G4089 — πικρός (pikros)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4089
Original: πικρός
Transliteration: pikros
Pronunciation: pik-ros'
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: From a root akin to G4078 πήγνυμι (pegnymi, "to fix/congeal"); base of word family G4087 πικραίνω, G4088 πικρία, G4090 πικρῶς
Occurrences: 2 unique verses (2 tokens) in NT
Books: 1 (James)
First Occurrence: James 3:11 — "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter?"
Hapax Legomenon: No (dis legomenon — 2 occurrences)

Lexicon Definition¶

Bitter, pungent; literally of taste (sharp, acrid — opposite of γλυκύς "sweet"); figuratively of disposition (harsh, resentful, malicious).

Note: G4089 is absent from the lexicon DB but attested in the KJV translation table (2 occurrences) and Louw-Nida (lemma πικρός). The definition above is synthesized from the Louw-Nida glosses ("bitter, pungent, resentful") and the lexicon entries of cognates G4087 ("to embitter, literally or figuratively") and G4088 ("acridity, especially poison, literally or figuratively").

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 79: Features of Objects
Subdomain 79.008: Sweet, Bitter, Tasteless
Other words in subdomain: ἄψινθος (G894, wormwood), γλυκύς (G1099, sweet/fresh), μωραίνω (G3471, lose savour), πικραίνω (G4087, make bitter), πικρία (G4088, bitterness)
Domain 88: Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior
Subdomain 88.023: Resentful, Hold a Grudge Against
Other words in subdomain: ἐνέχω (G1758, be resentful against), ἐρεθίζω (G2042, make resentful), ἐριθεία (G2052, selfish ambition/rivalry)

The dual-domain placement captures the word's range: literal taste-bitterness (79.008) and figurative moral resentment (88.023).

Morphological Forms¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
James 3:11	πικρόν	[A-ASN] Accusative singular neuter
James 3:14	πικρὸν	[A-ASM] Accusative singular masculine

Both forms are accusative singular. In Jas 3:11 the neuter modifies implied ὕδωρ "water"; in Jas 3:14 the masculine modifies ζῆλον "jealousy/envying."

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
bitter	2	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
James	2	1.9

Confined entirely to a single book. Both occurrences appear within the same discourse (James 3:11-14) on the tongue, wisdom, and moral consistency. Absent from the Gospels, Paul, Peter, and Revelation (where the cognate verb G4087 pikraino appears instead).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Bitter Taste — Nature Illustration (Literal)¶

James 3:11 — "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter?"

The literal sense: acrid, unpleasant to taste. James draws on the physical impossibility of a single spring producing both sweet (glykys G1099) and bitter (pikros) water simultaneously. The adjective here describes water quality — a natural, observable property.

2. Bitter Envying — Moral Quality (Figurative)¶

James 3:14 — "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth."

The figurative sense: harsh, resentful, malicious. "Bitter envying" (pikron zelon) describes jealousy characterized by acrid hostility — a disposition that is internally corrosive and relationally destructive. The adjective modifies zelos (G2205, zeal/jealousy), marking it as the malicious variety rather than righteous zeal.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
γλυκύς (glykys)	G1099	1× (50%)	Sweet-bitter taste opposition — Jas 3:11
ζῆλος (zelos)	G2205	1× (50%)	"Bitter envying" — pikros modifies zeal — Jas 3:14
ἐριθεία (eritheia)	G2052	1× (50%)	"Bitter envying and strife" — paired vices — Jas 3:14
καρδία (kardia)	G2588	1× (50%)	"In your hearts" — location of bitter envying — Jas 3:14
πηγή (pege)	G4077	1× (50%)	"Fountain" producing sweet/bitter water — Jas 3:11

With only 2 verses, all collocations appear once. The sweet/bitter opposition (glykys/pikros) and the envying-strife pairing (zelos/eritheia) are the most theologically significant.

Word Family¶

Word	Strong's	Part of Speech	Gloss	NT Occurrences
πικρός (pikros)	G4089	Adjective	bitter, pungent, resentful	2 (Jas 3:11, 14)
πικραίνω (pikraino)	G4087	Verb	to make bitter, embitter	4 (Col 3:19; Rev 8:11, 10:9, 10:10)
πικρία (pikria)	G4088	Noun (fem.)	bitterness, acridity, bitter resentment	4 (Acts 8:23; Rom 3:14; Eph 4:31; Heb 12:15)
πικρῶς (pikros)	G4090	Adverb	bitterly	2 (Matt 26:75; Luke 22:62)

Total word-family footprint: 12 NT occurrences across 12 unique verses and 8 books.

Verb Forms (G4087 πικραίνω)¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Col 3:19	πικραίνεσθε	Present passive imperative 2nd plural
Rev 8:11	ἐπικράνθησαν	Aorist passive indicative 3rd plural
Rev 10:9	πικρανεῖ	Future active indicative 3rd singular
Rev 10:10	ἐπικράνθη	Aorist passive indicative 3rd singular

Active voice (Rev 10:9): the scroll will make the belly bitter. Passive voice (Col 3:19, Rev 8:11, 10:10): being embittered — either by attitude (Col) or by substance (Rev).

Word Family — All Verses¶

G4087 πικραίνω (verb): - Col 3:19 — "Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them." (interpersonal resentment) - Rev 8:11 — "...many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." (waters poisoned by wormwood) - Rev 10:9 — "...it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey." (prophetic scroll) - Rev 10:10 — "...it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." (prophetic scroll)

G4088 πικρία (noun): - Acts 8:23 — "For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and [in] the bond of iniquity." (spiritual condition) - Rom 3:14 — "Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness:" (quoting Ps 10:7) - Eph 4:31 — "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:" (vice list) - Heb 12:15 — "...lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;" (alluding to Deut 29:18)

G4090 πικρῶς (adverb): - Matt 26:75 — "And he went out, and wept bitterly." (Peter's remorse) - Luke 22:62 — "And Peter went out, and wept bitterly." (Peter's remorse)

Synonyms¶

σπεύδω (speudo) G4692 — "hasten, be eager" (UBS link; tangential — overlaps only in urgency/intensity of emotion)

Antonyms¶

γλυκύς (glykys) G1099 — "sweet, fresh" (direct taste antonym; paired in Jas 3:11 and Rev 10:9-10 via cognate G4087)
φωτισμός (photismos) G5462 — "illumination, light" (metaphorical contrast: bitterness/darkness vs. light)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
מַר (mar)	H4751	"bitter"	Hebrew adjective for bitterness (taste/emotion); primary LXX source → pikros; 14 co-occurrences, PMI 8.98
מָרַר (marar)	H4843	"bitter"	Hebrew verb "to be/make bitter"; LXX source → pikraino G4087; 3 co-occurrences, PMI 9.18
מָרָר (marar/merowr)	H4844	"bitter"	Hebrew adjective "bitter herb/thing" (Exo 12:8 Passover herbs)
ἄψινθος (apsinthos)	G894	"wormwood"	Specifically wormwood (a bitter plant); pikros is the general adjective for bitter taste
χολή (chole)	G5521	"gall"	Bile/poison; overlaps with pikria in Acts 8:23 "gall of bitterness"

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 79.008 — Sweet, Bitter, Tasteless)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Primary Translation
ἄψινθος (apsinthos)	G894	2	Wormwood
γλυκύς (glykys)	G1099	4	sweet, fresh
μωραίνω (moraino)	G3471	4	have lost his savour
πικραίνω (pikraino)	G4087	4	bitter, make bitter
πικρία (pikria)	G4088	4	bitterness

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 88.023 — Resentful, Hold a Grudge Against)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Primary Translation
ἐνέχω (enecho)	G1758	2	be resentful against
ἐρεθίζω (erethizo)	G2042	2	make resentful
ἐριθεία (eritheia)	G2052	7	selfish ambition, strife

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Definition
מַר (mar)	H4751	14	8.98	bitter (taste or emotion); from H4843 marar
מְאֹד (meod)	H3966	3	3.85	very, exceedingly (function word — not semantic)
חֶרֶב (chereb)	H2719	3	3.38	sword, drought (co-occurrence context, not translation)

The primary Hebrew source is H4751 מַר (mar) — the standard Hebrew adjective for "bitter." The LXX translators consistently rendered mar with pikros, establishing the cross-testament semantic link. The mar/pikros equivalence holds across both literal (bitter water, bitter herbs) and figurative (bitter distress, bitter soul) senses.