מֶרֶד
𐤌𐤓𐤃
mered
H4777 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An act or state of open defiance, insurrection, or revolt against authority, especially in a political or covenantal context. The word principally refers to organized, deliberate rebellion, whether against a human ruler or the divine authority of YHWH. In some cases it can denote the general concept of resistance or mutiny.
Semantic Range
rebellion, revolt, insurrection, mutiny, open defiance, resistance (against authority)
Root / Etymology
From the root מָרַד (marad), which means 'to rebel' or 'to revolt.' מֶרֶד (mered) is the nominal form derived from this verbal root, indicating the act or state resulting from the root action of rebellion.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מֶרֶד appears relatively rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is used in contexts referring both to political insurrection (e.g., the revolt of a people or an individual against a ruler) and to covenantal or religious rebellion against YHWH. In the narrative accounts (such as 1 Kings 12:19, describing Israel's revolt against the house of David), the term highlights a public and decisive break from submission or loyalty, frequently with irreversible or far-reaching consequences. The same root is used to describe rebellion against God, indicating a spectrum of meanings from human insubordination to divine mutiny (e.g., Ezekiel 17:15). The noun contrasts with other terms (e.g., פֶּשַׁע pesha‘, H6588, which emphasizes transgression or breach of a legal boundary), whereas מֶרֶד focuses on open defiance or declared opposition. English translations often render the word simply as 'rebellion' or 'revolt,' but these do not always convey the strong political and covenantal overtone present in many biblical usages; in later periods, cognates of the root acquired new political connotations in neighboring cultures. There is no evidence in biblical usage for a nuance limited to passive resistance or inner dissent—the emphasis is upon action and confrontation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָרַד; rebellion; rebellion.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
מרד (Nimerod) — to rebel, to revolt, to rise up against
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4775 | מָרַד | in rebelling ones of |
| H4780 | מַרְדּוּת | the rebelliousness |
| H5248 | נִמְרוֹד | like Nimrod |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4777-01 |
בְּ/מֶ֤רֶד | bemered | HR/Ncmsa |
in-rebellion | in rebellion | in rebellion | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4777-01 |
Joshua 22:22 | בְּ/מֶ֤רֶד | bemered | HR/Ncmsa |
in-rebellion | in rebellion | in rebellion |