Meaning
Gall <1,,5521, chole>
a word probably connected with chloe, "yellow," denotes "gall," (a) literal, Mat 27:34 (cp. Psa 69:21); some regard the word here as referring to myrrh, on account of Mar 15:23; (b) metaphorical, Act 8:23, where "gall of bitterness" stands for extreme wickedness, productive of evil fruit. In the OT it is used (a) of a plant characterized by bitterness (probably wormwood), Deu 29:18, Hos 10:4, Amo 6:12; (b) as the translation of the word mererah, "bitterness," Job 13:26, e.g.; (c) as the translation of rosh, "venom;" in Deu 32:32 "(grapes) of gall." In Job 20:25, the gall bladder is referred to (the receptacle of bile). The ancients supposed that the poison of serpents lay in the gall (see Job 20:14).
