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JPS Old Testament

Ruth 1:20

And she said unto them: 'Call me not Naomi, call me Marah; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Bereavement;   Readings, Select;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Afflictions;   Blessings-Afflictions;   Dead, the;   Grief;   Joy-Sorrow;   Mourning;   Trials;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mahlon;   Marah;   Names;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Call, Calling;   Widow;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bitter;   Mara;   Naomi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Mara;   Poetry;   Ruth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mara;   Naomi;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Paronomasia ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Almighty;   Bethlehem ;   Mara ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Certain;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ma'ra;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Naomi;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Name;  

Encyclopedias:

- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bitter;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ashes;   Salvation;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for July 29;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter.
Hebrew Names Version
She said to them, "Don't call me Na`omi, call me Mara; for Shaddai has dealt very bitterly with me.
King James Version
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Lexham English Bible
And she said to them, "You should not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for Shaddai has caused me to be very bitter.
English Standard Version
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
New Century Version
Naomi answered the people, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very sad.
New English Translation
But she replied to them, "Don't call me ‘Naomi'! Call me ‘Mara' because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly.
Amplified Bible
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi (sweetness); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has caused me great grief and bitterness.
New American Standard Bible
But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And she answered them, Call me not Naomi, but call me Mara: for the Almightie hath giuen me much bitternes.
Legacy Standard Bible
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Contemporary English Version
Then she told them, "Don't call me Naomi any longer! Call me Mara, because God has made my life bitter.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Don't call me Na‘omi [pleasant]," she answered them; "call me Marah [bitter], because Shaddai has made my life very bitter.
Darby Translation
And she said to them, Call me not Naomi—call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Easy-to-Read Version
But Naomi told the people, "Don't call me Naomi; call me Marah. Use this name because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad.
George Lamsa Translation
And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, but call me Bitter of Soul; for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
Good News Translation
"Don't call me Naomi," she answered; "call me Marah, because Almighty God has made my life bitter.
Literal Translation
And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi. Call me Bitterness, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuerthelesse she sayde vnto them: call me not Naemi, but Mara: for the Allmightie hath made me very sory.
American Standard Version
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Bible in Basic English
And she said to them, Do not let my name be Naomi, but Mara, for the Ruler of all has given me a bitter fate.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And she annswered them: Cal me not Naomi: but call me Mara, for the almightie hath made me verie bitter.
King James Version (1611)
And she said vnto them, Call me not Naomi; call mee Mara: for the Almightie hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And she said to them, Nay, do not call me Noemin; call me ‘Bitter,’ for the Mighty One has dealt very bitterly with me.
English Revised Version
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Berean Standard Bible
"Do not call me Naomi," she replied. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whiche sche seide, Clepe ye not me Noemy, that is, fair, but `clepe ye me Mara, that is, bittere; for Almyyti God hath fillid me greetli with bitternesse.
Young's Literal Translation
And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,
Update Bible Version
And she said to them, Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Webster's Bible Translation
And she said to them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
World English Bible
She said to them, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
New King James Version
But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; [fn] call me Mara, [fn] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
New Living Translation
"Don't call me Naomi," she responded. "Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.
New Life Bible
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara. For the All-powerful has brought much trouble to me.
New Revised Standard
She said to them, "Call me no longer Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And she said unto them, Do not call me Naomi, - call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me:
Douay-Rheims Bible
But she said to them: Call me not Noemi (that is, beautiful,) but call me Mara (that is, bitter), for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.
Revised Standard Version
She said to them, "Do not call me Na'omi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
THE MESSAGE
But she said, "Don't call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn't. The Strong One ruined me."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

Contextual Overview

19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was astir concerning them, and the women said: 'Is this Naomi?' 20 And she said unto them: 'Call me not Naomi, call me Marah; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me back home empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?' 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the field of Moab--and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Naomi: that is, Pleasant

Mara: that is, Bitter

the Almighty: Genesis 17:1, Genesis 43:14, Job 5:17, Job 11:7, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 21:22

dealt: Job 6:4, Job 19:6, Psalms 73:14, Psalms 88:15, Isaiah 38:13, Lamentations 3:1-20, Hebrews 12:11

Reciprocal: Exodus 1:14 - their lives Exodus 15:23 - Marah Ruth 1:2 - Naomi 1 Samuel 1:10 - in bitterness of soul Job 13:26 - writest Job 23:16 - Almighty Job 27:2 - vexed my soul Psalms 107:39 - they are Isaiah 22:4 - Look Isaiah 47:9 - these two Lamentations 3:15 - filled Lamentations 4:8 - they Micah 1:12 - Maroth Revelation 8:11 - Wormwood

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
Genesis 1:14
And God said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'
Genesis 1:24
And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.
Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.'
1 Kings 4:33
span data-lang="eng" data-trans="jps" data-ref="1ki.4.1" class="versetxt"> And king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; the son of Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one officer that was [over all the officers] in the land. Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.
Psalms 148:10
Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she said, call me not Naomi, call me Mara,.... The one signifying "prosperity", according to Josephus m, and the other "grief"; but he is not always correct in his interpretation of Hebrew words, or to be depended on; by this indeed her different states are well enough expressed, and he rightly observes, that she might more justly be called the one than the other; but the words signify, the one "sweet" and pleasant, and the other "bitter", see Exodus 15:23, and the reason she gives confirms it:

for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me; had wrote bitter things against her, brought bitter afflictions on her, which were very disagreeable to the flesh, as the loss of her husband, her children, and her substance; see Lamentations 3:15.

m Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the margin. Similar allusions to the meaning of names are seen in Genesis 27:36; Jeremiah 20:3.

The Almighty - שׁדי shadday (see the Genesis 17:1 note). The name “Almighty” is almost unique to the Pentateuch and to the Book of Job. It occurs twice in the Psalms, and four times in the Prophets.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ruth 1:20. Call me not Naomi — That is, beautiful or pleasant.

Call me Mara — That is, bitter; one whose life is grievous to her.

The Almighty — שדי Shaddai, He who is self-sufficient, has taken away the props and supports of my life.


 
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