Original Word: תַּמְרוּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tamruwr
Pronunciation: tam-roor
Phonetic Spelling: (tam-roor')
KJV: X most bitter(-ly)
NASB: bitter, most bitter
Word Origin: [from H4843 (מָרַר - bitter)]

1. bitterness (plural as collective)

most bitterly

From marar; bitterness (plural as collective) -- X most bitter(-ly).

see HEBREW marar

Word Origin
from marar
Definition
bitterness
NASB Translation
bitter (2), most bitter (1).

I. [תַּמְרוּר] noun masculine bitterness; — only plural intensive תַּמְרוּרִים Hosea 12:15 2t.; — ׳מִסְמַּד ת Jeremiah 6:26 mourning of bitterness (bitter mourning), so ׳בְּכִי ת Jeremiah 31:15 (compare the verb Isaiah 22:4; Zechariah 12:10); as adverb bitterly Hosea 12:15 (si vera lectio). — II.[[תַּמְרוּר ] see below ת.

Word Sense and Emotional Force

תַּמְרוּר (tamrur) conveys an intensified bitterness of soul that erupts in audible lamentation. It is not the quiet grief of the heart but a public, piercing cry arising from loss, judgment, or provocation. The term places sorrow in the superlative—grief that feels as irreparable as the death of an only son.

Scriptural Occurrences

Jeremiah 6:26: “O daughter of My people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn as for an only son, a most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.”

Jeremiah 31:15: “This is what the Lord says: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.’”

Hosea 12:14: “But Ephraim provoked bitter anger; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.”

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern mourning rites—tearing garments, wearing sackcloth, rolling in ashes—were meant to broadcast calamity and invite communal sympathy. By combining those rites with תַּמְרוּר, the prophets summon Israel to a grief proportionate to national catastrophe or divine displeasure. The word thus functions as a liturgical cue for repentance.

Prophetic Function

1. Call to Repentance (Jeremiah 6:26). The command to “mourn as for an only son” underscores sin’s deadly seriousness. Just as personal bereavement demands public lament, so corporate sin requires open contrition.
2. Covenant Loss (Jeremiah 31:15). Rachel’s weeping personifies the forfeiture of covenant blessings when the Northern Kingdom went into exile. Her refusal to be comforted highlights the depth of covenant rupture.
3. Divine Retribution (Hosea 12:14). Ephraim’s provocation of “bitter anger” anticipates bloodguilt remaining upon the nation. Here the word shifts from human lament to God’s own bitter indignation, revealing that sin grieves Him first before it grieves His people.

Covenantal and Messianic Echoes

Matthew 2:18 cites Jeremiah 31:15 to frame Herod’s massacre within Israel’s history of sorrow, yet the Gospel immediately turns to Jesus as the ultimate Comforter. Jeremiah continues beyond verse 15 to promise hope (Jeremiah 31:16-17) and a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), fulfilled in Christ’s shed blood (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13). Thus תַּמְרוּר is bracketed by redemptive hope: genuine lament precedes covenant renewal.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

• Godly sorrow leads to repentance and salvation without regret (2 Corinthians 7:10).
• The church must make room for lament in worship, fostering honest confession of sin and grief over injustice (Psalm 42:3; James 4:9-10).
• Believers offer comfort drawn from the Father of mercies, who “comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), ministering to those experiencing תַּמְרוּר in bereavement or tragedy.
• The prophetic use of the word reminds preachers to warn against sin with appropriate gravity, yet always to point to the hope secured in Christ.

Eschatological Resolution

Scripture anticipates a day when every cause of bitter weeping is removed: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). The bitter lamentation of the prophets therefore intensifies the longing for final redemption and magnifies the consolation secured in the risen Messiah.

Related Themes and Cross-References

Lamentation: Lamentations 1:16; Psalm 137:1-4

Bitterness of soul: 1 Samuel 1:10; Job 7:11

Divine grief: Genesis 6:6; Ephesians 4:30

Comfort promised: Isaiah 40:1-2; Isaiah 61:2-3; John 14:16-18

Summary

תַּמְרוּר is the language of unrestrained grief prompted by sin’s wages, exile’s pain, and divine anger. Its prophetic usage calls God’s people to honest lament that leads to repentance and prepares the heart for the comfort, covenant renewal, and ultimate restoration found in Jesus Christ.

תַּמְרוּרִ֑ים תַמְרוּרִ֔ים תמרורים tam·rū·rîm ṯam·rū·rîm tamruRim tamrūrîm ṯamrūrîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts