Discovery BoxRuth 1:20 
Context1:20 But she replied 1 to them, 2 “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! 3 Call me ‘Mara’ 4 because the Sovereign One 5 has treated me very harshly. 6
Ruth 4:3
Context4:3 Then Boaz said to the guardian, 7 “Naomi, who has returned from the region of Moab, is selling 8 the portion of land that belongs to our relative Elimelech.
Ruth 4:14
Context4:14 The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian 9 today! May he 10 become famous in Israel! 11
Ruth 4:17
Context4:17 The neighbor women named him, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. 12 Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!
1 tn Heb “said.” For stylistic reasons the present translation employs “replied” here.
2 tn The third person feminine plural form of the pronominal suffix indicates the women of the village (see v. 19) are the addressees.
3 sn The name Naomi means “pleasant.”
4 sn The name Mara means “bitter.”
5 tn Heb “Shaddai”; traditionally “the Almighty.” The etymology and meaning of this divine name is uncertain. It may be derived from: (1) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to be strong”), cognate to Arabic sdd, meaning “The Strong One” or “Almighty”; (2) שָׁדָה (shadah, “mountain”), cognate to Akkadian shadu, meaning “The Mountain Dweller” or “God of the Mountains”; (3) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to devastate”) and שַׁד (shad, “destroyer”), Akkadian Shedum, meaning “The Destroyer” or “The Malevolent One”; or (4) שֶׁ (she, “who”) plus דִּי (diy, “sufficient”), meaning “The One Who is Sufficient” or “All-Sufficient One” (HALOT 1420-22 s.v. שַׁדַּי, שַׁדָּי). In terms of use, Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is presented as the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he blesses/protects and also takes away life/happiness. In light of Naomi’s emphasis on God’s sovereign, malevolent deprivation of her family, one can understand her use of this name for God. For discussion of this divine name, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72.
6 tn Or “caused me to be very bitter”; NAB “has made it very bitter for me.”
7 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9.
8 tn The perfect form of the verb here describes as a simple fact an action that is underway (cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV, NLT); NAB “is putting up for sale.”
sn Naomi…is selling. The nature of the sale is uncertain. Naomi may have been selling the property rights to the land, but this seems unlikely in light of what is known about ancient Israelite property laws. It is more likely that Naomi, being a woman, held only the right to use the land until the time of her remarriage or death (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 202-4). Because she held this right to use of the land, she also had the right to buy it back from the its current owner. (This assumes that Elimelech sold the land prior to going to Moab.) Since she did not possess the means to do so, however, she decided to dispose of her rights in the matter. She was not selling the land per se, but disposing of the right to its redemption and use, probably in exchange for room and board with the purchaser (Bush, 211-15). If this is correct, it might be preferable to translate, “Naomi is disposing of her rights to the portion of land,” although such a translation presumes some knowledge of ancient Israelite property laws.
9 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9. As the following context indicates, the child is referred to here.
10 tn The “guardian” is the subject of the verb, as the next verse makes clear.
11 tn Heb “may his name be called [i.e., “perpetuated”; see Gen 48:16] in Israel.”
12 tn The name “Obed” means “one who serves,” perhaps anticipating how he would help Naomi (see v. 15).
