Isaiah 51:18-19

51:18 There was no one to lead her

among all the children she bore;

there was no one to take her by the hand

among all the children she raised.

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ¹ 

Ruth 1:5

1:5 Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. ²  So the woman was left all alone – bereaved of her two children ³  as well as her husband!

Ruth 1:20

1:20 But she replied ⁴  to them, ⁵  “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! ⁶  Call me ‘Mara’ ⁷  because the Sovereign One ⁸  has treated me very harshly. ⁹ 

Luke 7:12-13

7:12 As he approached the town gate, a man ¹⁰  who had died was being carried out, ¹¹  the only son of his mother (who ¹²  was a widow ¹³ ), and a large crowd from the town ¹⁴  was with her. 7:13 When ¹⁵  the Lord saw her, he had compassion ¹⁶  for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁷ 

[51:19]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “and the two of them also died, Mahlon and Kilion.”

[1:5]  ³ tn The term יֶלֶד (yeled, “offspring”), from the verb יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”), is used only here of a married man. By shifting to this word from the more common term בֵּן (ben, “son”; see vv. 1-5a) and then using it in an unusual manner, the author draws attention to Naomi’s loss and sets up a verbal link with the story’s conclusion (cf. 4:16). Although grown men, they were still her “babies” (see E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 56; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 66).

[1:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “said.” For stylistic reasons the present translation employs “replied” here.

[1:20]  ⁵ tn The third person feminine plural form of the pronominal suffix indicates the women of the village (see v. 19) are the addressees.

[1:20]  ⁶ sn The name Naomi means “pleasant.”

[1:20]  ⁷ sn The name Mara means “bitter.”

[1:20]  ⁸ 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.

[1:20]  ⁹ tn Or “caused me to be very bitter”; NAB “has made it very bitter for me.”

[7:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[7:12]  ¹¹ tn That is, carried out for burial. This was a funeral procession.

[7:12]  ¹² tn Grk “and she.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) has been translated as a relative clause for the sake of English style.

[7:12]  ¹³ sn The description of the woman as a widow would mean that she was now socially alone and without protection in 1st century Jewish culture.

[7:12]  ¹⁴ tn Or “city.”

[7:13]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And seeing her, the Lord.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. The participle ἰδών (idwn) has been taken temporally.

[7:13]  ¹⁶ sn He had compassion. It is unusual for Luke to note such emotion by Jesus, though the other Synoptics tend to mention it (Matt 14:14; Mark 6:34; Matt 15:32; Mark 8:2).

[7:13]  ¹⁷ tn The verb κλαίω (klaiw) denotes the loud wailing or lamenting typical of 1st century Jewish mourning.