Bible Name Meaning Tool — Search Any Name (KJV)

Mara

Pronounced MAR-uh

girl

✓ In the King James Bible — Yes — Mara appears in the King James Bible, including Ruth 1:20.

Meaning: "Bitter; Grief"
Origin: Hebrew

Mara means "bitter" in Hebrew. It is the name Naomi chose for herself after losing her husband and both sons in Moab: "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me." Naomi's choice to rename herself Mara is one of the most emotionally raw moments in Scripture. She left Bethlehem full — with a husband and two sons — and returned empty, accompanied only by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth. Her bitterness was real, honest, and directed at God Himself: "The Almighty hath afflicted me." Yet the book of Ruth unfolds to reveal that God had not abandoned Naomi. Through Ruth's faithfulness, Boaz's redemption, and the birth of Obed (David's grandfather), Naomi's emptiness was filled beyond measure. The women of Bethlehem ultimately declared: "Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman." Mara/Marah also appears in Exodus 15:23 as the place of bitter waters that God made sweet — another picture of divine transformation of bitterness into blessing.

Spiritual meaning

Mara — 'bitter' — is the name of honest grief. But Naomi's story proves that bitterness is never the final chapter. God specializes in transforming Mara back into Naomi — turning bitter sorrow into sweet joy.

Related verses (KJV)

"And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."
Ruth 1:20 (KJV) →
"And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah."
Exodus 15:23 (KJV) →

Full page for Mara

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