MERORIM (me-rd'efm), (Heb. :".1n/P, me-ro rim.), occurs in two places in Scripture, and is in both translated bitter herbs in our Authorized Version, as well as in several others.
In Exod. xii:8, NIoses commanded the JeWs to cat the lamb of the Passover 'with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs (merorim) they shall eat it.' So at the institution of the second Pass over, in the wilderness of Sinai (Num. ix :it).
Succory or endive was early selected as being the bitter herb especially intended ; and Dr. Ged des justly remarks, that 'the Jews of Alexandria, who translated the Pentateuch, could not be ignorant what herbs were eaten with the paschal lamb in their days.' Jerome understood it in the same manner ; and Pseudo-Jonathan ex pressly mentions horehound and lettuces. Forskal informs us that the Jews at Sana and in Egypt eat the lettuce with the paschal lamb. Aben Ezra, as quoted by Rosenmiiller, states that the Egyptians used bitter herbs in every meal ; so in India some of the bitter Cucurbitacew, as kurella, are constantly employed as food. (See PAKYOTH.) It is curi
ous that the two sets of plants which appear to have the greatest number of points in their favor, are the endive or succory, and one of the fragrant and usually also bitter labiate plants ; because we find that the term marooa is in the East applied even in the present day both to the bitter worm wood and the fragrant Ocymum. Moreover the Chaldee translator, Jonathan, expressly mentions lettuce and horehound, or nzarrubiunt, which is also one of the Labiatm. It is important to ob serve that the Artemisia, and some of these fra grant labiat, are found in many parts of Arabia and Syria ; that is, in warm, dry, barren regions. The endive is also found in similar situations, but requires, upon the whole, a greater degree of mois ture. Thus it is evident that the Israelites would be able to obtain suitable plants during their long wanderings in the Desert, though it is difficult for us to select any one out of the several which might have been employed by them. (See BITTER HERBS.) J. F. R.