·jav["dipun-gilap,","dipun-gilap.","gilap","kanggé-dipun-gilap"]·KO["닦아졌다","닦은","닦음-위해"]·PT["para-polir","polida","polido"]·RU["дать-его","отполированный","полированная","ради","скипетру","чтобы-взять"]·ES["está-pulida","para-pulir","pulida","pulido"]·SW["iliyong'aa","kusuguliwa","umesuguliwa"]·TR["cilalamak-için","cilalandı","cilalanmış"]·urd["چمکائی-گئی-ہے","چمکانے-کے-لیے","چمکدار"]
2. pull out, pluck (hair or beard) — Actively pulling out or plucking hair from the head or beard, expressing intense grief, righteous indignation, or abusive humiliation. Ezra tears out his own hair in anguish (Ezra 9:3), Nehemiah forcibly plucks hair from covenant-breakers (Neh 13:25), and Isaiah's Servant offers his cheeks to those who rip out the beard (Isa 50:6). Spanish 'arrancan' ('they tear out') vividly conveys the violent extraction. 3×
AR["لِـ-النَاتِفِينَ","وَ-نَتَفْتُ","وَنَتَفْتُ-شَعْرَهُمْ"]·ben["-যারা-দাড়ি-উপড়ে-তাদেরকে","আর-ছিঁড়লাম","আর-টানলাম-তাদের"]·DE["[ואמרטה]","[ואמרטם]","[למרטים]"]·EN["and-I-pulled-out","and-I-pulled-out-their-hair","to-those-plucking"]·FR["[ואמרטה]","[ואמרטם]","[למרטים]"]·heb["ו-אמרטה-ה","ו-אמרטם-ם","ל-מורטים"]·HI["और-मैंने-नोचे","नोचने-वालों-को"]·ID["dan-aku-mencabut","dan-aku-mencabut-rambut-mereka","kepada-yang-mencabuti"]·IT["[ואמרטה]","[ואמרטם]","[למרטים]"]·jav["dhateng-ingkang-njabuti","lan-kawula-njabut","lan-kula-njabuti"]·KO["그리고-내가-빼었다","그리고-뽑았다-내가-그들을","뽑는-자들에게"]·PT["aos-que-arrancam","e-arranquei","e-arranquei-seus-cabelos"]·RU["вырывающим","и-вырвал-я-волосы-их","и-рвал"]·ES["a-los-que-arrancan-barba","y-arranqué","y-les-arranqué-el-cabello"]·SW["kwa-wanyoaji","na-nikang'oa","na-nikawang'oa-nywele"]·TR["ve-yoldum","yolanlara"]·urd["اور-نوچے-میں-نے","نوچنے-والوں-کو"]
3. become bald, lose hair (Niphal) — Niphal reflexive: to become bald or lose hair naturally, used in the priestly diagnostic laws of Leviticus 13:40-41. If hair falls from the front or back of a man's head (yimmāreṭ), he is pronounced clean, merely bald, not diseased. Spanish 'se le caiga el pelo' ('his hair falls out') and German 'wird bald' both capture the involuntary, natural quality distinct from violent plucking. 2×
AR["يَنْتَتِفُ"]·ben["টাক-হবে"]·DE["wird-bald"]·EN["becomes-bald"]·FR["devient-chauve"]·heb["ימרט"]·HI["झड़ेगा"]·ID["rontok"]·IT["diviene-bald"]·jav["bodhol"]·KO["빠지면"]·PT["ficar-calvo"]·RU["облысеет"]·ES["se-le-caiga-el-pelo-de"]·SW["atanyolewa"]·TR["dökülmüşse"]·urd["جھڑے"]
4. rubbed bare, worn smooth — Qal passive participle describing skin rubbed bare or worn smooth through grueling labor. In Ezekiel 29:18, Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers labored so hard at the siege of Tyre that 'every shoulder was rubbed bare,' paired with 'every head made bald.' This sense emphasizes abrasion from physical toil rather than deliberate polishing or plucking. 1×
AR["حُكَتْ"]·ben["ঘর্ষণে-ক্ষত"]·DE["[מרוטה]"]·EN["rubbed-bare"]·FR["polir"]·heb["מרוטה"]·HI["घिसा-हुआ"]·ID["dilecetkan;"]·IT["[מרוטה]"]·jav["lecet"]·KO["벗겨졌다"]·PT["pelado"]·RU["стёрто"]·ES["fue-pelado"]·SW["limechubuliwa"]·TR["soyuldu"]·urd["چھلا-ہوا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מָרַט] vb. make smooth, bare, bald; scour, polish (NH id.; pull out, off (feathers, hair); Aramaic ܡܪܰܛ, מְרַט id.; Arabic مَرِطَ have little hair, مَرَطَ pluck out hair);— Qal Impf. i s. וָאֶמְרְטָה Ezr 9:3, sf. 3 mpl. וָאֶמְרְטֵם Ne 13:25; Inf. cstr. מָרְטָה Ez 21:16; Pt. pl. מֹרְטִים Is 50:6; pass. f. מְרוּטָה Ez 21:14 + 2 times;— 1. make bare כָּל־כָּתֵף מְרוּטָה Ez 29:18 every shoulder is…