Reference: Gall
American
A general name for anything very bitter. In Job 16:13; 20:14,25, it means the animal secretion usually called the bile. In many other places, where a different word is used in the original, it refers to some better and noxious plant, according to some, the poppy. See De 29:18; Jer 9:15; 23:15. In Ho 10:4; Am 6:12, the Hebrew word is translated "hemlock". In Mt 27:34, it is said they gave Jesus to drink, vinegar mixed with gall, which in Mr 15:23, is called wine mingled with myrrh. It was probably the sour wine which the Roman soldiers used to drink, mingled with myrrh and other bitter substances, very much like the "bitters" of modern times, Ps 69:21. The word gall is often used figuratively for great troubles, wickedness, depravity, etc., Jer 8:14; Am 6:12; Ac 8:23.
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
His archers surround me; he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion; he pours out my gall on the ground.
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He draws [it] forth, and it comes out from [his] body, and [the] glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I [am] feeding this people wormwood, and providing drink for them, water of poison,
{Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets, "Look, I [am] going to let them eat wormwood and I will give them water of poison to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem went out ungodliness to all the land."
They utter words of vain oaths [when] {making covenants}, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.
Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and [the] fruit of righteousness into wormwood!
Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and [the] fruit of righteousness into wormwood!
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
And they attempted to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
For I see you are in {a state of bitter envy} and {bound by unrighteousness}."
Easton
(1) Heb mererah, meaning "bitterness" (Job 16:13); i.e., the bile secreted in the liver. This word is also used of the poison of asps (Job 20:14), and of the vitals, the seat of life (25).
(2.) Heb rosh. In De 32:33; Job 20:16 it denotes the poison of serpents. In Ho 10:4 the Hebrew word is rendered "hemlock." The original probably denotes some bitter, poisonous plant, most probably the poppy, which grows up quickly, and is therefore coupled with wormwood (De 29:18; Jer 9:15; La 3:19). Comp. Jer 8:14; 23:15, "water of gall," Gesenius, "poppy juice;" others, "water of hemlock," "bitter water."
(3.) Gr. chole (Mt 27:34), the LXX. translation of the Hebrew rosh in Ps 69:21, which foretells our Lord's sufferings. The drink offered to our Lord was vinegar (made of light wine rendered acid, the common drink of Roman soldiers) "mingled with gall," or, according to Mark (Mr 15:23), "mingled with myrrh;" both expressions meaning the same thing, namely, that the vinegar was made bitter by the infusion of wormwood or some other bitter substance, usually given, according to a merciful custom, as an anodyne to those who were crucified, to render them insensible to pain. Our Lord, knowing this, refuses to drink it. He would take nothing to cloud his faculties or blunt the pain of dying. He chooses to suffer every element of woe in the bitter cup of agony given him by the Father (Joh 18:11).
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
Their wine [is] the poison of snakes, and [the] deadly poison of horned vipers.
His archers surround me; he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion; he pours out my gall on the ground.
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He will suck [the] poison of horned vipers; [the] viper's tongue will kill him.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I [am] feeding this people wormwood, and providing drink for them, water of poison,
{Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets, "Look, I [am] going to let them eat wormwood and I will give them water of poison to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem went out ungodliness to all the land."
Remember my misery and bitterness, the wormwood and venom!
They utter words of vain oaths [when] {making covenants}, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
And they attempted to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into [its] sheath! The cup that the Father has given me--shall I not drink it?"
Fausets
1. Mereerah ("bitterness".) Secreted in an animal's gall bladder. Poetically used for a vital part, Job 16:13; 20:25. Job 20:14, "the gall of asps," i.e. their poison, contained in a sac in the mouth; Scripture uses popular language when no moral truth is thereby endangered.
2. Rosh; a bitter and poisonous herb; the poppy (Gesenius). Rosh means "head", so we speak of poppy heads. Jer 8:14, "water of gall," i.e. opium, Jer 9:15; 23:15. Others suggest one of the Euphorbiaceae, distasteful and deadly; the "grapes of gall" answering to the rounded three berried fruit (Imperial Bible Dictionary). De 29:18 (to which Heb 12:15, "root of bitterness," refers; a root whose essence is bitterness), De 32:32. Opium water would suit well for stupefying criminals in the agony of execution (Ps 69:21; Mt 27:34; Ac 8:23).
The vinegar offered to our Lord was mingled with "gall" according to Matthew, with "myrrh" according to Mark (Mr 15:23). The myrrh was the usual seasoning of Roman wine; the gall was added to stupefy, but our Lord would meet His agony in full consciousness. Bengel supposes the gall was added in wantonness. Matthew designated the drink according to the prophetic aspect, Ps 69:21; Mark according to its outward appearance.
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
For their vine [is] from the vine of Sodom, and from the terraces of Gomorrah; their grapes [are] grapes of poison; {their clusters are bitter}.
His archers surround me; he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion; he pours out my gall on the ground.
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He draws [it] forth, and it comes out from [his] body, and [the] glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I [am] feeding this people wormwood, and providing drink for them, water of poison,
{Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets, "Look, I [am] going to let them eat wormwood and I will give them water of poison to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem went out ungodliness to all the land."
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
And they attempted to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
For I see you are in {a state of bitter envy} and {bound by unrighteousness}."
Take care [that] no one falls short of the grace of God; [that] no one growing up [like] a root of bitterness causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Hastings
(1) r
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
My face is red because of weeping, and deep shadows [are] on my eyelids,
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He will suck [the] poison of horned vipers; [the] viper's tongue will kill him.
He draws [it] forth, and it comes out from [his] body, and [the] glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
and I will scatter them among the nations that they have not known, they and their ancestors, and I will send the sword after them until I bring them to an end."
Remember my misery and bitterness, the wormwood and venom!
They utter words of vain oaths [when] {making covenants}, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
Morish
1. merorah, the gall or bile of animals. It is symbolical of 'bitterness:' "he poureth out my gall upon the ground." Job 16:13. It is also used for the 'poison' of asps. Job 20:14,25.
2. rosh, ????, some exceedingly bitter or poisonous plant not definitely identified. This word is used as symbolical of 'bitterness.' To turn to idolatry was like "a root that beareth gall and wormwood." De 29:18. God's judgements were given them as water of gall to drink. Jer 8:14; 9:15; 23:15: cf. De 32:32; La 3:5,19; Am 6:12. Gall, mixed with the sour wine or vinegar drunk by the Roman soldiers, was given to those about to be crucified, for the purpose, as is now supposed, of making them the less sensitive to the torture. It was offered to the Lord, but refused. Ps 69:21; Mt 27:34. In Mr 15:23 myrrh is read instead of gall; the meaning would be the same.
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
For their vine [is] from the vine of Sodom, and from the terraces of Gomorrah; their grapes [are] grapes of poison; {their clusters are bitter}.
His archers surround me; he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion; he pours out my gall on the ground.
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He draws [it] forth, and it comes out from [his] body, and [the] glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I [am] feeding this people wormwood, and providing drink for them, water of poison,
{Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets, "Look, I [am] going to let them eat wormwood and I will give them water of poison to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem went out ungodliness to all the land."
{He has besieged} and engulfed me with bitterness and hardship.
Remember my misery and bitterness, the wormwood and venom!
Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and [the] fruit of righteousness into wormwood!
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
And they attempted to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
Smith
Gall.
1. Mereerah, denoting "that which is bitter;" hence the term is applied to the "bile" or "gall" (the fluid secreted by the liver), from its intense bitterness,
it is also used of the "poison" of serpents,
which the ancients erroneously believed was their gall.
2. Rosh, generally translated "gall" in the English Bible, is in
rendered "hemlock:" in
De 32:33
and Job 20:16 rosh denotes the "poison" or "venom" of serpents. From
De 29:18
and Lame 3:19 compared with Hose 10:4 it is evident that the Hebrew term denotes some bitter and perhaps poisonous plant. Other writers have supposed, and with some reason, from
De 32:32
that some berry-bearing plant must be intended. Gesenius understands poppies; in which case the gall mingled with the wine offered to our Lord at his crucifixion, and refused by him, would be an anaesthetic, and tend to diminish the sense of suffering. Dr. Richardson, "Ten Lectures on Alcohol," p. 23, thinks these drinks were given to the crucified to diminish the suffering through their intoxicating effects.
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Their wine [is] the poison of snakes, and [the] deadly poison of horned vipers.
His archers surround me; he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion; he pours out my gall on the ground.
in his bowels his food is turned, [the] venom of horned vipers [is] {within him}.
He will suck [the] poison of horned vipers; [the] viper's tongue will kill him.
He draws [it] forth, and it comes out from [his] body, and [the] glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.
They utter words of vain oaths [when] {making covenants}, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.
Watsons
GALL, ???, something excessively bitter, and supposed to be poisonous, De 29:18; 32:32; Ps 69:21; Jer 8:14; 9:15; 23:15; La 3:19; Ho 10:4; Am 6:12. It is evident from the first-mentioned place, that some herb or plant is meant of a malignant or nauseous kind. It is joined with wormwood, and, in the margin of our Bibles, explained to be "a very poisonful herb." In Ps 69:21, which is justly considered as a prophecy of our Saviour's sufferings, it is said, "They gave me ??? to eat; which the LXX have rendered ?????, gall. And, accordingly, it is recorded in the history, "They gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall," ???? ???? ?????, Mt 27:34. But, in the parallel passage, it is said to be, ???????????? ?????, "wine mingled with myrrh," Mr 15:23, a very bitter ingredient. From whence it is probable that ????, and perhaps ???, may be used as a general name for whatever is exceedingly bitter; and, consequently, where the sense requires it, may be put specially for any bitter herb or plant, the infusion of which may be called ???????.
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so that {there is not} among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe {whose heart} turns {today} from [being] with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood.
For their vine [is] from the vine of Sodom, and from the terraces of Gomorrah; their grapes [are] grapes of poison; {their clusters are bitter}.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
They also gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Why [are] we sitting? Gather, and let us go into the fortified cities, and let us perish there, for Yahweh our God has caused us to perish, and has provided drink for us, water of poison, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Look, I [am] feeding this people wormwood, and providing drink for them, water of poison,
{Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets, "Look, I [am] going to let them eat wormwood and I will give them water of poison to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem went out ungodliness to all the land."
Remember my misery and bitterness, the wormwood and venom!
They utter words of vain oaths [when] {making covenants}, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.
Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and [the] fruit of righteousness into wormwood!
they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and [when he] tasted [it] he did not want to drink [it].
And they attempted to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.