BITTER — the name Naomi gives herself on her return: 'Do not call me Naomi [sweet]; call me MARA, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly (hemar) with me' (Ruth 1:20). The pun turns her own name inside out. The same root marks the 'bitter' waters of Marah in the wilderness (Exodus 15:23) and the 'bitter herbs' of the Passover (Exodus 12:8). ⚠️ Naomi is wrong that she is empty — Ruth stands beside her — but the book lets her name her grief honestly before it answers it. → first discussed at Ruth 1:20