Naomi

Life and work

Naomi and her husband Elimelech left Bethlehem for Moab during a famine, along with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, who married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Within about a decade Naomi lost her husband and then both sons, leaving her alone with her two widowed daughters-in-law (Ruth 1:1-5).

Deciding to return to Bethlehem after hearing the famine had ended, Naomi urged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab and remarry among their own people rather than face an uncertain future with her. Orpah eventually complied, but Ruth refused to leave, and the two women returned to Bethlehem together (Ruth 1:6-19). On arrival, Naomi told the townspeople to call her "Mara" (bitter) instead of Naomi (pleasant), saying "the LORD hath dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20-21).

Naomi guided Ruth's actions throughout the rest of the book — identifying Boaz as a close relative when Ruth happened to glean in his field, and instructing Ruth on approaching him at the threshing floor to invoke his right of redemption (Ruth 2:1-3, 20; 3:1-4). After Boaz and Ruth married and had a son, Obed, the women of Bethlehem told Naomi the child was hers as much as Ruth's, and Naomi became his nurse — Obed would become the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:14-17).

Extra-biblical evidence

No archaeological find or extrabiblical text names Naomi individually; she is known solely from the book of Ruth.

Scripture references

• Ruth 1 — Loses her husband and sons in Moab; returns to Bethlehem with Ruth
• Ruth 3 — Instructs Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor
• Ruth 4:14-17 — Becomes nurse to Ruth and Boaz's son Obed, grandfather of David

Further reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Naomi

Reflect

Naomi came home calling herself 'Bitter,' yet her story wasn't over — have you renamed yourself after a loss?