Lexical Summary marat: To make smooth, bare, or bald; to polish; to scour Original Word: מָרַט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bright, furbish, have his hair be fallen off, peeled, pluck off hair A primitive root; to polish; by implication, to make bald (the head), to gall (the shoulder); also, to sharpen -- bright, furbish, (have his) hair (be) fallen off, peeled, pluck off (hair). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to make smooth, bare or bald, to scour, polish NASB Translation becomes bald (1), loses the hair (1), pluck out the beard (1), polished (6), pulled (1), pulled out hair (1), rubbed bare (1), smooth (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְעֻטָּה Ezekiel 21:20 textual error, see below מרט. מַעֲטֶה see עטה. [מַעֲטָפָה] see I. עטף. [מָרַט] verb make smooth, bare, bald; scour, polish (Late Hebrew id.; pull out, off (feathers, hair); Aramaic Qal Imperfect1singular וָאֶמְרְטָה Ezra 9:3, suffix 3masculine plural וָאֶמְרְטֵם Nehemiah 13:25; Infinitive construct מָרְטָה Ezekiel 21:16; Participle plural מֹרְטִים Isaiah 50:6; passive feminine מְרוּטָה Ezekiel 21:14 2t.; — 1 make bare כָּלכָּֿתֵף מְרוּטָה Ezekiel 29:18 every shoulder is laid bare (from chafing of burden; "" כָּלרֿאֹשׁ מֻקְרָח); the cheek (by plucking out beard) גֵּוִי נָתַתִּי לְמַכִּים וּלְחָיַי לְמֹרְטִ֑ים Isaiah 50:6; with accusative of person וָאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם Nehemiah 13:25 (both acts of violence); of hair and beard וָאֶמְרְטָה מִשְּׂעַר ראֹשִׁי וּזֶקָנִי Ezra 9:3 (sign of grief). 2 scour, polish, a sword, only Ezekiel 21: Ezra 9:14 (+ הוּחַדָּת; Co reads ׳מ as Pu), Ezra 9:16 (strike out Co), Ezra 9:33, + Ezra 9:20 מְרֻטָה for ᵑ0 מְעֻטָּה (Ew Sm Co Berthol). Niph`al Imperfect יִמָּרֵט ראֹשׁוֺ Leviticus 13:40,41 his head is made bald (by leprosy). Pu`al Perfect3feminine singular מֹרָ֑טָה Ezekiel 21:15; Ezekiel 21:16; Participle מְמֹרָט 1 Kings 7:45, מוֺרָט Isaiah 18:27 (Ges§ 52 R.6): — scoured, polished, of bronze utensils of temple 1 Kings 7:45; of human skin Isaiah 18:27; of sword Ezekiel 21:15; Ezekiel 21:16 (both + הוּחַדָּה, see Qal above) מְרִי see מרה. מְרִיבַֿ֫עַל, מְרִיבבַּֿ֫עַל see ריב. I, II. מְרִיבָה see ריב. [מְרַט] verb pluck (see Biblical Hebrew); — Pe`îl Perfect3masculine plural מְרִ֫יטוּ Daniel 7:4 were plucked off (wings). Topical Lexicon Overview of Usage Marat appears twelve times in the Old Testament, distributed among Torah legislation, historical narrative, prophetic poetry, and post-exilic memoirs. Two principal ideas dominate its employment: (1) the removal of hair or surface covering so that something is left bare, and (2) the smoothing or polishing of metal so that it shines. Both ideas convey exposure—whether of the human body in weakness and shame or of a weapon or vessel readied for service. Ritual Purity and Bodily Integrity (Leviticus 13:40-41) Within the laws of skin disease, Marat describes natural baldness: “Now if a man loses his hair and becomes bald, he is still clean” (Leviticus 13:40). The falling out of hair is treated as a neutral condition, distinct from the unclean eruptions that follow. The term therefore frames baldness as a providential change in appearance rather than a moral or cultic defect. By affirming the man’s cleanness, the text guards against superstition and upholds God’s compassionate concern for those with visible infirmities. Craftsmanship and Temple Glory (1 Kings 7:45; Ezekiel 21:9-11, 28) Marat’s sense of “polished” comes to the forefront in the description of Hiram’s bronze work for Solomon: “All these items Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD from polished bronze” (1 Kings 7:45). The same imagery is expanded in Ezekiel’s sword oracle: “A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished…polished to flash like lightning!” (Ezekiel 21:9-10). Here the gleaming surface magnifies impending judgment. Metal purified and smoothed becomes an instrument of either worship or wrath, reminding readers that craftsmanship dedicated to God must be meticulous and purpose-driven. Acts of Mourning, Zeal, and Discipline (Ezra 9:3; Nehemiah 13:25) Post-exilic leaders employ Marat for dramatic gestures of grief and correction. Ezra, stunned by Israel’s intermarriage, records: “I tore my tunic and robe, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down appalled” (Ezra 9:3). Nehemiah likewise “pulled out their hair” (Nehemiah 13:25) to impress covenant seriousness upon offenders. Hair, a symbol of dignity and vitality, is forcibly removed to externalize inner anguish or righteous indignation. The severity underscores the holiness of the covenant community and the costliness of compromise. Prophetic Portraits of Humiliation (Isaiah 50:6; Ezekiel 29:18) Isaiah’s servant declares, “I offered My back to those who struck me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out My beard” (Isaiah 50:6). Marat here foreshadows the Messiah’s voluntary submission to shame and violence, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus’ Passion. Ezekiel 29:18 applies the verb to Babylon’s siege labor: “every head was made bald and every shoulder rubbed bare.” Exhaustion and exposure mark the troops’ futile toil, contrasting human effort with God’s sovereign allocation of reward. Both passages demonstrate how bareness can signify either redemptive suffering or the emptiness of self-reliance. Theological Insights 1. Exposure before God: Whether hairless skin or a polished blade, what is laid bare before the LORD is evaluated for purity or purpose. Ministry Application • Pastoral care can echo Leviticus by distinguishing between unavoidable physical changes and moral impurity, offering grace to the afflicted. Marat therefore weaves a rich tapestry—from bald scalps to gleaming temple bronze—testifying that the God of Scripture both uncovers and refines, humbles and equips, always working toward the revelation of His glory and the holiness of His people. Forms and Transliterations וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם וָאֶמְרְטָ֞ה ואמרטה ואמרטם יִמָּרֵ֖ט ימרט לְמָרְטָ֖ה לְמֹֽרְטִ֑ים למרטה למרטים מְמֹרָֽט׃ מְרוּטָ֑ה מְרוּטָ֔ה מְרוּטָֽה׃ מֹרָ֑טָּה מֹרָ֔טָּה ממרט׃ מרוטה מרוטה׃ מרטה lə·mā·rə·ṭāh lə·mō·rə·ṭîm lemareTah ləmārəṭāh lemoreTim ləmōrəṭîm mə·mō·rāṭ mə·rū·ṭāh memoRat məmōrāṭ meruTah mərūṭāh mō·rāṭ·ṭāh moRattah mōrāṭṭāh vaemreTah vaemreTem wā’emrəṭāh wā’emrəṭêm wā·’em·rə·ṭāh wā·’em·rə·ṭêm yim·mā·rêṭ yimmaRet yimmārêṭLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 13:40 HEB: וְאִ֕ישׁ כִּ֥י יִמָּרֵ֖ט רֹאשׁ֑וֹ קֵרֵ֥חַ NAS: a man loses the hair of his head, KJV: And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, INT: A man now if loses of his head is bald Leviticus 13:41 1 Kings 7:45 Ezra 9:3 Nehemiah 13:25 Isaiah 50:6 Ezekiel 21:9 Ezekiel 21:10 Ezekiel 21:11 Ezekiel 21:11 Ezekiel 21:28 Ezekiel 29:18 12 Occurrences |
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. מְרַט id.; Arabic 
have little hair, 
pluck out hair); —