מׇרָּה
trouble
Definition
The Hebrew noun מָרָּה (morrâh) refers to a state of bitterness, trouble, or grief. It specifically denotes the inner emotional pain and distress that comes from difficult circumstances or personal sorrow. In its single biblical occurrence in Proverbs 14:10, it describes the private, incommunicable bitterness of the heart that one experiences alone. The word is a feminine form derived from the root מרר (m-r-r), meaning 'to be bitter,' and thus carries the core sense of a bitter, painful experience.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Proverbs 14:10: 'The heart knows its own bitterness (מָרָּה), and no stranger shares its joy.' Here, it is used in wisdom literature to poignantly describe the deeply personal and isolating nature of inner sorrow and emotional anguish. The context highlights the private, internal world of human suffering that cannot be fully shared with others.
Etymology
The noun מָרָּה (morrâh, H4787) is a feminine form derived from the root מרר (m-r-r), meaning 'to be bitter.' It is directly related to the masculine noun מֹרָה (mōrâh, H4786), which also means 'bitterness' or 'trouble.' This root family is also connected to the word for 'myrrh' (מֹר, mōr), a bitter-tasting resin, and the famous place name 'Marah' (מָרָה), the bitter waters in Exodus 15:23.
Semantic Range
This word, though used only once, offers a profound insight into the biblical understanding of human emotion and suffering. It acknowledges the reality of deep, personal pain that is known fully only to the individual and to God. This enriches the reading of Proverbs by affirming the validity of inner emotional experience while also pointing to the comfort that only God, who searches the heart, can provide in such isolation (Psalm 139:1-4, 23-24).
In ancient Israelite culture, the 'heart' (לֵב, lēv) was considered the seat of thought, emotion, and will. Describing bitterness as residing in the 'heart' (Proverbs 14:10) signified a deep, fundamental affliction of one's entire being. While modern psychology might differentiate types of emotional distress, this term captures the holistic, consuming nature of profound grief or trouble as understood in the ancient world.
מַר (mar, H4751) — a more common adjective meaning 'bitter,' describing taste or a bitter spirit. מֹרָה (mōrâh, H4786) — the masculine form of the same noun, also meaning 'bitterness' or 'trouble.' יָגוֹן (yāgôn, H3015) — 'sorrow' or 'grief,' often with a more external or manifest expression.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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