Original Word: מְרֹרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mrorah
Pronunciation: meh-ro-RAW
Phonetic Spelling: (mer-o-raw')
KJV: bitter (thing), gall
NASB: bitter, bitter things, venom
Word Origin: [from H4843 (מָרַר - bitter)]

1. (properly) bitterness
2. (concretely) a bitter thing
3. (specifically) bile
4. (also) venom (of a serpent)

bitter thing, gall

Or mrowrah {mer-o-raw'}; from marar; properly, bitterness; concretely, a bitter thing; specifically bile; also venom (of a serpent) -- bitter (thing), gall.

see HEBREW marar

Word Origin
from marar
Definition
a bitter thing, gall, poison
NASB Translation
bitter (1), bitter things (1), venom (1).

[מְרֹרָה] noun feminine bitter thing, gall, poison; construct מְרוֺרַת Job 20:14; suffix מְרֹרָתוֺ Job 20:25; plural מְרֹרֹת Deuteronomy 32:32, מְרֹרוֺת Job 13:36; —

1 gall, i.e. seat of gall, gall-bladder Job 20:25 ("" גֵּוָה back; compare מְרֵרָה Job 16:30).

2 = poison, מְּתָנִים ׳מ Job 20:14.

3 מְרֹרוֺת bitter thing Job 13:26 (of God's edict of judgment).

4 plural abstract = bitterness; אַשְׁכְּלֹת ׳מ Deuteronomy 32:32 clusters of bitterness ("" עִנְּבְי רוֺשׁ).

Semantic Range and Imagery

מְרֹרָה is consistently associated with the gallbladder and the noxious bile it contains. Scripture uses the term as a powerful metaphor for moral venom, spiritual corruption, and the inevitable bitterness that flows from sin. The image is not that of a mild unpleasantness but of lethal toxicity—something hidden within yet certain to spread death if released.

Distribution in Canon

The word appears four times—once in Moses’ prophetic song (Deuteronomy 32:32) and three times in the speeches of Job and his friends (Job 13:26; 20:14; 20:25). The variety of settings—national covenant warning and personal theodicy—demonstrates its flexibility for illustrating both collective and individual rebellion against God.

Deuteronomy 32:32 – National Apostasy Illustrated

“For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.” (Deuteronomy 32:32)

Here מְרֹרָה describes “bitter clusters” hanging on a corrupt vine. Israel, having rejected the LORD, produces a harvest comparable to Sodom—externally attractive but internally toxic. The image warns every generation that departure from covenant faithfulness yields spiritual poison that cannot be masked by religious appearance.

Job’s Use – Personal Suffering and Retributive Justice

1. Job laments: “For You record bitter accusations against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.” (Job 13:26). The gall becomes a record book of indictments—a vivid way to express the perceived harshness of divine scrutiny.
2. Zophar warns the wicked: “yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the gall of cobras within him.” (Job 20:14). Sinful gain is pictured as a meal that digests into venom.
3. The same speech culminates: “He pulls it out of his back, the gleaming weapon out of his gall. Terrors come upon him.” (Job 20:25). The imagery shifts from internal corruption to terminal judgment; the arrow lodged in the gallbladder seals the sinner’s fate.

Together these texts trace a moral arc: hidden sin (ingested like food) festers, is exposed, and finally brings irrevocable ruin.

Symbolism of Poison and Judgment

Gall represents more than bitterness of circumstance; it points to the toxic principle of sin itself. As bile coursing unseen through the body eventually taints the whole, so unrepented iniquity permeates thought, community, and destiny. Scripture therefore pairs מְרֹרָה with serpents (Job 20:14), Sodom (Deuteronomy 32:32), and lethal weaponry (Job 20:25)—all reminders that divine justice does not treat moral poison lightly.

Links to New Testament Teaching

Though the Hebrew term does not reappear, its concept carries forward. Peter confronts Simon Magus as “in the gall of bitterness” (Acts 8:23), and Hebrews warns against a “root of bitterness” defiling many (Hebrews 12:15). The continuity underscores the unified biblical witness: inner corruption, left unchecked, erupts in outward devastation.

Practical Implications for Believers

• Guard the heart: hidden resentments and private sins are spiritually caustic long before they are visible.
• Discern fruit: ministries and cultures must be evaluated not by external success but by whether their “clusters” nourish or poison.
• Embrace swift repentance: only the cleansing accomplished through Christ’s atonement extracts the venom that human effort cannot reach (1 John 1:9).
• Proclaim warning and hope: Moses and Job combine sober realism about sin’s bitterness with confidence in God’s redemptive sovereignty, providing a balanced model for preaching and counseling today.

Historical Notes

Ancient Near-Eastern physicians recognized bile’s harmful properties, occasionally using it in poisons. Scripture appropriates this shared cultural knowledge yet elevates it into moral theology. The inspired authors therefore speak in terms readily grasped by their first audience while delivering timeless truth concerning the deadly nature of sin and the urgent need for divine remedy.

מְרֹר֑וֹת מְרֹרֹ֖ת מְרוֹרַ֖ת מִֽמְּרֹרָת֥וֹ ממררתו מרורת מררות מררת mə·rō·rō·wṯ mə·rō·rōṯ mə·rō·w·raṯ meroRat meroRot mərōrōṯ mərōrōwṯ mərōwraṯ mim·mə·rō·rā·ṯōw mimeroraTo mimmərōrāṯōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts