מָרַט (ma.rat)
ma.rat
to smooth
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb marat describes the physical act of making a surface smooth or bare, often through scraping or polishing. In the Old Testament, it appears in contexts where skin is shaved off or an object is refined until its underlying texture is exposed. This action removes any covering, leaving the subject in a state of raw exposure.
Its usage carries significant cultural weight, particularly regarding mourning practices. When Isaiah describes the people’s shame, he notes that their faces are marat, meaning they have shaved off their beards or hair as a sign of grief and humiliation (Isaiah 3:24). Similarly, in Leviticus, priests are instructed not to marat their heads during rituals, marking this act as distinct from the profane mourning customs of surrounding nations.
The word bridges the physical and the symbolic. To be made smooth or bald was not merely a grooming choice but a visible marker of internal distress or ritual status. Translators often render it as "shave" or "make bare," capturing the removal of hair or polish to reveal what lies beneath, whether it be skin in mourning or metal in craftsmanship.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word marat describes a physical act of smoothing or scraping, often resulting in bareness. In ancient Israel, this was not just about grooming but carried deep emotional weight. When people pulled out their hair or shaved their heads, it was a visible sign of intense grief, shame, or humility before God.
In Isaiah 50:6, the suffering servant describes having his hair plucked as part of his humiliation. This image helps us understand how deeply physical pain and social disgrace were connected in biblical times. It reminds us that our outer appearance can reflect inner turmoil, but also that God sees the heart behind the act.
For believers today, this word invites reflection on how we express sorrow or repentance. While we may not shave our heads as a sign of mourning, the principle remains: God values honest vulnerability over polished appearances. He meets us in our rawest moments with grace and understanding.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it will become bare2×
- and/ smooth skinned2×
- to/ [those who] made [them] bare1×
- polished1×
- and/ I pulled out/ !1×
- and/ I pulled out beard/ their1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִמָּרֵ֖ט2×
- וּ/מוֹרָ֔ט2×
- מְמֹרָֽט\׃1×
- לְ/מֹֽרְטִ֑ים1×
- וָֽ/אֶמְרְטֵ֑/ם1×
- וָ/אֶמְרְטָ֞/ה1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 50:6
I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting.
This verse uses the word to describe the physical humiliation of having hair plucked, highlighting the servant's willingness to endure shame for God's sake.
-
Ezra 9:3
When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled the hair out of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.
Here, Ezra pulls out his hair as a public sign of grief and confession over the people's sin, showing how the act symbolized deep spiritual distress.
-
Nehemiah 13:25
I contended with them, cursed them, struck certain of them, plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
Nehemiah plucks hair from those who had married foreign wives, using this dramatic gesture to express his outrage and call for repentance.