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“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
(Romans
8:2)
Naomi
– Biblical Figure – Wikipedia
Naomi (biblical figure)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naomi (Classically /ˈneɪ.oʊmaɪ, neɪˈoʊmaɪ/,[1]
colloquially /neɪˈoʊmi, ˈneɪ.oʊmi/;[2] Hebrew: נָעֳמִי,
Modern: Noʻomī, Tiberian: Nā‘ŏmī) is Ruth's
mother-in-law in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Ruth. The name derives from
the Hebrew word na’im, meaning "good, pleasant, lovely, winsome."[3]
Biblical narrative
Naomi is married to a man named 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.[4] Her other daughter-in-law,
Orpah, remains in Moab.
When Naomi returns, she tells the Bethlehemites, "Do
not call me Naomi, call me Mara (מרא), for the Almighty has
dealt very bitterly with me". Barry Webb points out that there is not only
an objective element in her life being bitter through bereavement, dislocation,
and poverty, but also a subjective element—the bitterness she feels.[5] 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."[6] 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."[7] The
Book of Ruth depicts the struggles of Naomi and Ruth for survival in a
patriarchal environment.[8]
The arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem coincides with
the barley harvest. Naomi gives Ruth permission to glean those fields where she
is allowed. Ruth is working in the field of Boaz, when a servant identifies her
to him as Naomi's daughter-in-law. It happens that Boaz is a kinsman of Naomi's
late husband. He tells her to work with the female servants, warns the young
men not to bother her, and at mealtime invites her to share his food.
When Naomi learns that Ruth has the attention and kindness
of Boaz, she counsels Ruth to approach him directly: "... [P]ut on your
best attire and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to
the man before he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, take
note of the place where he does so. Then go, uncover a place at his feet, and
lie down. He will tell you what to do." (Ruth 3:3–4)
Webb points out Naomi's "feminine scheming" in
forcing Boaz's hand.[9] Yitzhak Berger suggests that Naomi's plan was that Ruth
seduce Boaz, just as Tamar and the daughters of Lot all seduced "an older
family member in order to become the mother of his offspring." At the
crucial moment, however, "Ruth abandons the attempt at seduction and
instead requests a permanent, legal union with Boaz."[10]
Ruth marries Boaz, and they have a son, for whom Naomi
cares,[4] and so the women of the town say: "Naomi has a son" (Ruth
4:17). In this way, the book can be seen to be Naomi's story: Gregory Goswell
argues that Naomi is the central character of the book, whereas Ruth is the
main character.[11] The son in question was Obed, who was the father of Jesse and
thus later the grandfather of David.