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NAOMI

(Heb. noʿŏmî)

A primary character in the symbol-laden book of Ruth; the mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah, mother of Mahlon and Chilion, and wife of Elimelech.

Sojourning in the land of Moab, Naomi (“pleasant one”) is left bereaving the deaths of her husband and her two sons. Accompanied by Ruth, she returns to her homeland, Bethlehem in Judah, where she renames herself Mara (“bitter”). Naomi frequently portrays the reversal of cultural norms: she lives in a foreign land; she insists that her daughters-in-law return to the house of their mothers; she returns to her homeland with her foreign daughter-in-law; she owns a parcel of land; and she sends Ruth to the threshing floor to solidify her relationship with Boaz. In a narrative full of contrasts and irony, Naomi is pivotal for the development of the plot. Naomi leaves Judah “full,” with her entire family, and returns “empty,” poor and without social status (Ruth 1:21). Naomi is an old Israelite; Ruth is a young Moabite. Naomi is poor; Boaz is wealthy. Naomi, after losing her sons, is too old to bear children; Ruth bears Obed (“restorer of life”), the grandfather of David, who, according to the women of Bethlehem, is the son of Naomi (4:17).

Bibliography. E. F. Campbell, Jr., Ruth. AB 7 (Garden City, 1975); D. N. Fewell and D. M. Gunn, Compromising Redemption: Relating Characters in the Book of Ruth (Louisville, 1990); J. M. Sasson, Ruth, 2nd ed. (Sheffield, 1979).

Alice H. Hudiburg

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

NAOMI

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)