- verses
- 20
- first named
- Ruth 1:2
- last named
- Ruth 4:17
- period
- before Israel's Monarchy
- role
- Woman
Description
Who was Naomi?
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 (Rut.1.1-5).
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 (Rut.1.6-18). Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, Naomi expressed her bitterness, saying, "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Rut.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 (Rut.2.1-3). Later, Naomi encouraged Ruth to seek marriage with Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer, following Israelite custom (Rut.3.1-4).
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" (Rut.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.
Relations
Direct connections
Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.
The 10 best-attested of 14 are drawn. All 14 are listed below.
Places
Where this happens
The places the claims about this person reach, drawn where the gazetteer locates them. A point is where a row puts them and never where tradition does; no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.
The pattern
Where Naomi is named
Every book of the corpus in the order it is read, each as wide as the chapters it holds. A bar is the verses of that book which write the name, and the flat stretches are as much of the answer as the bars.
20 verses across 1 of 66 books; 65 write the name nowhere. Named in Ruth (20).
Read it
Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 20, across 1 book. The name is written 22 times in them.
Onward
Where this page goes
Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Where they appear
Chapter by chapter
Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.
- Ruth 1Naomi leaves Bethlehem for Moab, loses her husband and sons, and returns with Ruth while naming the return bitter and empty.
- Ruth 2Naomi sends Ruth to glean, listens to the account of her day, recognizes Boaz as a close relative, and advises her where to work.
- Ruth 4Naomi sold the land, received the child onto her lap, and became his nurse.
Sources