Lexical Summary memer: Word, command, decree Original Word: מֶמֶר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bitterness From an unused root meaning to grieve; sorrow -- bitterness. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom marar Definition bitterness NASB Translation bitterness (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מֶ֫מֶר noun [masculine] bitterness; — לְיוֺלדְתּוֺ ׳מ Proverbs 17:25 of a fool-son ("" כַּעַס לְאָבִיו). Topical Lexicon Overview Memer appears a single time in the Hebrew Scriptures, at Proverbs 17:25, where it conveys the idea of piercing, internal bitterness. Though rare, its vividness enriches the biblical portrait of parental anguish caused by foolishness. Scriptural Occurrence Proverbs 17:25: “A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.” The verse forms a paired parallelism: the father feels “grief,” the mother feels “bitterness” (memer). Together they describe a household wounded by a child’s moral folly. Contextual Meaning in Proverbs 1. Wisdom literature repeatedly warns that folly harms community relationships (Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 19:13). Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Israelite society vested honor and security in family cohesion. Sons were expected to uphold the family name and care for parents in old age (Exodus 20:12). A foolish son jeopardized inheritance, reputation, and the broader covenant community. Memer therefore evokes not mere disappointment but a threat to the mother’s future welfare and emotional well-being. Theological Implications • Sin’s reach: Even a private vice produces public consequences, beginning at home (Numbers 32:23). |