In the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913, a scholarly investigation is given into the meaning of the name “Mary.” It addresses the linguistic uncertainties, but concludes with theological preference. What this means is that they find a suitable word mara, “to be well nourished” and wave the theological wand to make it magically mean “the perfect one” or “beautiful one”. By this reasoning the meaning “well-nourished” more easily leads to a meaning of “thick fat one” and Fürst actually gives this in his own lexicon, and it is noted in the article as well. It all depends on your bias. Is it truth or tradition? Religious power or poetic prose?
An overlooked passage is the name of Naomi, who asked to be called Mara (cf. Hebrew H4755) The word-play here is obvious. From her true name Pleasant (“Naomi”) to the name Bitter (“Mara”). In asking for drink of a woman (as the Jesu Salvation does) he does not want the water from the dug pit well—he wants it from her.
And she is saying to themselves, “Do not call out to me as Pleasant One (Naomi), call to me as Bitter, for Shaddai has made me exceedingly bitter!”
Ruth 1:20 RBT
This parallels the same word play on names between Mary (Bitterness) and Elizabeth (God is Seven), and, if you are paying attention, other narratives:
ולא יכלו לשתת מים ממרה כי מרים הם
“And they could not drink water from Marah, because bitter they were.”
Exodus 15:23
Here the narrative explicitly connects the name Marah with water that is too bitter to drink. The following verse describes the water becoming sweet.
The name Mara and the verb המר (hēmār, “made bitter”) are deliberately brought together by the sentence itself. Naomi does not merely happen to bear a name that sounds like another word: she explicitly demands to be renamed, and the explanation supplies the language of bitterness. The contrast is especially sharp because נעמי (Naʿŏmî) is associated with pleasantness, while Mara expresses bitterness.
What Bible are you reading?
The bitter water is also associated with something that curses:
והשקה את־האשה את־מי המרים המאררים ובאו בה המים המאררים למרים
And he is causing the self-eternal Woman to drink the self-eternal waters of the Bitterness (Marim), those which bring a curse. And the dual-waters that bring a curse went in to herself unto bitterness.
Numbers 5:24
| Passage | Hebrew connection | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus 15:20 | מִרְיָם Miryam — Miriam |
Miriam appears after the crossing of the sea, leading the women in song and dance. |
| Exodus 15:23 | מָרִים marim — bitter (masculine plural) |
The Israelites cannot drink the water of Marah because it is bitter. |
| Numbers 5:24 | הַמָּרִים hammarim — the bitter |
The form occurs in the ritual of the bitter water associated with a curse. |
| Ruth 1:20 | מָרָא Mara — Mara הֵמַר שַׁדַּי לִי מְאֹד |
Naomi asks to be called Mara, explaining: “Shaddai has made me exceedingly bitter.” |
“Woman, grant to me to drink!”