Naomi
Introduction
Most people remember Naomi as the mother-in-law of Ruth—often the focus of sermons and studies being on the latter of the two women. However, Naomi has an interesting story of her own. She and her husband immigrated to Moab during a major famine in Israel. While in Moab, her husband and both of her sons die, leaving her a widow with no one to care for her. Luckily of her two daughter-in-laws, one sticks by her despite her protestations.
Naomi's story covers grief and mental health, the challenges of life, and the strength of family even with family isn't blood related. There's a lot to learn from her experiences and dwelling on the story of Ruth from Naomi's point of view.
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 Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
Ruth 1:2 KJV
Etymology of Naomi
Naomi technically has two names: her given name of Naomi and the name Mara, which she chooses for herself. Naomi means "pleasant" or "my delight," while Mara means "bitterness."[2][3] She chooses the latter to represent her bitterness toward life after the loss of her entire family.
An interesting thing I found while investigating the meaning behind Naomi's names was the meaning of her husband's name. Melech is the Hebrew word for king and El is the Hebrew word for God, so I knew it had a profound meaning and had to look it up too. His name means "my God is King," which is fitting because it is through his daughter-in-law that we get the line of David, and thus the lineage of Christ.
Genealogy
Naomi is the wife of Elimelech, a man from Israel who lived in Ephrath before relocated to Moab. She has two son Mahlon and Chilion who both die before bearing any children. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, goes on to marry Boaz. Although Boaz was a near kinsmen, I don't think his marriage to Ruth quite conforms to the concept of a levirate marriage.[1] Nonetheless, Naomi is directly responsible for the line that eventually produces King David and the other kings of Judah (as well as Messiah).
Questions
About the Passage
- Would Naomi and her family have returned to Israel if her husvand and sons had not died?
- How old were her sons when they left Israel?
- Did her sons feel more Moabite than Israelite?
- Did the famine last the entire 10 years?
- Was it her idea or her husband's that they leave?
- What was Naomi's experience as an immigrant?
- Did the Moabites treat her differently? Better? Worse?
- How different/similar was her experience to today's immigrants and refugees
- What was the status of Naomi's faith and belief?
- Had Ruth observed Naomi's faith in God, prompting what she says in Ruth 1:16 about Naomi's God being her God?
- Did she believe YHWH would provide for her?
- If yes, was Naomi just following her husband when she left Israel to go to moab?
- If yes, why did she change her name to Mara (bitterness)
- Was there anything other than news of YHWH intervening in the famine that prompted her return home?
- Did she miss Israel?
- How much of an outsider was Naomi in Moab?
- Did Israel and Moab have different rules concerning widows?
- How long had Naomi been married when she beacame a widow?
- How long had her sons been married?
- How long did Naomi know Ruth? Orpah?
- Did she really want Ruth and Orpah to stay even though she told them to leave?
- Was she happy Ruth decided to stay with her? Before the she met Boaz vs. after she met Boaz?
- Did she ever think about Orpah after?
- Did she think badly about Orpah after she how things turned out with Ruth?
If I Could Talk to Naomi
I would want to talk to Naomi about lonliness. I think it's a tie between her and Elijah as to who would be the best for this conversation, but Naomi definitely had to overcome some form of loneliness and depression. Naomi lost her whole family while she was in a foreign country—I have so many questions about how she would cope with that. Did she have friends in Moab? They didn't have phones and email becak then, so any friendships she had in Israel would have been strained with snail mail. Other than Orpah and Ruth, did she actually have anyone? If Ruth had not purposed in her heart to follow Naomi, would she have been all alone? Even with Ruth by her side, she clearly experienced bitterness toward the loss, how did she survive?
Another topic I would want to discuss with Naomi is the notion of change and regret. Did Naomi regret her family's decision to move to Moab? How would she have dealt with the situation if she had been given a second chance? Did she feel like the death of her husband and children was punishment for "consorting with their enemies" or did she accept the possibility that she would have been alone even if she had stayed in Israel? I often go back and forth in my mind about the decisions I've made, and I feel like Naomi would be able to relate.
Phototheology Prompts
Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[4] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three pormpts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying Naomi.
How does the text relate to events from the past?
I relate Naomi's story to Genesis 3. During the fall, YHWH loses mankind; we are separated from him by sin and death. After Adam and Eve experience a spiritual death, they are expelled from the Garden of Eden and forced to travel elsewhere. Naomi is in Moab because there was a famine in Israel and when her husband dies, she leaves the place that gave her refuge during the famine and returns to the Israel. After all this loss, Naomi is bitter but Ruth does not abandon her. In the same way, God did not abandon mankind.
Study the text against the backdrop of the gospel
The heart of the gospel is fiath and love: belief in the fact that Messiah lived, died, and rose from the dead for our salvation. Naomi's story is also about faith and love. The major difference between the gospel and Naomi, is that she is struggling with faith because she has lost the ones she loves. I imagine Naomi's story to be similar to that of the disciples before they saw the resurrected Messiah. One minute you're making plans and see the future ahead of you, but the next minute you're making funeral arragments. It doesn't seem fair; you're angry and bitter, and you've lost hope in the plan you thought God head for you. In both cases, however, you find that you've just hit the low part in God's plans.
Connect the text with a sermon or worship thought you've heard before
I drew a blank on sermons that connect to this text, probably because if someone is talking about Ruth (the book), usually they're talking about Ruth!. However, I feel like I've heard a number of sermons on Hebrews 11. This chapter discusses faith and hope. Naomi's family may have struggled with faith when they left Israel—or they may have been full of faith that they would return to Israel eventually.
Naomi becomes bitter after the death of her sons, but Ruth is a reminder that there is always hope, we just need faith. Faith and hope are interrelated.
Journal Pages
References and Footnotes
- Ronald L. Eisenbeig. "Levirate Marriage and Halitzah". My Jewish Learning;visited January 20, 2025
- "Strongs H5281. נָעֳמִי". Blue Letter Bible; visited January 2025
- "Strongs H458. אֱלִימֶלֶךְ". Blue Letter Bible; visited January 2025
- Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck
- Chuck Swindoll. "Ruth". Insight.org; visited January 2025
Death, Mental Health, Naomi, Needs Link Updates, Person Study, Ruth, Ruth 1, Women
Leave a comment?
How are you feeling today?
Click the emotion you're feeling to see an inspiring bible verse.




