Naomi

Naomi is the mother-in-law of Ruth and the central figure around whom the book of Ruth turns. Her story moves from famine and bereavement in Moab to restoration in Bethlehem through her daughter-in-law's loyalty and her kinsman Boaz's redemption.

Famine, Migration, and Bereavement

Naomi enters the narrative as the wife of an Ephrathite migrant: "And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there" (Ruth 1:2). In Moab her husband and both sons die: "And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons" (Ruth 1:3); "And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband" (Ruth 1:5).

The Return to Bethlehem

When word reaches her that Yahweh has visited Judah with bread, Naomi sets out home. She first releases her daughters-in-law: "And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you⁺ to her mother's house: Yahweh deal kindly with you⁺, as you⁺ have dealt with the dead, and with me" (Ruth 1:8). Orpah turns back, but Ruth refuses: "And Ruth said, Don't entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people will be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Arrival in Bethlehem brings the town's recognition and Naomi's bitter renaming: "And she said to them, Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you⁺ call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?" (Ruth 1:20-21).

The Field of Boaz

Ruth gleans in the field of a relative of Naomi's husband: "And the attendant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabite damsel who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab" (Ruth 2:6). When Ruth returns home with what she has gleaned, Naomi recognizes the providence: "And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Yahweh, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our near kinsmen" (Ruth 2:20). Naomi then directs her to remain with Boaz's maidens through the harvest (Ruth 2:22-23).

The Threshing-Floor and the Redemption

Naomi initiates the next move: "And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? And now isn't Boaz our kinsman, whose maidens you were with? Look, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor" (Ruth 3:1-2). Her instructions for the night at the threshing-floor (Ruth 3:3-4) set up Boaz's role as redeemer. At the city gate, the parcel of land becomes the explicit issue: "And he said to the near kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's" (Ruth 4:3).

The Restored Mother

The book closes with Naomi cradling the child of Ruth and Boaz. The women of Bethlehem speak the reversal of her earlier emptiness: "And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Yahweh, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. And he will be to you a restorer of soul, and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and was its nurse. And her women neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they named him Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:14-17).