Lexical Summary
marats: To be sick, to be weak, to be grieved
Original Word: מָרַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: marats
Pronunciation: maw-rats'
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-rats')
KJV: embolden, be forcible, grievous, sore
NASB: painful, plagues, violent
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. (properly) to press, i.e. (figuratively) to be pungent or vehement
2. to irritate
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
embolden, be forcible, grievous, sore
A primitive root; properly, to press, i.e. (figuratively) to be pungent or vehement; to irritate -- embolden, be forcible, grievous, sore.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be sick
NASB Translationpainful (2), plagues (1), violent (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] , only in derived species (Assyrian II.
marâƒu Dl
HWB 426; Arabic
👁 Image; Sabean
sick person, sickness, Mordt
ZMG 1876, 32; Aramaic verb
👁 Image, ); —
Perfect3plural Job 6:25 (but see below); Participle Micah 2:10; feminine 1 Kings 2:8; — Micah 2:10 a sore, grievous destruction (literally made sick, compare Jeremiah 14:17); 1 Kings 2:8 a grievous curse. — In Job 6:25 this meaning unsuitable, Bu are strong, effective [compare Assyrian I. marâƒu, be difficult, inaccessible DlHWB 425 f.; always of something repelling]. More probably = be sweet (compare Psalm 119:103) or read (q. v.), CheJQ July, 1897 Du.
Imperfect suffix Job 16:3 what sickens thee (what disturbs, vexes thee) that thou answerest ?
[] see below .
see . see .
Topical Lexicon
Overview מָרַץ (marats, Strong’s H4834) conveys an intense, forceful pressure that may be physical, emotional, or moral. In the Hebrew Scriptures it surfaces only four times, yet each context illustrates some form of grievous affliction that presses upon individuals or communities.
Biblical Occurrences
• 1 Kings 2:8 – David recalls how Shimei “cursed me with a grievous curse” during Absalom’s revolt. The term underscores the crushing weight of Shimei’s words, which struck the king at his lowest moment.
• Job 6:25 – Job laments, “How painful are honest words! But what does your rebuke prove?” The pain of truthful speech can pierce more sharply than physical blows.
• Job 16:3 – Job asks his friends, “Is there no end to your long-winded words? What provokes you to answer?” Their relentless counsel becomes an oppressive force that worsens his misery.
• Micah 2:10 – The prophet warns Judah, “Arise and depart! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled; it is ruined by a grievous destruction.” Social injustice has reached a point of no return, bringing catastrophic ruin.
Theological Themes
1. Oppressive Speech
In three of the four passages the pressure comes through words. Shimei’s cursing, Job’s stinging honesty, and the endless rhetoric of Job’s friends all reveal speech as a vehicle of grievous affliction. Scripture repeatedly teaches that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Marats underlines that careless or malicious words may wound with crushing force.
2. Covenant Breakdown and Social Ruin
Micah’s use of marats links personal affliction to societal collapse. Judah’s land, polluted by greed and violence, will experience a “grievous destruction.” The prophetic warning aligns with Deuteronomy’s covenant sanctions: persistent sin brings overwhelming pressure from God’s judgment, eventually forcing exile.
3. Suffering and Sanctification
Job’s experience shows that even righteous believers may feel pressed beyond endurance. Yet the same pressure refines faith. Job’s raw honesty before God anticipates New Testament exhortations to “consider it pure joy…when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2).
Historical Context
• Shimei’s Curse (2 Samuel 16; 1 Kings 2) – A Benjamite’s bitter words against David reflect lingering tribal tensions after Saul’s dynasty fell. The memory of that curse remained “grievous” decades later, shaping Solomon’s early reign.
• Job’s Dialogue – Likely set in the patriarchal age, Job’s conversations exemplify ancient Near Eastern wisdom debates. The verbal pressure exerted by friends who misapply theology highlights perennial pastoral dangers.
• Micah’s Oracle – Eighth-century Judah faced Assyrian aggression and internal injustice. The prophet’s warning that the land would be ruined “with a grievous destruction” foretells the exile that struck a century later.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Guarding the Tongue
Marats reminds pastors, teachers, and all believers that words can either edify or crush. Faithful ministry must balance truthful rebuke with gentleness, lest the hearer be “overwhelmed by excessive sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:7).
2. Addressing Oppression
Micah’s usage calls the church to expose and resist systems that place crushing burdens on the vulnerable. Gospel proclamation includes confronting economic and social injustices that defile a community.
3. Encouraging the Afflicted
When saints feel pressed by trials or by harsh words, ministries of comfort should echo Paul: “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed” (2 Corinthians 4:8). The same God who allowed Job’s testing also “comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
Christological Perspective
Jesus Christ experienced the ultimate marats. In Gethsemane He confessed, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38), and on the cross He bore the full weight of sin’s curse. By suffering the greatest pressure, He offers relief: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Eschatological Hope
Micah’s warning is not the final word. The same book foresees a future in which “nation will no longer take up the sword against nation” (Micah 4:3). Revelation completes the arc: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). The oppressive pressure signified by marats will be forever lifted in the new creation.
Application for Believers
• Examine speech: Do my words heal or press down?
• Intercede for the oppressed: Pray and act against injustices that produce crushing burdens.
• Endure trials with hope: Temporary pressure becomes an instrument of eternal glory “far beyond comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Marats thus serves as a sobering reminder of the destructive power of sin, the potency of words, and the redeeming grace that relieves every crushing weight in Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
יַּ֝מְרִֽיצְךָ֗ ימריצך נִּמְרְצ֥וּ נִמְרֶ֔צֶת נִמְרָֽץ׃ נמרץ׃ נמרצו נמרצת nim·rāṣ nim·re·ṣeṯ nim·rə·ṣū nimrāṣ nimRatz nimreṣeṯ nimrəṣū nimRetzet nimreTzu yam·rî·ṣə·ḵā yamrîṣəḵā yamritzecha
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