What Does Ruth 1:20 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me." Ruth 1:20, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me." Ruth 1:20, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Ruth 1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
Ruth 1:19 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 moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Ruth 1:21 I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth–lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
A conversation built on it
Naming the bitterness honestly is allowed — Naomi said exactly how it felt, and the story wasn't over at chapter one. He doesn't need you to pretend it's fine before He'll stay close.
Questions people ask
What does Ruth 1:20 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: ““Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.” The King James rendering most people know is: “And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.”
What is the context of Ruth 1:20?
The verses immediately around it read: (Ruth 1:18) When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. (Ruth 1:19) 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 moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? (Ruth 1:20) And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (Ruth 1:21) I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (Ruth 1:22) So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth–lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
How is Ruth 1:20 used in a conversation about this?
Naming the bitterness honestly is allowed — Naomi said exactly how it felt, and the story wasn't over at chapter one. He doesn't need you to pretend it's fine before He'll stay close.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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