H4846 H4846
merorot — bitter things, gall, poison; literal gall-bladder or figurative bitterness
This noun denotes bitter things, gall, or poison, used both anatomically and metaphorically. The term can refer to the literal gall-bladder as an organ, to poisonous substances, or figuratively to bitter experiences and judgments. All four occurrences appear in poetic literature (Deuteronomy's song, Job's speeches), where bitterness serves as a powerful image for suffering, judgment, or the deadly nature of wickedness. The imagery draws on the physical experience of bitterness to convey spiritual and existential realities.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Bitter things, gall, or poison in various senses. Job 20:25 uses it anatomically for the 'gall' or gall-bladder (parallel to 'back' in the body). Job 20:14 employs it for poison: the food of the wicked becomes 'the poison of serpents' in his stomach. Job 13:26 uses it figuratively for God's 'bitter things'—harsh judgments or severe accusations written against the sufferer. Deuteronomy 32:32 speaks metaphorically of Israel's enemies producing 'clusters of bitterness' (ashkelot merorot), describing their corrupt fruit as inherently poisonous. Across these uses, the term evokes toxicity, suffering, and the painful consequences of evil. 4×
AR["مَرَارَاتٍ", "مَرَارَةَ", "مُرَّةٌ", "مِنْ-مَرَارَتِهِ"]·ben["-তার-পিত্ত-থেকে", "তিক্ততার", "তেতো", "বিষ"]·DE["[ממררתו]", "[מרורת]", "[מררות]", "bitterness"]·EN["bitter-things", "bitterness", "from-his-gall", "the-venom-of"]·FR["bitterness", "de-son-ממררתו-lui", "מרורת", "מררות"]·heb["מ-מרורתו", "מרורות", "מרורת"]·HI["उसके-पित्त-से", "कड़वाहटें", "कड़वे", "ज़हर"]·ID["dari-empedunya", "empedu", "kepahitan"]·IT["bitter-things", "bitterness", "da-da-suo-gall-suo", "il-venom-di"]·jav["kepait", "pait", "saking-empedu-ipun", "wisa"]·KO["그의-쓴개에서", "쓴-것들", "쓴-것들-을", "쓴-것이"]·PT["amargos", "amarguras", "de-sua-bílis", "veneno-de"]·RU["горечи", "горькие", "желчью", "из-жёлчи-его"]·ES["amargos", "amarguras", "de-su-hígado", "hiel-de"]·SW["kutoka-nyongo-yake", "mambo-machungu", "sumu-ya", "vichungu"]·TR["acı", "acılar", "safrasından", "zehiri"]·urd["تلخیاں", "زہر", "پتے-اُس-کے-سے", "کڑوے"]
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
† [מְרֹרָה] n.f. bitter thing, gall, poison; cstr. מְרוֹרַת Jb 20:14; sf. מְרֹרָתוֹ v 25; pl. מְרֹרֹת Dt 32:32, מְרֹרוֹת Jb 13:26;— 1. gall, i.e. seat of gall, gall-bladder Jb 20:25 (‖ גֵּוָה back; cf. מְרֵרָה 16:13). 2. = poison, מ׳ פְּתָנִים Jb 20:14. 3. מְרֹרוֹת bitter things Jb 13:26 (of God’s edict of judgment). 4. pl. abstr. = bitterness; אַשְׁכְּלֹת מ׳ Dt 32:32 clusters of bitterness (‖ עִנְּבֵי רוֹשׁ).