H4784 — מָרָה (mârâh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4784
Original: מָרָה
Transliteration: mârâh
Pronunciation: maw-raw
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Primitive root: to be bitter; figuratively to rebel or resist; causatively to provoke
Occurrences: 50 tokens across 44 unique verses in 14 books
First Occurrence: Num 20:10 — "Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root meaning to be bitter or unpleasant; figuratively to rebel or resist; causatively to provoke. The KJV renderings span rebel, rebellious, disobey, provoke, grievously, bitter, and change.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	22	be rebellious, act as a rebel, be bitter/grieved
Hiphil	23	provoke, act rebelliously against, refuse or defy

Exact parser search (lex_utf8=מרה sp=verb) surfaces 45 visible verb tokens. That stem tally is the morphology basis here; the Strong's gatherer reports 50 tokens overall.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
rebelled	4	9.1%
rebellious	4	9.1%
and rebellious	3	6.8%
but rebelled against	2	4.5%
ye rebelled against	2	4.5%
other renderings	29	65.9%

The minor renderings still cluster tightly around three ideas: rebellion against authority, refusal to obey, and provocation/bitterness.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Lamentations	3	1.9
Deuteronomy	8	0.8
Hosea	1	0.5
Psalms	10	0.4
1 Samuel	3	0.4
Isaiah	4	0.3
Ezekiel	4	0.3
Numbers	3	0.2
Joshua	1	0.2
1 Kings	2	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
2 Kings	1	0.1
Job	1	0.1
Jeremiah	2	0.1

The word concentrates in Deuteronomy's covenant warnings, Psalms' historical retellings, and lament/confession contexts. Its density in Lamentations is especially high because rebellion is named there as the cause of Jerusalem's suffering.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Defying God's command, word, or voice¶

Num 20:24 — Aaron is barred from the land "because ye rebelled against my word."
Num 27:14 — Moses and Aaron "rebelled against my commandment" at Meribah.
Deut 1:26 — Israel "rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God."
1 Kgs 13:21 — the man of God is condemned because he "hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD."

2. Describing a stubborn or rebellious person¶

Num 20:10 — Moses addresses the congregation, "Hear now, ye rebels."
Deut 21:18 — the legal case of "a stubborn and rebellious son."
Ps 78:8 — "a stubborn and rebellious generation."
Jer 5:23 — "this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart."

3. Historical provocation in the wilderness and national story¶

Deut 9:7 — Israel "provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness."
Ps 78:17 — they sinned more "by provoking the most High in the wilderness."
Ps 106:7 — the fathers "provoked [him] at the sea, even at the Red sea."
Ezek 20:13 — "the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness."

4. Rebellion remembered in confession and lament¶

Lam 1:18 — "The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment."
Lam 1:20 — "I have grievously rebelled."
Lam 3:42 — "We have transgressed and have rebelled."
Neh 9:26 — "they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee."

5. Rebellion bringing judgment or reversal¶

Isa 63:10 — "they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy."
Jer 4:17 — invaders surround Jerusalem "because she hath been rebellious against me."
Hos 13:16 — Samaria becomes desolate "for she hath rebelled against her God."
Ezek 5:6 — Jerusalem "hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations."

6. Bitter grief or provocation rather than overt revolt¶

2 Kgs 14:26 — Israel's affliction "was very bitter."
1 Sam 30:6 — the people's soul "was grieved."
Job 17:2 — Job speaks of continuing "in their provocation."

7. Obedience expressed by negating the verb¶

Isa 50:5 — "I was not rebellious, neither turned away back."
Ps 105:28 — "they rebelled not against his word."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	17x	rebellion is finally against YHWH himself
פֶּה (peh)	H6310	12x	resisting God's mouth, word, or command
שָׁמַע (shama)	H8085	11x	paired with refusal to hear or obey
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym)	H430	10x	rebellion framed as defiance toward God
קוֹל (qol)	H6963	5x	not obeying the divine voice
מִדְבָּר (midbar)	H4057	5x	wilderness provocation becomes a recurring memory
סָרַר (çarar)	H5637	4x	stubbornness and rebellion appear together
שָׁמַר (shamar)	H8104	4x	rebellion contrasted with not keeping statutes/testimonies

Synonyms / Near-Synonyms¶

H6586 פָּשַׁע (pâshaʻ) — transgress, rebel; broader breach against rightful authority
H4775 מָרַד (mârad) — revolt, rebel; frequent in political revolt settings
H5637 סָרַר (çârar) — be stubborn, refractory; highlights obstinacy
H5006 נָאַץ (nâ'ats) — spurn, treat with contempt
H3985 מָאָן (mâ'an) — refuse
H2398 חָטָא (châṭâ') — sin, miss the mark

Antonyms¶

H14 אָבָה ('âbâh) — be willing, consent
H8085 שָׁמַע (shâmaʻ) — hear, obey

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
פָּשַׁע	H6586	rebelled	broader revolt/transgression verb; often legal-political as well as covenantal
מָרַד	H4775	rebelled	standard revolt verb, especially in historical-political settings; less bitterness/provocation nuance
מְרִי	H4805	rebellious	noun for rebellion/rebelliousness rather than the action verb itself
סָרַר	H5637	rebellious	stresses stubbornness and waywardness more than provocation

Semantic Domain¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
002001002031	Unwilling	fits the repeated refusal-to-hear and refusal-to-obey contexts
002001003012	Intense	fits the bitter/provoking edge preserved in several renderings

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	Notes
παραπικραίνω (parapikrainō)	G3893	16	strongest bridge; embitter, provoke, exasperate
ἀπειθέω (apeitheō)	G544	9	foregrounds disobedience and refusal
παροξύνω (paroxynō)	G3947	4	sharpen/provoke; captures the provocation passages
ἀπειθής (apeithēs)	G545	3	adjective for the rebellious/disobedient person

The Greek bridge splits between disobedience language and provocation/embittering language, which matches the Hebrew range well.