Israelite woman, mother-in-law of Ruth.
Naomi
Named in 20 verses of Ruth, first in Ruth 1:2.
נׇעֳמִיNaomi
מָרָאMara
Also called Mara.
The name means “beautiful; agreeable.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
- Married to
- Elimelech
About Naomi Written by AI
Naomi, later known as Mara, was an Israelite woman from Bethlehem who played a significant role in the Book of Ruth. She was the wife of Elimelech and the mother of Mahlon and Chilion. During a time of famine, Naomi and her family moved to the land of Moab. While there, her sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Tragically, Elimelech and both of Naomi's sons died, leaving her widowed and childless (Ruth 1:1 to 5). Hearing that the famine in Israel had ended, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She encouraged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab, but Ruth insisted on accompanying her (Ruth 1:6 to 18). Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, Naomi expressed her bitterness, saying, "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20). The name "Mara" means "bitter" in Hebrew. Naomi played a crucial role in guiding Ruth and helping her find security and provision. She instructed Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech (Ruth 2:1 to 3). Later, Naomi encouraged Ruth to seek marriage with Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer, following Israelite custom (Ruth 3:1 to 4). Through Boaz and Ruth's marriage, Naomi's lineage was preserved. When their son Obed was born, the women of Bethlehem declared to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer" (Ruth 4:14). Obed became the grandfather of King David, making Naomi an ancestor of both David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ. Naomi's story is one of loss, faithfulness, and redemption. Her journey from bitterness to joy, through the love and loyalty of Ruth and the providence of God, has made her an enduring example of faith and resilience.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
The lovable; my delight, the wife of Elimelech, and mother of Mahlon and Chilion, and mother-in-law of Ruth (1:2, 20, 21; 2:1). Elimelech and his wife left the district of Bethlehem-Judah, and found a new home in the uplands of Moab. In course of time he died, as also his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, who had married women of Moab, and three widows were left mourning the loss of their husbands. Naomi longs to return now to her own land, to Bethlehem. One of her widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth, accompanies her, and is at length married to Boaz (q.v.).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
Where the Bible names her
- Ruth 1:2
The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.
- Ruth 1:3
Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,
- Ruth 1:8
Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
- Ruth 1:11
But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?
- Ruth 1:19
So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
- Ruth 1:20
“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
- Ruth 1:21
I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”
- Ruth 1:22
So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
- Ruth 2:1
Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
- Ruth 2:2
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.
- Ruth 2:6
The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
- Ruth 2:20
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
- Ruth 2:22
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
- Ruth 3:1
One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?
- Ruth 4:3
And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
- Ruth 4:5
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and also from Ruth the Moabitess, you must also acquire the widow of the deceased in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.”
- Ruth 4:9
At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.
- Ruth 4:14
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.
- Ruth 4:16
And Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a nurse to him.
- Ruth 4:17
The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.