Naomi

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Hebrew Naʿomî (“pleasant,” “sweet”)
• Period/Era: Old Testament — Divided Kingdom (setting “in the days when the judges ruled”)
• Main References: Ruth 1–4
• Key Connections: Elimelech (husband), Mahlon and Chilion (sons), Ruth (daughter-in-law), Boaz (kinsman-redeemer), Obed (grandson)

Who was Naomi?

Naomi was an Israelite woman from Bethlehem who migrated with her family to Moab during a famine.
After the deaths of her husband and sons, she returned to Judah as a widow.
She directed Ruth’s integration into Bethlehem and its kinship structures through Boaz.
Her family story is linked to later Israelite genealogy through Obed.

Key Events & Achievements

• Event 1: Leaves Bethlehem for Moab during famine and later becomes widowed and childless (Ruth 1:1–5).
• Event 2: Returns to Bethlehem with Ruth, where her situation re-enters the community’s kinship network (Ruth 1:19–22).
• Event 3: Guides Ruth toward Boaz, resulting in marriage, the birth of Obed, and a recorded genealogy leading to David (Ruth 3–4).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Naomi’s story shows how family loyalty and lawful kinship obligations functioned within Israel’s community life during a period of instability.

Key Verse

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” — Ruth 1:16, NIV