Meaning of POISON

Any vegetable, animal or mineral substance that, introduced into a living organism, produces disturbances that can be fatal (2 Kings 4:39, 40; Rom. 3:13).

There are two Heb terms, which denote the venom of snakes:

(a) "Hemah", intense heat (Deut. 32:24, 33; Ps. 58:4), a term also denoting a burning passion, and fever due to poison.

(b) "Ro'sh" (Deut. 32:33; Jb. 20:16), poison, and also bitter herb (see GALL).

In Job 6:4, an allusion is undoubtedly made to the ancient custom of poisoning arrows (Odyssey 1:261, 262; Pliny, Natural History 11:115; 18:1).

There were also poisons of plant origin, such as an extract from yew (Natural History 16:20). The Gauls used a poisonous plant, limeum, which was believed to be deadly to wild animals (National History 27:76).

The use of poison for criminal purposes was in vogue in the Roman world and in antiquity in general (2 Mac. 10:13; Ant. 17:4, 1).

This hateful practice penetrated Judah and the East (Mark 16:18), but it is not mentioned much in the Bible, which proves that this way of acting was not common among the Jews.