1:20a
Do not call me Naomi: The Hebrew name Naomi means “happy, pleasant.” The original readers would have understood that Naomi was telling the women that she was not happy.
she replied: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as she replied occurs at the beginning of the sentence. The Berean Standard Bible has placed these words in the middle of the verse for reasons of English style. It may be more natural in your language to put them at the beginning of the sentence. For example:
But she replied to them, “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! Call me ‘Mara’ (NET Bible)
Call me Mara: The Hebrew name Mara means “bitter.” The original readers would have understood that Naomi was telling the women that now she was bitter and unhappy. This is the same Hebrew word as was used in verse 13. If possible, you should translate it with the same word in both places.
There are two ways to help the readers of your language understand why Naomi said this.
• Explain the meaning of these names in a footnote. For example:
FOOTNOTE: The name Naomi means “happy” in Hebrew. The name Mara means “bitter” in Hebrew.
• Explain the meaning within the text of the verse. For example:
Don’t call me Naomi [sweet]. Call me Mara [bitter] (God’s Word)
1:20b
because: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason why Naomi wanted the women to call her bitter.
the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me: The Hebrew term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Almighty is one of the names for God. The exact meaning of this term is uncertain. It probably refers to God’s power.
Here are some other ways to translate this term:
God all powerful (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
God who has all power
-or-
Almighty God (Good News Translation)
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
The Mighty One has made my life very bitter. (NIRV)
-or-
God All Powerful has made my life very sad. (ICB)
-or-
For the All-powerful has brought much trouble to me. (NLV)
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