Word Study for H4754 (מָרָא) | Strong's Concordance

mârâʼ /maw-raw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto rebel; hence (through the idea of maltreating) to whip, i.e. lash (self with wings, as the ostrich in running)

KJV usagebe filthy, lift up self.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mârâʼ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word mârâʼ, represented by H4754, is a primitive root with a core meaning of rebellion. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. Its definition encompasses the ideas of being filthy, to lift up self, or to lash oneself with wings, as an ostrich does when running.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H4754 conveys two distinct concepts. In Zephaniah, it describes the moral state of a city, which is declared filthy and polluted, earning a "Woe" for its oppressive character Zephaniah 3:1. In contrast, the book of Job uses the term to describe the physical action of an ostrich that lifteth up herself on high, an act of pride that is immediately followed by her scorning the horse and its rider Job 39:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the meanings of H4754:

H1945 hôwy (Woe): This word, defined as "oh!; ah, alas, ho, O, woe," introduces the judgment upon the "filthy" city in Zephaniah 3:1, setting a tone of condemnation.
H1351 gâʼal (polluted): Meaning "to soil or (figuratively) desecrate; defile, pollute, stain," this term appears alongside H4754 to emphasize the profound impurity of the city Zephaniah 3:1.
H3238 yânâh (oppressing): This root means "to rage or be violent; by implication, to suppress, to maltreat." It describes the behavior of the rebellious city that is called filthy Zephaniah 3:1.
H7832 sâchaq (scorneth): Defined as "to laugh... deride, have in derision... mock... scorn," this word captures the attitude of the ostrich immediately after she "lifteth up herself" Job 39:18.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4754 is centered on the concept of rebellion against a proper order.

Rebellious Defilement: In Zephaniah, being filthy is not merely a physical state but a spiritual one. It is a form of rebellion linked directly to being polluted and oppressive, which invites divine judgment Zephaniah 3:1.
Prideful Self-Exaltation: The imagery in Job connects the act to "lift up self" with an attitude of scorn. This illustrates how prideful rebellion leads one to look down upon and deride others, as the ostrich scorns the horse and rider Job 39:18.

Summary

In summary, H4754 is a rare but illustrative word. Though its applications in scripture seem different—describing a morally filthy city and an ostrich that lifteth up itself—both point to the root definition "to rebel." Whether through moral pollution or prideful action, the word captures a sense of defiant opposition to divine and natural order.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

תַּמְרִיא
מֹרְאָה

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Job and Zephaniah (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Job

Zephaniah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.