Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Gall
Subjects in this Topic:
gôl:
(1) ר×ש×, roÌ„'sh, or רוש×, roÌ„sh ( only, “grapes of gallâ€): Some very bitter plant, the bitterness as in (2) being associated with the idea of poison. margin “rosh, a poisonous herbâ€; , ; ; ; , “water of gall,†margin “poisonâ€; , translated “hemlockâ€; , “Ye have turned justice into gallâ€; , the “poison of aspsâ€: here roÌ„sh clearly refers to a different substance from the other references, the points in common being bitterness and poisonous properties. Hemlock (Conium maculatum), colocynth (Citrullus colocynthus) and the poppy (Papaver somniferum) have all been suggested as the original roÌ„sh, the last having most support, but in most references the word may represent any bitter poisonous substance. RoÌ„sh is associated with la‛ănaÌ„h, “wormwood†(; ; ).
(2) מררה, merērāh (), and מררה, merōrāh (, ), both derived from a root meaning “to be bitter,†are applied to the human gall or “bile,†but like (1), merōrāh is once applied to the venom of serpents (). The poison of these animals was supposed to reside in their bile.
(3) χοληÌ, choleÌ„Ì (), “They gave him wine to drink mingled with gallâ€; this is clearly a reference to the Septuagint version of : “They gave me also gall (choleÌ„, Hebrew roÌ„sh) for my food; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.†In , it says, “wine mingled with myrrh.†It is well known that the Romans gave wine with frankincense to criminals before their execution to alleviate their sufferings; here the choleÌ„ or bitter substance used was myrrh (Pliny Ep. xx.18; Sen. Ep. 83).