Original Word: מִרְמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mirmah
Pronunciation: meer-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (meer-maw')
KJV: craft, deceit(-ful, -fully), false, feigned, guile, subtilly, treachery
NASB: deceit, deceitful, false , deceitfully, deception, treachery, deceptive
Word Origin: [from H7411 (רָמָה - To betray) in the sense of deceiving]

1. fraud

craft, deceitful false, feigned, guile, treachery

From ramah in the sense of deceiving; fraud -- craft, deceit(-ful, -fully), false, feigned, guile, subtilly, treachery.

see HEBREW ramah

Word Origin
from ramah
Definition
deceit, treachery
NASB Translation
deceit (21), deceitful (6), deceitfully (2), deception (2), deceptive (1), dishonest (1), false (3), treacherous (1), treachery (2).

II. מִרְמָה noun feminine deceit, treachery; — absolute ׳מ Amos 8:5 +; plural absolute מִרְמוֺת Psalm 10:7 +; — deceit, of balances, ׳מאןזנֵי מ i.e. deceptive balances Amos 8:5 ("" שֶׁקֶר), Hosea 12:8; Proverbs 11:1 (opposed to קֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה), Proverbs 20:23, ׳אַבְנֵי מ Micah 6:11 (see [ מאזן] p. 24); especially treachery, craftiness, 2 Kings 9:23, ׳בְּמ treacherously, Genesis 27:35 (J), and (of crafty speech) Genesis 34:13 (P); ׳שִׂמְּתֵי מ Psalm 17:1 i.e. treacherous lips, ׳לְשׁוֺן מ Psalm 52:6, ׳מִּי מ Psalm 109:2 ("" לְשׁוֺן שָׁ֑קֶר), דִּבְרֵי מִרְמוֺת Psalm 35:20, ׳נִשְׁבַע לְמ Psalm 24:4 ("" לַשָּׁוְא); compare Isaiah 53:9 ("" חָמָס); also Hosea 12:1 ("" כַּחַשׁ), Jeremiah 5:27; Jeremiah 9:5 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 9:7; Zephaniah 1:9 (+ חָמָס), Psalm 10:7 (+ תֹּךְ), "" עָמָל וָאֶוֶּן, Psalm 34:14; Psalm 36:4 (+ אָוֶן), Psalm 38:13; Psalm 59:19; Psalm 55:12 (+ תֹּךְ), Job 15:35; Job 31:5 ("" שָׁוְא), Proverbs 12:20; Proverbs 14:8; Proverbs 26:24; Daniel 8:25; opposed to מִשְׁמָּט Proverbs 12:5, + עֵר שְׁקָרִים Proverbs 12:17, + יָפִחַ כְּזָבִים Proverbs 14:25 (Hi Wild Toy read מְדַמֶּה for מרמה but II. דמה not elsewhere Pi); ׳אִישׁ דָּמִים וּמ Psalm 5:7 ("" דֹּבְרֵי בָזָב), compare Psalm 55:24, וְעַוְלָה ׳אִישׁ מ Psalm 43:1; ׳יַעֲשֶׁה מ Daniel 11:23. — II.מִרְמָה proper name.

Definition and Scope of Usage

מִרְמָה portrays deliberate deceit expressed through speech, trade, or conduct. It is the willful distortion of truth that violates covenant loyalty, fractures community trust, and provokes divine judgment. The word appears about thirty-nine times, spread through narrative, wisdom, and prophetic literature, revealing a sin that is personal, relational, economic, and spiritual.

Distribution in Scripture

• Torah / Historical: Genesis 27:35; Joshua 9:22 (part of the Gibeonite story).
• Wisdom / Poetry: Psalms (at least twelve occurrences), Proverbs (at least seven), Job 27:4.
• Major Prophets: Isaiah 53:9; Jeremiah (nine occurrences); Ezekiel 22:29.
• Minor Prophets: Hosea 11:12; 12:7; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:12; Zephaniah 1:9; Malachi 1:14.

Narrative Foundations: Jacob and the Patriarchs

In Genesis 27:35 Isaac laments, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” מִרְמָה names Jacob’s calculated scheme, setting a lifelong tension between blessing and broken relationships. The text allows no justification for deceit even when it seems to secure covenant benefits; later, Jacob himself becomes the target of deceptive Laban, illustrating the biblical principle that deceit reaps sorrow (Genesis 29:25).

Wisdom Literature: Moral and Ethical Instruction

Psalms and Proverbs use מִרְמָה to expose the inner life:

• Psalm 32:2 – “Blessed is the man… in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Genuine repentance and transparency invite divine forgiveness.
• Psalm 52:2 – “Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharpened razor—working deceit.” Speech can wield treachery like a weapon.
• Proverbs 11:18 – “The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.” Economic gain through deceit is fleeting.
• Proverbs 26:24 – “A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.” Hypocrisy is branded as hidden מִרְמָה.

Wisdom teaching thus equates deceit with folly, aligning integrity with the fear of the LORD.

Prophetic Indictments

The prophets escalate the charge, linking מִרְמָה with national collapse:

• Jeremiah 9:6 – “You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD. Deceit blocks covenant knowledge.
• Hosea 12:7 – “A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.” Commercial corruption reflects spiritual unfaithfulness.
• Amos 8:5 – Israel’s traders vow to “cheat with dishonest scales,” triggering impending exile.
• Zephaniah 1:9 – God will punish those who “fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.”

Prophetic usage stresses that deceit is not merely unethical; it is idolatrous opposition to the God of truth.

Covenant Integrity Versus Deceit

Several passages set מִרְמָה over against covenant loyalty (חֶסֶד) and truth (אֱמֶת):

• Psalm 101:7 – “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house.” A Davidic king models righteous rule.
• Psalm 119:29 – “Remove false ways from me; graciously grant me Your law.” Torah instruction displaces deceit.
• Hosea 11:12 – “Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,” yet Judah is to remain faithful. The contrast magnifies God’s call to sincere obedience.

Messianic Fulfilment

Isaiah 53:9 foretells the Suffering Servant: “Because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” The Messiah’s sinless speech stands in antithesis to fallen humanity. 1 Peter 2:22 cites this verse concerning Jesus Christ, showing that the Redeemer embodies perfect integrity and bears the penalty for human deceit so that His people may walk in truth.

Theological Implications

1. God’s righteous character: The Lord “desires truth in the inmost being” (Psalm 51:6) and therefore abhors מִרְמָה.
2. Human depravity: Deceit flows from the heart (Jeremiah 17:9) and is symptomatic of rebellion.
3. Covenantal judgment and hope: Persistent deceit invites discipline, yet repentance brings restoration (Jeremiah 3:10-15).
4. Redemption in Christ: The One with “no deceit” imparts a new nature, enabling believers to “put away all malice and all deceit” (1 Peter 2:1).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Expose deceit as a root sin that undermines faith, family, and society; proclaim Christ as the truth.
• Counseling: Help believers pursue transparency, confess hidden sin, and rebuild trust through Spirit-empowered integrity.
• Leadership: Cultivate honesty in finances and speech; echo Psalm 101:7 in church governance—no place for deceit among servants of God.
• Social Ethics: Advocate fair trade and just business practices, remembering the prophetic outcry against dishonest scales.

Eschatological Assurance

Zechariah envisions a future Jerusalem where “there shall no longer be any deceit in their mouths” (compare Zechariah 8:3-8 with Revelation 14:5). The final kingdom will be marked by truth, completing the biblical storyline that begins with Jacob’s deception and ends with a redeemed people free from מִרְמָה.

Summary

מִרְמָה unmasks the lie that untruth can secure blessing. Scripture traces its destructive power from individual households to entire nations, yet simultaneously points to the Servant whose mouth was free of deceit. In Him, the community of faith is called—and empowered—to live in transparent, covenantal truth.

בְּמִרְמָ֑ה בְּמִרְמָ֖ה בְּמִרְמָ֛ה במרמה וּ֝מִרְמ֗וֹת וּ֭מִרְמָה וּבְמִרְמָ֖ה וּמִרְמ֣וֹת וּמִרְמָ֑ה וּמִרְמָ֗ה וּמִרְמָֽה׃ ובמרמה ומרמה ומרמה׃ ומרמות לְמִרְמָֽה׃ למרמה׃ מִ֝רְמוֹת מִ֭רְמָה מִרְמָ֑ה מִרְמָ֖ה מִרְמָ֣ה מִרְמָ֥ה מִרְמָֽה׃ מִרְמָה֙ מרמה מרמה׃ מרמות bə·mir·māh bemirMah bəmirmāh lə·mir·māh lemirMah ləmirmāh mir·māh mir·mō·wṯ mirMah mirmāh Mirmot mirmōwṯ ū·ḇə·mir·māh ū·mir·māh ū·mir·mō·wṯ ūḇəmirmāh umirMah ūmirmāh umirMot ūmirmōwṯ uvemirMahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts