מָרָא (ma.ra)
ma.ra
Mara
N:N-F-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-F-P
Word Overview
The name Mara, meaning bitterness, appears in the Book of Ruth as an alternative title for Naomi. The text explicitly links this name to the root word for bitter, reflecting a profound shift in identity based on circumstance. When Naomi returns to Bethlehem after losing her husband and sons, she rejects her original name, which means pleasantness, in favor of Mara to describe her new reality.
This renaming occurs in Ruth 1:20-21, where she declares that the Almighty has dealt bitterly with her. The sources note that this is not merely a label but a theological statement about her experience of calamity. By adopting the name Mara, Naomi gives voice to her grief, acknowledging that her life has been marked by loss and divine severity rather than joy.
The usage highlights how biblical characters sometimes rename themselves or are renamed in response to pivotal life events. Here, the name serves as a permanent record of suffering, contrasting sharply with the hope that emerges later in the narrative through the lineage of Ruth and Boaz.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Mara means bitterness, and it appears in Ruth as a title for Naomi. She chose this name after losing her husband and sons, rejecting her old name which meant pleasantness. This renaming was not just a label but a statement about her deep grief and sense of loss.
When life brings heavy sorrow, it is okay to name the pain honestly. Naomi’s story shows that acknowledging bitterness does not mean abandoning faith. Even in darkness, God remains present, working behind the scenes for eventual restoration.
This word invites us to bring our true feelings to God. He can hold our grief without requiring us to pretend everything is fine. In time, He often turns bitter seasons into stories of hope and redemption.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Mara1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מָרָ֔א1×
Key Verses
-
Ruth 1:20
She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Naomi explicitly links her new name Mara to the Almighty dealing bitterly with her, marking a theological shift from pleasantness to profound loss.