What Does Ruth 1:20 Mean in the King James?
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The name Mara and the phrase “dealt very bitterly” echo the same Hebrew root, making bitterness the verse’s refrain.
THE MEANING
This verse meets you in a moment when pain is so present that bitterness feels like the name that fits. Naomi’s sense of pleasantness sharpens the contrast, letting the change in how life feels be spoken without smoothing it over.
THE ROOT
הֵמַר
hemar
GROWS FROM
מרר
marar
To be bitter or to make bitter.
The name Mara echoes the same root as the verb translated “dealt very bitterly.” The name and the description of her experience sound together, making bitterness the verse’s central refrain.
ALSO GROWS
mar: Bitter.
מַר
This adjective carries the bitter quality heard in both Mara and the verb in the verse.
merorim: Bitter herbs.
מְרֹרִים
The root also names bitterness as a taste, giving this word family a concrete, embodied branch.
נָעֳמִי
Na'omi
GROWS FROM
נעם
na'am
To be pleasant or delightful.
Naomi carries the sense of pleasantness, placing that meaning directly beside Mara’s bitterness. The two names make the change in how life feels audible through the roots of the names themselves.
ALSO GROWS
no'am: Pleasantness or delight.
נֹעַם
This noun carries the quality held in Naomi’s name.
na'im: Pleasant or delightful.
נָעִים
This adjective shows the same root describing what feels pleasant.
THE PATTERN
A name can make an inner condition or turning visible.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.THE THREAD
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.“Bitter herbs” uses the same מרר (marar) root echoed by Mara and “bitterly.” The root gives bitterness a tangible form as well as a name for what is felt.
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