Ruth 1:20

Ruth 1:20, in plain English

Naomi tells the women not to call her Naomi anymore, but to call her Mara instead, because God has brought so much bitterness into her life.

Why it's here

Naomi means 'pleasantness,' but Mara means 'bitter.' She's renaming herself based on her pain and her understanding of what God has done to her. From her perspective, the Lord has afflicted her, withdrawn His blessing, and left her empty. She's so defined by her losses that she's rejected even her own name. This is the depth of her despair as she arrives home.

Who's speaking

Naomi, speaking to the women of Bethlehem

Where it sits in the story

Naomi's at rock bottom. She's home, but she's a broken woman. She has no idea that her story isn't over—that the next chapter will show her that emptiness isn't the same as being abandoned. Ruth's presence next to her is about to become the beginning of her redemption.

The scholarly reading

Naomi rejects her birth name, demanding to be called Mara (meaning 'bitterness') because God has dealt bitterly with her.

Language and setting

The name change from Naomi ('pleasantness,' from no'am, 'sweetness') to Mara ('bitterness,' from mar) represents a radical reframing of identity through suffering. Naomi's renaming is not a simple emotional outburst but a theological statement: she identifies her essential self as one marked by divine judgment. The phrase 'the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me' (himaRar li Shaddai) uses the verb marar ('to make bitter') from the same root as her new name, creating a linguistic unity between divine action and personal identity. 'Shaddai' (the Almighty) emphasizes God's sovereign, covenantal power.

Voice

Naomi, interpreting her suffering through renaming

Significance

Naomi's renaming establishes the spiritual tension that will drive the rest of the narrative: she understands herself as marked by divine affliction, yet the narrative will demonstrate that her 'bitterness' is the threshold through which God's redemptive purposes unfold. Her self-assessment of bitterness will contrast with the narrative's ultimate revelation of divine sweetness.

18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.

19So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.

21I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”

22So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Read all of Ruth 1 — A small, quiet story set in chaotic times. Two widows on a road, one refusing to let go. God works here through ordinary faithfulness.