What is gall in the Bible?

merorah, the gall or bile of animals. It is symbolical of 'bitterness:' "he poureth out my gall upon the ground." Job 16:13. It is also used for the 'poison' of asps. Job 20:14, 25.

rosh, χολή, some exceedingly bitter or poisonous plant not definitely identified. This word is used as symbolical of 'bitterness.' To turn to idolatry was like "a root that beareth gall and wormwood." Deut. 29:18. God's judgements were given them as water of gall to drink. Jer. 8:14; Jer. 9:15; Jer. 23:15: cf. Deut. 32:32; Lam. 3:5, 19; Amos 6:12. Gall, mixed with the sour wine or vinegar drunk by the Roman soldiers, was given to those about to be crucified, for the purpose, as is now supposed, of making them the less sensitive to the torture. It was offered to the Lord, but refused. Ps. 69:21; Matt. 27:34. In Mark 15:23 myrrh is read instead of gall; the meaning would be the same.

See BITTERNESS.

The word χολή, 'gall,' occurs in Matt. 27:34. and the word for ' bitterness,' πικρία, in Rom. 3:14; Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15. The translation in Acts 8:23 is literal, except that it should be 'a gall of bitterness.' Peter saw that Simon was still in the state of nature which is only bitterness.

This "wine" at the cross (Matt. 27:34 Mark 15:23), mingled with gall, seems to have been a kind of vinegar (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29-30), of a stupefying kind.

At Golgotha, before raising Him up on the cross, they give Him vinegar to drink, but mingled with gall. He tasted it first before refusing it. Of course He know what it was before tasting it, but by tasting it He let His enemies know that He was not merely defiantly refusing something to drink, but was refusing it because of the stupefying gall added to it. He would bear His sufferings without this, and in full consciousness of all that was involved, not only in what men inflicted, but of the far deeper sufferings of being made a curse of God.

The draft of vinegar mingled with gall seems to have a twofold meaning. There was a fulfilment of the prophecy: "They gave Me also gall for My meat, and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink." It reminds us of the bitterness of the "cup" which our Lord drank at the hands of man. It also implies a rough attempt at mitigating the intensity of His physical sufferings, after the manner of an opiate. This seems to be the ground of our Lord's refusing to drink it. He would not allow anything to dull the acuteness of those sufferings, of which the physical were the least.

At the cross "they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall" (ver. 34). We must not confound this circumstance with that mentioned in John where the Lord says, "I thirst." In Matthew's narrative it was the stupefying draft administered to prisoners before they suffered; and this the Lord would not drink. Whereas in John, the Lord, while on the cross, fulfils a scripture. In John He is regarded, not as One who did not suffer, but withal as the absolute Master over all circumstances. Alive therefore to the honour of Scripture, and in fulfilment of a word which had not as yet received its accomplishment, He says, "I thirst." "And they filled a sponge with vinegar. … and put it to His mouth." He did drink the vinegar then. But here in Matthew, on the contrary, "when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink" (ver. 34) — He wished for no alleviation from man. "And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots."

Physical weakness made it necessary that one should carry His cross. Was there ever such a procession seen before! The Lamb of God led forth to suffer outside of the camp! Oh, the man of sorrows, how He must have looked when they dragged Him to the place of death! But though He did not carry the cross and was weakened, yet He could not succumb at this point. The soldiers had led forth, no doubt, many a one to a similar death. Perhaps some died before the nails could be driven through the hands and feet. Did they fear that this might be the case with Him, whom they had maltreated, dishonored and mocked? Or was it mercy, which offered Him vinegar mingled with gall? Mercy, we believe it was not. It was a stimulant which they offered Him. They knew not that the Life which was in their hands could not succumb; no one could take that life from Him. He would not drink what was given to Him; He did not seek relief, He did not need it. His loving will was to endure all the suffering in perfect consciousness. But there is a prophecy that He should drink vinegar and gall in His suffering (Psalm 69). When the right moment had come for the fulfillment of that prophecy, He said, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "I thirst." Then He drank. Before the crucifixion He refused the vinegar and the gall. Golgotha, the place where they took Him, must have been to the north of Jerusalem. It was outside of the gate near gardens, in which were tombs.

After the three hours of darkness, knowing that all was perfectly accomplished, the Lord Jesus said, in fulfillment of scripture, “I thirst.” He who gives the water of eternal life has Himself, in accomplishing the will of God, deeply thirsted. But men gave Him not water, rather vinegar, with the intention of adding bitterness to His sufferings. Previously they had mingled gall with vinegar, but He would not drink, for this was stupefying (Matt. 27:34).

Vinegar was offered to the Lord mingled with myrrh or gall, and He refused it; but He received the vinegar when He had said, 'I thirst,' according to the prophecy "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Num. 6:3; Ruth 2:14; Ps. 69:21; Matt. 27:34, 48, etc.

The corresponding text in Matthew 27:34 seems to show that the wine in this case was a sour small liquor, ὄξος, translated vinegar, and occurring in verse 38 of the same chapter, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, John 19:29 (bis), 30. The mingling with myrrh was to produce stupefaction, and the Lord refused that cup.