The Hebrew mazor means a wound, festering sore, or ulcer — particularly one that does not heal. It appears in contexts of incurable spiritual and physical affliction, often as a metaphor for the condition of a people who have rejected God's healing.
Mazor functions as a powerful metaphor for the consequences of spiritual unfaithfulness. Hosea 5:13 delivers a devastating diagnosis: 'When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his mazor, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your mazor.' The wound of sin — the rottenness that comes from turning from God — cannot be healed by political alliances, human wisdom, or religious performance. Only YHWH heals. Jeremiah 30:13 echoes this: 'There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore.' But this darkness always precedes a dawn: in Jeremiah 30:17, God promises, 'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD.' The only cure for mazor is divine mercy.