What does מָרַר (mārar) mean in the Bible?
מָרַר (mārar): Bitterness moves from taste to emotional anguish; God's grief over sin provokes divine judgment and human rebellion.
Hebrew · H4843
מָרַר
To be (causatively, make ) bitter (literally or figuratively)
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מָרַר H4843
Pronunciation mārar
What does מָרַר (mārar) mean in the Bible?
מָרַר (mārar): Bitterness moves from taste to emotional anguish; God's grief over sin provokes divine judgment and human rebellion.
Full entry for מָרַר (H4843) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4843?
The BSB source-word alignment has 14 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include in a rage (2), [is] in deep distress (1), and grieve bitterly (1), anguish (1), as one grieves (1).
Where does מָרַר (mārar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 49:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (3), Daniel (2), Exodus (2), Ruth (2).
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 a rage 2× Daniel 8:7, Daniel 11:11
[is] in deep distress 1× 2 Kings 4:27
and grieve bitterly 1× Zechariah 12:10
anguish 1× Isaiah 38:17
as one grieves 1× Zechariah 12:10
attacked him with bitterness 1× Genesis 49:23
bitter 1× Exodus 1:14
bitterly 1× Isaiah 22:4
defy 1× Exodus 23:21
has dealt quite bitterly 1× Ruth 1:20
is bitter 1× Isaiah 24:9
it is much more bitter 1× Ruth 1:13
who has embittered 1× Job 27:2
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 49:23 וַֽיְמָרֲרֻ֖הוּ to attacked him with bitterness Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular Exodus 1:14 וַיְמָרְר֨וּ to bitter Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Exodus 23:21 תַּמֵּ֣ר to defy Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Ruth 1:13 מַר־ to it is much more bitter Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Ruth 1:20 הֵמַ֥ר to has dealt quite bitterly Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2 Kings 4:27 מָֽרָה־ to [is] in deep distress Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Job 27:2 הֵמַ֥ר to who has embittered Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular Isaiah 22:4 אֲמָרֵ֣ר to bitterly Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular Isaiah 24:9 יֵמַ֥ר to is bitter Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Isaiah 38:17 מָ֑ר to anguish Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 49:23
Aligned rows 14
Books represented 8
Genesis 1 Exodus 2 Ruth 2 2 Kings 1 Job 1 Isaiah 3 Daniel 2 Zechariah 2
Source forms
הֵמַ֥ר 2x hê·mar Ruth 1:20, Job 27:2
אֲמָרֵ֣ר 1x ’ă·mā·rêr Isaiah 22:4
וְהָמֵ֥ר 1x wə·hā·mêr Zechariah 12:10
וַֽיְמָרֲרֻ֖הוּ 1x way·mā·ră·ru·hū Genesis 49:23
וַיְמָרְר֨וּ 1x way·mā·rə·rū Exodus 1:14
וְיִתְמַרְמַר֙ 1x wə·yiṯ·mar·mar Daniel 11:11
וַיִּתְמַרְמַ֤ר 1x way·yiṯ·mar·mar Daniel 8:7
יֵמַ֥ר 1x yê·mar Isaiah 24:9
Parsing patterns
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Ruth 1:20, Job 27:2
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Ruth 1:13, Isaiah 38:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute 1x Zechariah 12:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Daniel 11:11
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Daniel 8:7
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Exodus 1:14
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular 1x Genesis 49:23
Preposition-k | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct 1x Zechariah 12:10
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Bitterness moves from taste to emotional anguish; God's grief over sin provokes divine judgment and human rebellion.
Source Gloss
to be (causatively, make ) bitter (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Bitterness moves from taste to emotional anguish; God's grief over sin provokes divine judgment and human rebellion.
to be (causatively, make) bitter (literally or figuratively) BDB: be bitter Usage: (be, be in, deal, have, make) bitter(-ly, -ness), be moved with choler, (be, have sorely, it) grieved(-eth), provoke, vex.
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 3 Aligned forms 8
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 4×
Perfect Isa 38:17 · Ruth 1:13 · 2Kgs 4:27 3×
Imperfect Isa 24:9 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 3×
Perfect Job 27:2 · Ruth 1:20 2×
Jussive Exod 23:21 1×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 1×
Imperfect Isa 22:4 1×
Word Origins
מָרַר is built from these roots:
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