---
title: מַר — bitter · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַר (4751), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 38 times: bitter. BDB 1906: adj. subst. bitter, bitterness. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַר

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«מַר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **bitter** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 38 times · **Key:** 4751 · **BDB:** מַר³

### Glosses

bitter (21); bitter.\[things\] (6); the.bitterness (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

bitter [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4751/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adj. subst. bitter, bitterness [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4751/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** adj. and subst. bitter, bitterness;—abs. מ׳ Pr 27:7 +, הַמַּר Hb 1:6, מָ֑ר ψ 64:4 +; cstr. מַר 1 S 22:2 +; f. מָרָה Gn 27:34 +, מָרָא Ru 1:20; cstr. מָרַת 1 S 1:10; mpl. מָרִים Ex 15:23 +; cstr. מָרֵי Ju 18:25 Pr 31:6;—bitter: lit., of water Ex 15:23 (J); food Pr 27:7 (opp. מָתוֹק); wormwood (לַעֲנָה) Pr 5:4 (in sim. of end of harlot, cf. Ec 7:26 infr.); as subst. pl., of physical pain, result of curse לְמָרִים Nu 5:24, 27, whence מֵי הַמָּרִים v 18 (cf. Di) v 19, 23, 24; of harmful result of ruthless fighting 2 S 2:26; of wickdness Je 2:19; 4:18;=injurious, hurtful Is 5:20(×2) (opp. מָתוֹק). fig., of cry (צְעָקָה, זְעָקָה) Gn 27:34 (J), Est 4:1; מִסְפֵּד מָ֑ר Ez 27:31 (del. Co); דָּבָר מָ֑ר ψ 64:4; as adv. (cry, weep) bitterly Ez 27:30 (מָרָה), Zp 1:14 Is 33:7 (both מַר). of feeling, temper, especially c. נֶפֶשׁ: אֲנָשִׁים מָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ Ju 18:25 men fierce (GFM acrid) of temper, so 2 S 17:8 (like a bear robbed of whelps); הַגּוֹי הַמַּר Hb 1:6 the fierce nation; מַר־נֶפֶשׁ=discontented 1 S 22:2; מָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ=the bitterly wretched Jb 3:20 Pr 31:6, so מָרַת נ׳ 1 S 1:10; cf. יוֹם מָ֑ר Am 8:10; as subst. abstr. מַר־נֶפֶשׁ bitterness of soul Is 38:15 Ez 27:31 (del. Co), Jb 7:11; 10:1=נפשׁ מָרָה 21:25; cf. מָרָא Ru 1:20 (name given to Naomi by herself); מַר־הַמָּוֶת 1 S 15:32 the bitterness of death; מַר־מִמָּוֶת Ec 7:26 (metaph. of harlot); in Ez 3:14 I went bitterly, del. מַר Co—Is 38:17 v. מרר.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 35 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (10 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4751/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 31:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.31.6/)

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תְּנוּ־שֵׁכָ֣ר לְאוֹבֵ֑ד וְ֝יַיִן לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃

*Word for word:* give strong.drink to \[one.who.is\].perishing and wine to.\[people\] bitter of.soul

*JPS 1917:* Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul;

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[Proverbs 27:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.27.7/)

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נֶ֣פֶשׁ שְׂ֭בֵעָה תָּב֣וּס נֹ֑פֶת וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ רְ֝עֵבָ֗ה כָּל־מַ֥ר מָתֽוֹק׃

*Word for word:* an.appetite satisfied it.treads.down honey and an.appetite hungry every bitter.\[thing\] \[is\].sweet

*JPS 1917:* The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

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