---
title: מְרֹרָה — bitter thing · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מְרֹרָה (4846), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 4 times: bitter thing. BDB 1906: n.f. bitter thing, gall, poison. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מְרֹרָה

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«מְרֹרָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **bitter thing** — 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:** 4 times · **Key:** 4846 · **BDB:** מְרֹרָה

### Glosses

bitter (1); bitter.things (1); gall-bladder (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

bitter thing [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4846/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. bitter thing, gall, poison [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4846/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. bitter thing, gall, poison; cstr. מְרוֹרַת Jb 20:14; sf. מְרֹרָתוֹ v 25; pl. מְרֹרֹת Dt 32:32, מְרֹרוֹת Jb 13:26;— gall, i.e. seat of gall, gall-bladder Jb 20:25 (‖ גֵּוָה back; cf. מְרֵרָה 16:13). = poison, מ׳ פְּתָנִים Jb 20:14. מְרֹרוֹת bitter things Jb 13:26 (of God’s edict of judgment). pl. abstr. = bitterness; אַשְׁכְּלֹת מ׳ Dt 32:32 clusters of bitterness (‖ עִנְּבֵי רוֹשׁ).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 4 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מְרֹרָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4846/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 13:26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.13.26/)

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כִּֽי־תִכְתֹּ֣ב עָלַ֣י מְרֹר֑וֹת וְ֝תוֹרִישֵׁ֗נִי עֲוֺנ֥וֹת נְעוּרָֽי׃

*Word for word:* (dm) you.write on me bitter.things and you cause.me.to.inherit the.iniquities my.youth(s) my

*JPS 1917:* That Thou shouldest write bitter things against me, and make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.

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[Job 20:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.20.14/)

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לַ֭חְמוֹ בְּמֵעָ֣יו נֶהְפָּ֑ךְ מְרוֹרַ֖ת פְּתָנִ֣ים בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃

*Word for word:* food his in his.inward parts it.is.changed venom of.cobras \[is\].in his.inward part\[s\]

*JPS 1917:* Yet his food in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.

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