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•MARA bitter; sad, a symbolical name which Naomi gave to herself because of her misfortunes (Ruth 1:20).
•MARAH bitterness, a fountain at the sixth station of the Israelites (Exodus 15:23, 24; Numbers 33:8) whose waters were so bitter that they could not drink them. On this account they murmured against Moses, who, under divine direction, cast into the fountain “a certain tree” which took away its bitterness, so that the people drank of it. This was probably the ‘Ain Hawarah, where there are still several springs of water that are very “bitter,” distant some 47 miles from ‘Ayun Mousa.
•MARALAH trembling, a place on the southern boundary of Zebulun (Joshua 19:11). It has been identified with the modern M’alul, about 4 miles south-west of Nazareth.
•MARANATHA (1 Corinthians 16:22) consists of two Aramean words, Maran’athah, meaning, “our Lord comes,” or is “coming.” If the latter interpretation is adopted, the meaning of the phrase is, “Our Lord is coming, and he will judge those who have set him at nought.” (Comp. Phil. 4:5; James 5:8, 9.)
•MARBLE as a mineral, consists of carbonate of lime, its texture varying from the highly crystalline to the compact. In Esther 1:6 there are four Hebrew words which are rendered marble:, (1.) Shesh, “pillars of marble.” But this word probably designates dark-blue limestone rather than marble. (2.) Dar, some regard as Parian marble. It is here rendered “white marble.” But nothing is certainly known of it. (3.) Bahat, “red marble,” probably the verd-antique or half-porphyry of Egypt. (4.) Sohareth, “black marble,” probably some spotted variety of marble. “The marble pillars and tesserae of various colours of the palace at Susa came doubtless from Persia itself,