Topic
Mara
1 passage cited, from 3 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Ruth 1:20Easton · Smith · ISBE
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 1 references
Bitter; sad, a symbolical name which Naomi gave to herself because of her misfortunes (Ruth 1:20).
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 1 references
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 1 references
ma'-ra, mar'-a (marah, "bitter"): The term which Naomi applies to herself on her return from Moab to her native country (Ru 1:20). Changed beyond recognition, she creates astonishment among her former acquaintances, who ask, "Is this Naomi?" She replies, "Call me not Naomi" (i.e. "pleasant" or "sweet"), but "call me Mara" (i.e. "bitter"). In the light of her bitter experience, and her present pitiable plight, the old name has become peculiarly inappropriate.
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.