Charles Ellicott Commentary 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 1:20 (ASV)

Call me not Naomi, call me Mara. Here we have one of the constant plays on words and names found in the Hebrew Bible. Naomi, we have already said, means pleasant, or perhaps, strictly, my pleasantness. Mara is bitter, as in Exodus 15:23. The latter word has no connection with Miriam or Mary, which is from a different root.

The Almighty. The Hebrew term is Shaddai. According to one derivation of the word, “He who is All Sufficient,” all-sufficing; the God who gives all things in abundance is He who takes back (see Note on Genesis 17:1).

Has dealt very bitterly. The Hebrew word is hemar, referring to the preceding Mara. The pleasantness and joys of life are at an end for me. My dear ones have passed away, and bitterness and sadness are now my lot.