Bitter Destruction

In the Book of Deuteronomy 32:24 we can find the first and only reference to bitter destruction in the Bible:
" מְזֵי רָעָב וּלְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף, {ר} וְקֶטֶב מְרִירִי; {ס} וְשֶׁן-בְּהֵמֹת, אֲשַׁלַּח-בָּם, {ר} עִם-חֲמַת, זֹחֲלֵי עָפָר. {ס}"

"The wasting of hunger and the devouring of the fiery bolt, and bitter destruction; and the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust."

In this context, destructions are an arrow and bitter means venom: "venom arrow".

The word "destruction" can be found in 3 other places in the Bible:
In the Book of Isaiah 28:2-

" הִנֵּה חָזָק וְאַמִּץ לַאדֹנָי, כְּזֶרֶם בָּרָד שַׂעַר קָטֶב"

"Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, as a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction"

In the Book of Hosea 13:14-

" מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל אֶפְדֵּם, מִמָּוֶת אֶגְאָלֵם; אֱהִי דְבָרֶיךָ מָוֶת, אֱהִי קָטָבְךָ שְׁאוֹל--נֹחַם, יִסָּתֵר מֵעֵינָי."

"Shall I ransom them from the power of the nether-world? Shall I redeem them from death? Ho, thy plagues, O death! Ho, thy destruction, O nether-world! Repentance is hid from Mine eyes!"

And in Psalms 91:6-

" מִדֶּבֶר, בָּאֹפֶל יַהֲלֹךְ; מִקֶּטֶב, יָשׁוּד צָהֳרָיִם."

" Of the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor of the destruction that wasteth at noonday."

There are a few options to the meaning of the word destructions, all of those options are negative: a serious epidemic, an arrow or to cut.
However, according the Midrash, bitter destruction is actually a demon.

According to the myth, all the demons in Judaism created at sunset of Friday eve.
Bitter destruction was believed to rule at certain hours during the three weeks of national mourning ending on the Ninth of Av. According to Shulchan Aruch one should not walk alone during those hours or chastise pupils on these days.
Sages describe its appearance:"all full of eyes, nutshells and hair".
Even today, many rabbis still believe that bitter destruction still exits.

 Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Hebrew Transcription Translation
שֻׁלְחָן     šulhān           Table
מַר         Mar              Bitter
הֶרֶס       heres            Destruction
 חֵץ         hēts            Arrow
אֶרֶס, רַעַל 'eres, ra'al    Venom

Eli@eteachergroup.com