Ruth 1:20 Meaning: Naomi’s Honest Lament to the Almighty
She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,
And she said to them, Call me not Naomi — call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Meaning in one sentence
Naomi changes her name to Mara, saying the Almighty dealt bitterly with her. See what this raw lament reveals about faith in suffering.
Context
Naomi had left Bethlehem years ago with a full family, a husband and two sons. Now she returns with nothing but a Moabite daughter-in-law named Ruth. The famine that drove them away is over, but the losses are permanent. When the women of Bethlehem recognize her, their excitement must have felt like a sharp contrast to her grief. She stops their happy greeting with a request: do not call me by my old name. Naomi means pleasant, agreeable. She no longer feels that name fits. She asks instead for Mara, which means bitter. She is not being dramatic. She is telling the truth about how her life feels. But notice she does not curse a nameless fate. She names the Almighty, the God of her fathers, as the one who has dealt this bitterness.
Key Words
Two names sit at the heart of this verse. Naomi (no'omi) means pleasant, full of delight. It was the name that spoke of her life when she had a husband, sons, and a future. Mara (mara) means bitter, the same word used for the bitter water at Marah in Exodus. She is asking the women to call her by a name that matches what she feels inside. The verb 'dealt bitterly' (he'emar) is a causative form: God made it bitter. And the name she uses for God is Shaddai, often translated Almighty. Shaddai appears most often in the patriarchal stories and in Job, a name that suggests God's all-sufficient power. Naomi is not speaking to a distant force. She is using the covenant name of the God who promised to be enough. That matters. She is angry and grieving, but she is still talking to God.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have heard different tones in Naomi's words. Matthew Henry, the Puritan commentator, saw her grief as humble and instructive, she acknowledges God's hand even in affliction. The Geneva Bible notes simply that the Almighty gave her much bitterness. Adam Clarke, a Methodist scholar, emphasizes her acute loss: the self-sufficient One who took away the props of her life. More recently, readers have heard a raw lament that does not smooth over pain. All traditions agree that Naomi is not denying God's existence or power. She is wrestling with how that power has touched her life. The story does not let her words be the final word; by the end, God brings restoration through Ruth and Boaz.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers hear Naomi's words and think she has stopped trusting God, that she is only complaining. But look closely. She names God as Shaddai, the Almighty of the patriarchs. She does not say 'luck has turned against me' or 'life is meaningless.' She holds God responsible for her pain. That is not the language of unbelief. It is the language of a relationship strong enough to hold grief and honesty together. The Old Testament gives us many such prayers, in Job, in the Psalms, in Lamentations. Naomi speaks from that same tradition.
Living This Out
This verse asks you to consider what you call yourself when life goes wrong. Naomi had a name for her good days. She asked for a different one for her hard days. You may feel the same, like the person you were before the loss does not fit anymore. There is no sin in being truthful about that. What matters is who you are still talking to. Naomi kept speaking to the Almighty. You can take your bitterness to God. You do not need to dress it up. He has heard it before, and He is still called Shaddai, the One who is enough, even when you feel empty.
Main takeaway: Naomi's outcry shows that faith does not require pretending: we can bring even our bitterest pain to the Almighty.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Naomi was very sad because her husband and sons had died. She asked people to call her Mara, which means bitter, because that was how she felt inside. God did not get mad at her for telling the truth about her sadness.
For ages 9, 12
Naomi had lost everything that made her life feel full, her husband and both her sons. When she came home to Bethlehem, the neighbors were happy to see her, but she stopped them. She said, 'Don't call me Naomi (pleasant). Call me Mara (bitter).' She was honest with God and with others about her pain. The Bible does not hide these hard feelings. God is strong enough to hear our honest questions. Naomi's story does not end here, by the end, God brings her joy again through Ruth and Boaz.
Questions People Ask
Why did Naomi want to be called Mara?
Naomi's name means 'pleasant' or 'delightful.' After losing her husband and two sons, she felt that name no longer matched her life. She asked to be called Mara, which means 'bitter,' because she believed the Almighty had brought bitterness into her life. It was an honest description of how she felt.
Is it wrong to complain to God like Naomi did?
Not according to the Bible. Naomi was not rejecting God; she was addressing Him by His covenant name, Shaddai (the Almighty). The Psalms and the book of Job are full of similar laments. God is strong enough to handle our honesty. What matters is that we keep talking to Him, even when we are angry or confused.
What does 'Almighty' mean in the Hebrew of Ruth 1:20?
The Hebrew word is Shaddai. It is often translated 'Almighty' and appears most often in the books of Genesis, Job, and Numbers. It emphasizes God's power and sufficiency. By using this name, Naomi was acknowledging that God is the one in control, even when His actions are hard to understand.
What happened to Naomi later in the book of Ruth?
By the end of the book, Naomi's daughter-in-law Ruth marries Boaz, a kind relative. They have a son named Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. Naomi's bitterness turns to joy as she holds her grandson. The book shows that God can bring redemption out of even the deepest grief.
Why is the name Mara feminine in form?
The Hebrew word Mara has an Aramaic feminine ending, as several commentators note. This may reflect the poetic and emotional nature of Naomi's speech. The same root 'marar' meaning 'bitter' appears elsewhere in the Old Testament, and the feminine form suits her as a woman expressing her grief.
For pastors & researchers
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