Hemlock

The Hebrew word rōsh, rendered "hemlock" in Hosea 10:4 and Amos 6:12, is more commonly translated "gall" or "poison." It refers to a bitter, poisonous plant — possibly the colocynth, henbane, or some other toxic herb — and is used metaphorically for bitter injustice. Amos asks, "Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock" (Amos 6:12). Hosea similarly uses it for the poisonous growth of injustice in the courts (Hos. 10:4). The same word is rendered "gall" in Deuteronomy 29:18 and Lamentations 3:19, where it describes extreme bitterness. Whether the word refers specifically to hemlock (Conium maculatum) or another toxic plant is uncertain.