Naomi (biblical figure)

Naomi (/neɪˈoʊmi, -maɪ, ˈneɪoʊˌmaɪ, -ˌmi/;Hebrew: נָעֳמִי "Pleasant; agreeable; my sweet", Standard Hebrew Noʻomi, Tiberian Hebrew nåʿå̆mī) is Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth.

History

Naomi is married to Elimelech. A famine causes them to move with their two sons, from their home in Judea to Moab. While there Elimelech dies, as well as his sons who had gotten married in the meantime. Near destitute, Naomi returns to Bethlehem with one daughter-in-law, Ruth, whom she could not dissuade from accompanying her. Her other daughter-in-law, Orpah, remains in Moab.

Naomi is so changed by poverty and affliction that her old friends hardly recognize her. She tells them, "Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara (מרה), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me". Barry Webb points out that there is both an objective element in her life being bitter through bereavement, dislocation and poverty, as well as a subjective element - the bitterness she feels. He further argues that in Chapter 1 of the Book of Ruth, Naomi's "perception of her condition" is "distorted by self-absorption," but that Ruth plays "a key role in her rehabilitation."Abraham Kuyper, on the other hand, asserts that "Naomi has such innate nobility of character that she immediately elicits from us our most sincere sympathy." The Book of Ruth depicts the struggles of Naomi and Ruth for survival in a patriarchal environment.