Lexical Summary mamror: Bitterness Original Word: מַמְרֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bitterness From marar; a bitterness, i.e. (figuratively) calamity -- bitterness. see HEBREW marar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom marar Definition a bitter thing NASB Translation bitterness (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַמְרוֺר] [ noun masculine] bitter thing; — only plural יַשְׂבִּעַנִי מַמְּרוֺרִים Job 9:18 (on dagh. f. dirim. compare Ges§ 20. 2. b), he sateth me with bitter things (bitter experiences; compare מָרֹר Lamentations 3:15). Topical Lexicon Linguistic and cultural background מַמְרֹר (mamror) draws on the common Hebrew root מרר, “to be bitter.” Unlike the more familiar מַר (mar) or מָרוֹר (maror, Exodus 12:8), this noun is rare, appearing only once. Its form intensifies the idea of concentrated bitterness—something more than a passing taste, an abiding condition of the soul. Ancient Near Eastern texts regularly connect bitterness with bile or gall, the bodily fluid that signals deep internal distress; Scripture likewise employs the term figuratively for anguish of spirit. Canonical occurrence (Job 9:18) Job cries, “He does not allow me to catch my breath, but He fills me with bitterness” (Job 9:18). The verse sits within Job’s answer to Bildad, where Job wrestles with the mystery of God’s ways. The word pictures the cumulative weight of suffering: wave after wave of loss has saturated Job’s inner life with an acrid taste he cannot escape. Bitterness as emblem of suffering Throughout the Old Testament bitterness functions as a metaphor for unrelieved sorrow, grief, or outrage: • Exodus 1:14 describes Israel’s bondage: “They made their lives bitter with harsh labor.” Mamror in Job crystallizes the theme: suffering can reach a point where one’s entire outlook is colored by bitterness, even when no specific sin has invited it. Divine sovereignty and human lament Job 9 confronts the tension between God’s absolute rule and human frailty. Job acknowledges God as Creator who “moves mountains” (Job 9:5) yet feels crushed by unanswered affliction. Mamror captures this tension. Job does not accuse God of injustice; rather, he voices the believer’s struggle to reconcile lived experience with revealed truth. His complaint becomes an inspired model for faithful lament—honest speech that remains within the orbit of trust. Intertextual echoes of bitterness Scripture weaves the motif of bitterness into redemptive history: Mamror therefore participates in a larger biblical vocabulary that turns bitter experience into a signpost toward divine grace. Pastoral implications for dealing with bitterness The rarity of mamror underscores how deeply bitterness can lodge in the believer’s heart if left unchecked. Job 9:18 urges several ministry applications: 1. Acknowledge reality. Scripture does not minimize pain; it names it. Churches should foster spaces where sufferers can articulate bitterness without censure. Messianic and New Testament fulfillment At Calvary, Jesus is offered “wine mixed with gall,” but He refuses (Matthew 27:34), choosing instead to drain the fuller cup of wrath. The One “despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3) experiences the ultimate mamror so that repentant sinners may taste forgiveness. Believers now look ahead to the day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4), the final eradication of all bitterness. Summary Mamror, though occurring only in Job 9:18, concentrates the Bible’s teaching on bitterness: a visceral response to profound suffering, yet one that God invites into dialogue with Himself. Through candid lament, steadfast trust, and the redemptive work of Christ, the most potent bitterness can be transformed into testimony of divine faithfulness. Forms and Transliterations מַמְּרֹרִֽים׃ ממררים׃ mam·mə·rō·rîm mammeroRim mammərōrîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 9:18 HEB: כִּ֥י יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי מַמְּרֹרִֽים׃ NAS: But saturates me with bitterness. KJV: but filleth me with bitterness. INT: But saturates bitterness 1 Occurrence |
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