What does מַר (mar) mean in the Bible?
מַר (mar): Bitter connotes emotional anguish and divine judgment; spans physical taste to inner suffering and divine wrath.
Hebrew · H4751
מַר
Bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness , or (adverbially) bitterly
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מַר H4751
Pronunciation mar
What does מַר (mar) mean in the Bible?
מַר (mar): Bitter connotes emotional anguish and divine judgment; spans physical taste to inner suffering and divine wrath.
Full entry for מַר (H4751) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4751?
The BSB source-word alignment has 39 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include in the bitterness (3), the bitter (3), and bitter (2), bitter (2), bitterly (2).
Where does מַר (mar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 27:34. Its strongest book concentrations include Numbers (6), Isaiah (5), Ezekiel (4), Job (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It in the bitterness 3× Job 7:11, Job 10:1, Job 21:25
the bitter 3× Numbers 5:18, Numbers 5:23, Numbers 5:24
and bitter 2× Genesis 27:34, Ezekiel 27:31
bitter 2× Numbers 5:19, Isaiah 5:20
bitterly 2× Isaiah 33:7, Ezekiel 27:30
in bitterness 2× 2 Samuel 2:26, Ezekiel 3:14
to the bitter 2× Job 3:20, Proverbs 31:6
and as fierce 1× 2 Samuel 17:8
and bitter it is 1× Jeremiah 2:19
and bitterly 1× Esther 4:1
and cause bitter suffering 1× Numbers 5:27
and may cause her bitter 1× Numbers 5:24
angry 1× Judges 18:25
bitter thing 1× Proverbs 27:7
how bitter it is 1× Jeremiah 4:18
I had such great 1× Isaiah 38:17
In her bitter distress 1× 1 Samuel 1:10
is bitter with anguish 1× Lamentations 1:4
like a bitter 1× Amos 8:10
more bitter 1× Ecclesiastes 7:26
or discontented 1× 1 Samuel 22:2
she is bitter 1× Proverbs 5:4
that ruthless 1× Habakkuk 1:6
the anguish 1× Isaiah 38:15
the bitterness 1× 1 Samuel 15:32
their bitter 1× Psalms 64:3
was bitter 1× Exodus 15:23
will be bitter 1× Zephaniah 1:14
with anguish 1× Ezekiel 27:31
with bitter 1× Isaiah 5:20
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 27:34 וּמָרָ֖ה to and bitter Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular Exodus 15:23 מָרִ֖ים to was bitter Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:18 הַמָּרִ֖ים to the bitter Article | Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:19 הַמָּרִ֥ים to bitter Article | Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:23 הַמָּרִֽים׃ to the bitter Article | Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:24 הַמָּרִ֖ים to the bitter Article | Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:24 לְמָרִֽים׃ to and may cause her bitter Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine plural Numbers 5:27 לְמָרִ֔ים to and cause bitter suffering Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine plural Judges 18:25 מָ֣רֵי to angry Adjective - masculine plural construct 1 Samuel 1:10 מָ֣רַת to In her bitter distress Adjective - feminine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 27:34
Aligned rows 39
Books represented 18
Genesis 1 Exodus 1 Numbers 6 Judges 1 1 Samuel 3 2 Samuel 2 Esther 1 Job 4 Psalms 1 Proverbs 3 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 2 Lamentations 1 Ezekiel 4 Amos 1 Habakkuk 1 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
מַר־ 4x mar- 1 Samuel 15:32, 1 Samuel 22:2, Isaiah 38:17, Lamentations 1:4
מַ֥ר 3x mar Proverbs 27:7, Isaiah 38:15, Zephaniah 1:14
מָֽר׃ 3x mār Psalms 64:3, Ezekiel 27:31, Amos 8:10
בְּמַ֣ר 2x bə·mar Job 7:11, Job 10:1
הַמָּרִ֖ים 2x ham·mā·rîm Numbers 5:18, Numbers 5:24
לְמָ֣רֵי 2x lə·mā·rê Job 3:20, Proverbs 31:6
מָרָ֑ה 2x mā·rāh Job 21:25, Ezekiel 27:30
בְּמַר־ 1x bə·mar- Ezekiel 27:31
Parsing patterns
Adjective - masculine singular 11x Psalms 64:3, Proverbs 27:7, Ecclesiastes 7:26, Isaiah 5:20
Adjective - feminine singular 4x 2 Samuel 2:26, Job 21:25, Proverbs 5:4, Ezekiel 27:30
Article | Adjective - masculine plural 4x Numbers 5:18, Numbers 5:19, Numbers 5:23, Numbers 5:24
Adjective - masculine singular construct 3x 1 Samuel 15:32, 1 Samuel 22:2, Isaiah 38:15
Preposition-b | Adjective - masculine singular construct 3x Job 7:11, Job 10:1, Ezekiel 27:31
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular 2x Genesis 27:34, Esther 4:1
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine plural 2x Numbers 5:24, Numbers 5:27
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine plural construct 2x Job 3:20, Proverbs 31:6
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Bitter connotes emotional anguish and divine judgment; spans physical taste to inner suffering and divine wrath.
Strong's H4751
Lexical occurrences 39 verses Word forms 1 form 22 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Proverbs 14:10 Source Gloss
bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness , or (adverbially) bitterly
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Bitter connotes emotional anguish and divine judgment; spans physical taste to inner suffering and divine wrath.
bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly BDB: bitter Usage: angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, × great, heavy.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 1 Aligned forms 22
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Perfect Lam 1:4 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Emotional distress and sorrow known only to the individual experiencing it
Something unpalatable or disagreeable in contrast to what is sweet
The painful, destructive consequences of pursuing forbidden relationships
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 39 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מַר is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain